This presentation will detail an introduction to the Greener Chemical Products and Processes standard (NSF / GCI 355) along with background on its development. Additionally, certification and conformance will be reviewed including 3rd party certification versus 1st party conformity assessment.

This standard development began with a partnership between members of the chemical enterprise, the American Chemical Society, ACS Green Chemistry Institute® and NSF International, to address the gap of information transferred down through the chemical industry life cycle. Users of this voluntary standard will benefit from the standardized methods for calculation, measurement, and reporting data elements and their respective data quality objectives.

Key elements of the standard include primary categories such as, chemical characteristics, chemical processes, and social responsibility. Chemical characteristics include such data elements as human health effects, ecological effects, and physical safety effects. Chemical processes include safety, water, and material efficiency and waste prevention. Social Responsibility is also a primary category for reporting corporate practices.

NSF International is an accredited standards developer with American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The consensus body for this standard, called a Joint Committee, is balanced among the following interest categories: fabricator/formulator, public health/regulatory, chemical manufacturer, and user. Work has been ongoing since the first stakeholder meeting in March 2009. Various task groups and experts have been participating in meetings on a bi-weekly basis.

The anticipated voluntary consensus based standard should be available this year.