Product Criteria
After extensive research, the Finger Lakes Buy Green team has agreed on the following criteria as the minimum standards required for each cleaning product listed.
All chemical products must be certified by. . .
- Green Seal, EcoLogo, or the Environmental Protection Agency,*
OR
All chemical products must. . .
- Have packaging that is recyclable, has recycled content, or is somehow reduced. This could include concentrates that reduce packaging size or products that are sold in refillable containers;
- Not contain any known carcinogens; AND
- Not have a National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) health, reactivity, or flammability above 1.
All cleaning tools (mops, sponges, etc.) must . . .
- Be reusable, as opposed to a single use product AND
- Require no cleaning chemicals or significantly reduce the concentration and/or quantity of chemicals needed to effectively clean.
Many of the products featured on the website go above and beyond these standards, providing consumers with a wide array of effective, healthy, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. Where possible, a product’s additional green attributes have been listed.
*Please note that while these third party certifiers have approved many products that we have chosen to feature, some corporations have not paid the processing fee to become certified, their products do not meet the criteria or their products may not fall into the established categories of these certifiers. Where products are not certified, they must meet the alternative criteria we have established. To learn more about Green Seal, EcoLogo, or the Environmental Protection Agency, please visit their individual websites.
