ACI Highlights Progress Toward Sustainability

WASHINGTON – More sustainable raw materials are being used by cleaning product manufacturers, according to a new sustainability report from the American Cleaning Institute.

The report highlights the essential role the U.S. cleaning products industry plays in fostering and shaping a more sustainable world. Most notably, the report showcases ACI’s Sustainable Feedstocks Pledge, which promotes sustainable raw material use.

Sixty percent of ACI members are committed to using RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil and six members have joined our Pledge, demonstrating progress on procuring more sustainable raw materials for the cleaning product supply chain.

The report also highlights achievements in the past two years, including the roll out of ACI’s Cleaning Chemistry Catalog (C3) tool, where environment and human health risk assessments are available publicly to over 1,100 cleaning product ingredients.

Also included is information on ACI’s Environmental Justice (EJ) Action Plan, which seeks to educate members on their EJ impacts, and how to address those impacts through partnerships and action.

“Achieving ACI’s ambition for all cleaning product packaging to be circular requires creativity, innovation and collaboration within and beyond the cleaning products industry,” said Nathan Sell, ACI senior director, sustainability. “Our Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) tool was developed to align with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s MCI methodology. The tool allows companies to measure the circularity of material flows for products, which supports decision‑making on product design and materials procurement.”

Despite an unpredictable political and economic landscape, ACI’s sustainability pillar must remain strong to ensure that the cleaning product supply chain can continue to innovate and manufacture chemistries and products that are indeed more sustainable.

“We must use and highlight cleaning product innovations as we advocate for our member manufacturers to ensure that we can reduce or eliminate roadblocks to a more sustainable future,” said Melissa Hockstad, ACI President & CEO.

Among other highlights showcased in ACI’s 2024 Sustainability Report:

• Twenty-two member companies have committed to ACI’s 1.5°C Challenge by aligning their corporate climate strategy and targets with the science-based 1.5°C goal, and thus will reach net zero emissions by 2050. Sixty-two members have made public commitments to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.

• Forty-nine percent of ACI members have strategies aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or are reporting their impact on the SDGs.

• Cold Water Saves, a joint initiative of ACI and The Sustainability Consortium, promotes the power of cold-water laundry washing. The Cold Water Saves campaign is working to get the message to all consumers that washing with cold water saves money, saves clothes, and saves the planet.

• ACI was again named Safer Choice Partner of the Year (2024) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for helping consumers and purchasers to find products that are safer for human health and the environment.

“Working for a more sustainable planet will never be easy, but we know that the cleaning products industry is committed to progress, transparency and accountability as part of its sustainability journey,” said Hockstad.

“Sustainability remains a cornerstone for the future of our industry and the world around us. ACI’s 2024 Sustainability Report captures how our member companies are demonstrating their commitments to operating sustainably and contributing to a sustainable future for our planet.”

The 2024 ACI Sustainability Report can be found at cleaninginstitute.org/sustainability2024.

The American Cleaning Institute (ACI – www.cleaninginstitute.org) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry and represents the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain.