Safer Choice authorization bill reaches the U.S. House: why voluntary cleaning-product labels still require formulation, performance and packaging evidence

The text of H.R.10591 published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office shows that the "Safer Choice Program Authorization Act of 2026" was introduced in the House of Representatives on September 24, 2026, and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration. The next day, the offices of the proposing legislators and the Household & Commercial Products Association each issued statements. At this stage, it should be accurately referred to as a 'bill that has been introduced' and should not be written as a law that has already taken effect.

The bill proposes to formally authorize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to continue operating the Safer Choice and Design for the Environment programs, while maintaining their voluntary nature. The offices of the proposing legislators also made it clear that it will not establish a new mandatory regulatory system. For clean product companies, such programs are more like a set of technical and informational requirements that need to be proactively met before obtaining a label, rather than a market access certificate automatically applicable to all products.

The current EPA Safer Choice standards break the assessment into multiple layers: each chemical ingredient in the formulation must undergo a hazard characteristic review according to its functional category, and the finished product also involves requirements for performance, packaging, and information disclosure. If a company only prepares a single formula sheet or only completes one demonstration of cleaning effectiveness, it is insufficient to cover the complete assessment structure.

The key points of formulation information are clear identity and consistent versions. Ingredients such as surfactants, solvents, chelating agents, preservatives, fragrances, or colorants should correspond to supplier information, chemical identity, functional use, and specific formulation versions. Ingredients with similar trade names may have different compositions, and the same product may have multiple versions due to market, fragrance type, or packaging, so R&D, procurement, and quality records need to use the same set of numbers.

Performance data should also match the intended use of the product. Laundry, hard surfaces, tableware, or professional cleaning have different usage methods, and the test design, control conditions, dosage, water quality, temperature, and stain models will also differ. In addition to reporting the results, test reports should retain sample batches, methods, experimental conditions, and version dates to avoid discrepancies between marketing copy and the actual tested subjects.

Packaging is not an accessory item outside the formulation. The EPA standards page separately lists common packaging issues, indicating that label items will pay attention to packaging-related requirements. Choices between the bottle, pump head, label, outer box, and refill should be recorded simultaneously with materials, specifications, suppliers, and versions; the usage, warnings, and ingredient information on the packaging should also be consistent with the confirmed formulation and sales market.

EPHYON's daily chemical cleaning OEM services cover demand communication, formulation and samples, packaging support, production, and delivery. For projects aimed at the U.S. market or with voluntary labeling goals, you can record target channels, uses, formulation versions, testing plans, packaging schemes, and the selling points the customer wants to express from the project initiation stage, allowing R&D, design, procurement, quality, and delivery to collaborate on the same project documentation.

This preparation method does not mean that the product has obtained the Safer Choice label. Whether it meets the project requirements needs to be judged according to EPA standards and the formal review process; the brand owner and manufacturer should not directly extrapolate a piece of information from the raw material supplier to a certification conclusion for the entire product. External communication should only use evidence that has been completed and is applicable to this version.

After H.R.10591, the bill still needs to go through the congressional process, and its content may be adjusted. However, for clean product companies, there are very concrete actions that can be implemented now: establishing formula ingredient lists, performance report indexes, packaging version tables, and public copy checklists, and recording the date and responsible person for each change. This way, whether a customer requests voluntary labels, retail audits, or market differentiation requirements, the project can be based on actual documents rather than temporarily pieced-together materials.