(AGENPARL) – lun 08 aprile 2024 Issued: Apr 8, 2024 (1:41pm EDT)
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Biden-Harris Administration Takes Action to Cut PFAS from U.S. Government
Custodial Contracts
WASHINGTON – Today, April 8, 2024, in a move aimed at better protecting the
health of custodial staff, federal employees, and the environment, the
Biden-Harris Administration is directing government contractors to purchase
cleaning products for federal buildings that are free of toxic “forever
chemicals.” This change is the result of a collaboration between the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. General Services Administration
(GSA) to implement President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan, which
directs federal agencies to prioritize the purchase of sustainable products
and services including products without added per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” The change is
reflected in GSA’s custodial specification. Contractors will be required to
use products certified to ecolabels such as EPA’s Safer Choice which meet
strict criteria for human health and the environment by using effective, safer
chemical alternatives, as well as certain Green Seal® certifications.
“Everyone deserves protection from the harmful effects of forever chemicals,
including the workers who use cleaning products, federal employees, and those
who visit government buildings every day,” said EPA Administrator Michael S.
Regan. “EPA has well recognized and established tools to help our partners
in the federal government identify cleaning products that use safer
ingredients and do not contain intentionally added PFAS to keep people safe
and healthy.”
“As the largest single buyer of goods and services in the world, the federal
government can play a big role in helping reduce PFAS through its
purchasing,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “Changing the
requirements in our contracts is a way to answer President Biden’s call for
the federal government to lead by example in buying sustainable products and
services.”
Currently, GSA’s Public Building Service has more than 600 contracts for
custodial services at more than 1,500 U.S. government-owned buildings at a
cost of more than $400 million per year and expects that most of these
contracts will include the new specifications within five years. The updated
specification requires that contractors use cleaners and hand soaps must be
certified to the EPA Safer Choice, Green Seal® GS-37, Green Seal® GS-41, or
Green Seal® GS-53 certifications, which do not allow intentionally added PFAS
in product formulations. This is in addition to meeting federal statutory
requirements, including the minimum biobased content requirement set by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred Program.
To assist federal buyers, program managers and vendors working with federal
agencies, EPA and GSA collaborated on several steps to make it easier to
identify and buy products, such as cleaning products, that do not contain
PFAS, including:
GSA’s SFTool (Sustainable Facilities Tool) Product Search has a “PFAS
Addressed” filter to browse for products certified to ecolabels and
standards that are required for use in federal purchasing.
GSA’s Advantage shopping and ordering website is now enhanced to make it
easier to find products that are Safer Choice-certified.
EPA’s Safer Choice Program is offering a webinar on April 9, 2024, from 2-3
p.m. ET, on how updates to federal purchasing and GSA Advantage provide
further incentives for businesses to acquire and maintain Safer Choice
certification for their products, as well as how product manufacturers can
feature their product benefits in GSA Advantage. Product manufacturers and
purchasers are encouraged to attend.
Register for the webinar.
Learn more about GSA’s National Custodial Specifications.
Learn more about EPA’s Safer Choice program.
Learn more about EPA’s recommended standards and ecolabels and how they
address PFAS.
About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the
federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370
million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $100 billion in annual
contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people
across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best
customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology
services to the government and the American people. For more information,
visit GSA.gov and follow @USGSA.
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