Gradient is now one of only four companies globally that are authorized GreenScreen® Profilers.
The GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals is a novel tool for characterizing chemical hazards. It has gained widespread acceptance as an alternative assessment methodology and is being used by companies like Hewlett-Packard, Nike, and Staples as an integral facet of product stewardship programs. GreenScreen® is also being promoted by multiple regulatory agencies and NGOs as a way of identifying opportunities to reduce the inherent hazard profiles of products. This new capability augments our existing expertise in Globally Harmonized System (GHS) hazard evaluations, alternatives assessment, and product risk assessment.
GreenScreen® evaluates chemicals for various hazards (human health, ecological, physical) under a system aligned with the GHS hazard categorization scheme and/or the presence of the chemical on various authoritative lists. Scoring places a chemical into one of four “benchmarks,” ranging from benchmark 1 (“do not use”) to benchmark 4 (“preferred”). Companies can use the benchmark scoring results to identify chemicals whose use may merit reconsideration due to concerns about sustainability, brand reputation, or product liability. GreenScreen® can also serve as a first step in alternative assessment or chemical portfolio risk ranking. Note that GreenScreen® is not a risk assessment approach; it does not consider the potential for exposure, but rather identifies the inherent hazard of a given chemical.
As a licensed profiler, Gradient is officially recognized by Clean Production Action (CPA), the nonprofit organization that developed GreenScreen®, as having the technical expertise necessary to provide high quality chemical evaluations. This certification also indicates Gradient has been fully audited by CPA to ensure that our work product addresses all GreenScreen® requirements, and we are participating in ongoing discussions about how the tool can be enhanced and updated.
More information about GreenScreen® can be found here.
Upcoming Gradient Presentations at the 19th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference, North Bethesda, Maryland, July 14-16, 2015.
“Exempt polymers: Are they really non-hazardous?” in the session Designing Safer Chemicals: Interdisciplinary Research Frontiers Dr. Jessie M. Kneeland, Jiaru Zhang, Daniella Pizzurro
“Varying reliability of structural alerts: Case studies and recommendations for informing hazards under GHS” Jiaru Zhang, Dr. Jessie Kneeland, Chase H. Butler
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