The Environmental Protection Agency Honors Multi-Clean with Prestigious Environmental Award

The EPA honored cleaning products manufacturer Multi-Clean for the company's sustainability leadership in the cleaning industry at a special awards ceremony in Washington DC on November 19th. Every year, millions of pounds of cleaning and laundry products are sent down the drain, some of which can harm the environment and may have links to certain cancers in humans . Multi-Clean exemplified leadership in the cleaning industry by committing to use only raw materials that were proven to be safer for people and the environment.

St. Paul, Minnesota, December 3, 2008 (FPRC) -- Multi-Clean, Inc., a Minnesota-based manufacturer of commercial cleaning and maintenance products, is proud to announce that the company is a recipient of an Environmental Award as part of the EPA’s Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative (SDSI). Company representatives attended an awards ceremony in Washington DC on November 19th in the Ronald Reagan Trade Building, with EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson as the keynote speaker.

Everyday, millions of pounds of detergents from a broad range of cleaning products, personal care products and laundry soaps are discharged into the environment. The EPA’s SDSI program has targeted one common class of detergents(surfactants) still commonly used today, referred to as an NPE (Nonyl Phenol Ethoxylate) or APE (Alkyl Phenol Ethoxylate) surfactants. These compounds are not readily biodegradable and are proving to be harmful to aquatic life. New emerging information is beginning to suggest that NPE’s can impact human health, as well. The problem is that the chemicals degrade in the environment to “environmental estrogen” compounds. Among others issues, these endocrine disrupting compounds are currently under intensive study because of possible links to the incidence of breast cancer in women.

EPA developed the Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative (SDSI) to recognize environmental leaders who voluntarily commit to the use of safer surfactants (detergents) in cleaning product formulations. In Mr. Johnson’s address, he had indicated a new collaborative approach of cooperation and recognition for businesses is helping the EPA effectively promote the use of safer alternatives. Multi-Clean was only one of a handful of national manufacturers to receive the CHAMPION award from the EPA. “In 2006, we recognized that one of the most common surfactants used in cleaning products posed an environmental problem and may have potential human health effects. That was all the information we needed to eliminate these compounds from all of our formulas. We encourage other cleaning product manufacturers to follow our lead” says Mike Tarvin, Vice President of Multi-Clean.

EPA Administrator Steve Johnson summed it up best when he said “What is good for the environment is good for business and the economy”.

Multi-Clean, a Minuteman International Company, is a manufacturer of commercial cleaning and maintenance products. Multi-Clean has a 60-year history of developing top-quality cleaning products for schools, commercial buildings, retail and healthcare facilities.

For more information contact Michael Tarvin of Multi-Clean, Inc (http://www.multi-clean.com)
651-481-1900

Keywords: cleaning, green, detergents

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