Today, with a blog post and video Gina McCarthy of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled plans for the new “Safer Choice” label. The new label, which will launch this spring, is designed to provide consumer information about the safety of household chemicals.

“Our scientists employ a stringent set of human health and environmental safety standards when reviewing products for the Safer Choice program, so a product with the label is backed by EPA science. Consumers know it’s a credible stamp they can trust,” said McCarthy.

According to the statement, consumer product companies are on board with the new labeling system.

“Major producers and retailers like Clorox, Walmart, Jelmar/CLR, Earth Friendly Products, Bissel, Wegmans, and hundreds of others have agreed to start putting Safer Choice products on the shelves this year. These companies know that developing and selling safer products is good for business. When they demonstrate a commitment to the health of their customers and the planet, consumers respond,” she said.

According to the Safer Choice web site, environmental and health advocates were consulted along with manufacturers in creating the new labeling system.

The labeling is voluntary for companies that meet the EPA standard which includes 2,000 products to date. Qualification is determined based on the EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL).

Chemicals are evaluated based on health implications as well as environmental impact. According to the agency the criteria “address a broad range of potential toxicological effects, including: carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive or developmental toxicants; persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals; systemic or internal organ toxicants; asthmagens; sensitizers; and chemicals on authoritative lists of chemicals of concern.”

A separate but related label also identifies products that are “fragrance free”.

“We all want the cleaning products we use in our homes to be safe for our kids, our pets and the environment,” said in the video.

After consultations with stakeholders, the labels were created as a replacement for the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) labelling.

“For the past 15 years EPA’s label for safer chemical products has been known as the Design for the Environment, or the “DfE,” label. We spent more than a year collecting ideas and discussing new label options with stakeholders, such as product manufacturers and environmental and health advocates. Then we took our ideas to consumers and asked what worked best for them. The result is the new Safer Choice label,” according to an earlier blog post.

In addition to health and environmental concerns, the new labeling system also sets standards for performance and packaging.

A complete list of products approved to date as well as a product search engine are available on the EPA web site.

Some products already bear the new label, others are expected to roll it out through the summer and beyond as new products are approved.