Safer Choice Performance Measures
Each year, EPA tracks performance measures for the Safer Choice program to determine the program’s impact on the market for safer chemical ingredients, to develop ways to improve the program in the future, and to illustrate partner companies’ commitment and additional effort to have Safer Choice- and Design for the Environment (DfE)-certified products in their portfolio. These performance measures include:
- number of new products and total number of products certified under the program;
- number of chemicals added to and total number of chemicals listed on the Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL);
- time it takes to review applications for Safer Choice product certification;
- total volume of Safer Choice- and DfE-certified products (collectively and by product category); and
- product formulation adjustments made to meet the Safer Choice and DfE Standard.
EPA DfE-certified products are antimicrobial products regulated under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) that also meet low-concern criteria for health and the environment.
The measures in the chart below are expressed as annual goals and reflect performance associated with those goals for the last five years. EPA updates these measures each January.
Safer Choice Performance Measures, Fiscal Years (FY) 2020-2024, Updated January 2025
| Measure | Goal | FY 2024 actuals | FY 2023 actuals | FY 2022 actuals | FY 2021 actuals | FY 2020 actuals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of new products certified by the program | 200 products annually | 139 products1 | 172 products | 206 products | 233 products | 264 products |
| Total number of products certified by the program2 | The FY 2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan specifies a goal of 2,300 Safer Choice-certified products by September 30, 2026. | 1,724 products | 1,788 products | 1,835 products | 1,892 products | 1,929 products |
| Number of chemicals added to the SCIL | 25 chemicals annually | 29 chemicals | 19 chemicals | 22 chemicals | 36 chemicals | 21 chemicals |
| Total number of chemicals listed on the SCIL3 | N/A | 957 chemicals | 1,071 chemicals | 1,055 chemicals | 1,033 chemicals | 997 chemicals |
| Time to review Safer Choice product submissions | 80% of submissions reviewed within eight weeks of EPA receipt | 91% of submissions reviewed within eight weeks of EPA receipt | 91% of submissions reviewed within eight weeks of EPA receipt | 92% of submissions reviewed within eight weeks of EPA receipt | 92% of submissions reviewed within eight weeks of EPA receipt | 99% of submissions reviewed within eight weeks of EPA receipt |
| Total volume of Safer Choice- and DfE-certified products (pounds)4 5 | 2.4 billion pounds | 2 billion pounds | 2 billion pounds | 1.6 billion pounds | ||
| Product formulation adjustments made to meet the Safer Choice Standard4 6 | 58% | 60% | 68% | 60% |
In addition to the collective total production volume of Safer Choice- and DfE-certified products listed in the table above, EPA also tracks total production volume by product category, which include:
- Deicers5
- Floor Care Products
- Laundry Products
- Surface Cleaners7
- Dish and Dishwasher Detergents
- Multi-Functional Products8
- DfE-Certified Disinfectants9
- Odor Removers
- Other10
The bar graph below illustrates total volume of Safer Choice- and DfE-certified products by category.5
1 EPA did not meet this goal. The ability to meet this goal is largely impacted by external factors (including resource availability, halting on new sectors, and business consolidation in the institutional sector of the cleaning industry resulting in fewer brands with the Safer Choice label).
2 Because Safer Choice certification is not a permanent designation, products may be removed from the list for a variety of reasons; the total number of products certified in one fiscal year (FY) plus the number of new products certified in the following FY may not equal the total number of products certified in the following FY.
3 Because chemicals may be removed from the SCIL for a variety of reasons, the total number of chemicals listed in one FY plus the number of chemicals added to the SCIL in the following FY may not equal the total number of chemicals listed the following FY.
4 EPA began collecting data associated with this measure in 2021.
5 Deicers have been excluded from the percent of total production volume because deicer volumes have historically been larger than the volumes of the other categories combined and would make it difficult to track year-to-year progress.
6 This metric includes products that were formulated to meet Safer Choice criteria, or were reformulated in consultation with Safer Choice before certification was granted.
7 The surface cleaners category includes: all purpose cleaners, dry erase board cleaners, granite/stone cleaners, kitchen/countertop cleaners, metal cleaners/polishes, oven/grill/barbeque cleaners, stainless steel cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, tub/tile cleaners, window/glass cleaners, and wood cleaners.
8 Examples include products marketed with dual functionality such as a laundry pre-treater/carpet spot cleaner or all-purpose cleaner/odor remover. This approach for multiple product category products prevents double-counting.
9 Disinfectants are certified under the Design for the Environment Logo for Antimicrobial Pesticide Products.
10 Includes all product categories with production volumes <1%.