Sustainability & Product Stewardship Council (SPSC)
Encouraging collaboration between our members through our
EPR/Packaging and Credibility/Certifications & Claims Work Groups
The SPSC serves as the central forum and coordinating entity for making strategic decisions, communicating information, and operating technical task forces related to sustainability and product stewardship.
Our Mission
Protect and enhance the lives of people and the planet and promote the transition to
an environmentally and socially sustainable economy.
Our Vision
Serve as the forward-looking, trusted voice and acknowledged leader in driving product stewardship and sustainability and educating and empowering people to live more sustainable lives.
Promote innovation among our member companies that moves the industry forward on safety and sustainability, with the overall goal of making the lives of consumers and workers cleaner, healthier, and more productive.
Advocate for science-based legislative and regulatory solutions at the state and federal level, as well as partner with NGOs, allied trade associations both in and outside of the U.S., and other partners to support a global movement towards a sustainable future.
Our Priorities
The SPSC prioritizes advancing sustainability across the products we represent with a focus on transparency, packaging, and chemistry.
Our efforts are centered around promoting practices that not only support environmental protection but also enhance the safety and well-being of consumers, workers, and our communities.
Transparency
We support our members in improving the transparency of their products through the education of reliable claims and certifications to strengthen the relationship between manufacturers and consumers.
- HCPA supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice program. The EPA Safer Choice Certification communicates to consumers that a product has undergone careful evaluation against a stringent set of human health and environmental criteria. As of 2024, HCPA was awarded the EPA Safer Choice Partner nine times in the past ten years.
- The Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA) Ingredient Dictionary, also known as the Consumer Product Ingredients Database, is the primary source for common terminology, definitions, and technical data for the chemicals used specifically in products for household, commercial, and automotive care. The Dictionary provides companies with unified ingredient names accepted by regulators, retailers, and the EPA Safer Choice Program to facilitate consistency in ingredient disclosure and support consumers in making informed purchasing decisions.
- HCPA encourages members to incorporate product labeling that informs consumers on the appropriate disposal of their products, for example, the Aerosol Recycling Initiative, which seeks to increase transparency for product end users by providing clear, accessible information on how to properly recycle empty aerosol cans.
Packaging
We support packaging solutions that not only minimize waste but also contribute to a sustainable future. We encourage our members to promote a circular economy for their products, help them navigate the complex packaging policy landscape, and inform them of tools to understand the environmental impact of a product’s packaging materials at every stage.
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach that holds producers accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products, including end-of-life management and disposal. Under EPR programs, state and local governments, waste management entities, producers, and consumers should be accountable for a robust and effective recycling system that builds on existing infrastructure through policy that is consistent across state lines. EPR and related policies have the potential to incentivize more environmentally friendly packaging choices, such as increased use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, reusable or refillable packaging formats, and materials and designs that are easier to recycle. We encourage our members to utilize EPR as an incentive to develop products and packaging have a lower environmental impact.
- The Aerosol Recycling Initiative is a joint initiative with the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), sponsored by companies across the aerosol value chain, to increase aerosol recycling access and labeling. Aerosol products are highly recyclable but historically have been under-recycled due to safety concerns and consumer confusion about proper disposal. The Aerosol Recycling Initiative aims to address this confusion and recover valuable metal by increasing the number of households that have the ability to recycle aerosol cans and labeling aerosol cans with clear recycling instructions.
- We actively collaborate with non-profit organizations such as Circular Action Alliance, How2Recycle, The Recycling Partnership, and Green Seal, including through working groups, to promote more sustainable packaging solutions and drive environmental stewardship across the industry.
Chemistry
We support the design, development and application of chemical processes and products that are environmentally friendly, economically viable, and socially responsible, in line with green chemistry and sustainability concepts. We are committed to reducing the environmental footprint of chemical processes, minimizing waste, and improving energy efficiency while ensuring product safety and efficacy.
- The Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA) Ingredient Dictionary highlights ingredients found on the Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL), a list of chemical ingredients that the EPA’s Safer Choice Program has evaluated and determined to be safer than traditional chemical ingredients. The SCIL is designed to help manufacturers and others find safer chemical ingredients and harmonize industry standards.
- HCPA partners with the American Chemical Society (ACS) to promote sustainable chemistry principles and practices within the household and commercial products industry through conferences and educational sessions, including organizing symposia at the 2024 and 2025 Green Chemistry & Engineering Conferences and the 2025 Fall Meeting and participating in the 2nd annual ACS Sustainability Summit: Reimagining Chemistry Education.
- We engage on working groups with the Advancement and Application of Alternatives Assessment (A4) Interest Group within the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) on approaches to ingredient formulation that address safety and sustainability considerations.
HCPA's Innovation Awards
HCPA’s Innovation Awards has celebrated its seventh year of recognizing members of the household and commercial products industry for accomplishments in product innovation that help the industry transition to an environmentally and socially sustainable economy.
A panel of expert judges from HCPA’s Sustainability & Product Stewardship Council (SPSC) ranks the nominated products in each category to determine the winner.
The Association Award winner is determined by votes from HCPA Annual Meeting attendees.