We Use DFE Products

Unfortunately the term green has a very low monitoring policy. In fact, any company can use the term green without it having any meaning other than the color. However, there are certain governing groups that set high qualification standards in order for a product to be considered “green”. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Design for the Environment (DfE) program is an authority which identifies products that perform well, are cost-effective, and are safer for the environment (http://www.epa.gov/dfe). West Coast Steam Clean proudly carries a full line of these products and we have the documentation to prove it!

What is DfE?

A DfE-labeled product contains the safest possible ingredients. The DfE label offers a readily identifiable way to know that a product is as safe as possible for people and the environment. When you see the DfE label on a product it means that the DfE scientific review team has screened each ingredient for potential human health and environmental effects and that—based on the best available experimental data and EPA predictive models—the product contains only those ingredients that pose the least concern among chemicals in their class. For example, if a DfE-recognized product contains a surfactant, then that surfactant will not be toxic to humans and it will biodegrade readily to non-polluting degradation products. Many surfactants in conventional products biodegrade slowly or biodegrade to more toxic and persistent chemicals, which threaten aquatic life.

Product formulators who become DfE partners, and earn the right to display the DfE label on recognized products, have invested heavily in research, development, and reformulation to ensure that their ingredients and finished product align at the green end of the health and environment.