H.R. 10591 — Safer Choice Program Authorization Act of 2026

This section finds that the Environmental Protection Agency has administered the Design for the Environment program for more than 30 years and the Safer Choice program for more than 10 years as voluntary, market-based initiatives. It states that the programs provide science-based evaluations and labels to help consumers and businesses select safer chemical products, support manufacturer innovation, and rely on third-party profilers while protecting confidential business information.

This section defines terms used in the Act, including the Administrator as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Safer Choice Program, the Design for the Environment label and standard, the Safer Choice label and standard, the Safer Chemical Ingredients List, and qualified third-party profilers.

This section establishes a voluntary Safer Choice Program within the Environmental Protection Agency to identify and promote products that meet the Safer Choice Standard or the Design for the Environment Standard. The program advances pollution prevention by encouraging the design and use of products with safer chemical ingredients while maintaining performance, and the Administrator may update the standards after public notice and comment.

This section directs the Administrator to establish procedures for product certification under the Program, determine whether products meet the Safer Choice Standard or Design for the Environment Standard, set label use requirements, provide technical assistance, conduct outreach and annual stakeholder meetings, and recognize partner achievements through awards. It requires qualified third-party profilers to meet independence and conflict-of-interest standards and directs interagency coordination with the Food and Drug Administration and Consumer Product Safety Commission to promote consistency and reduce duplication.

This section requires the Administrator to evaluate products for the Safer Choice and Design for the Environment standards using a science-based approach that considers human health hazards such as carcinogenicity and neurotoxicity, environmental hazards such as persistence and aquatic toxicity, product performance, packaging sustainability, and ingredient disclosure. It specifies eligible product categories for each standard, directs maintenance and updating of the Safer Chemical Ingredients List, and mandates full disclosure of intentionally added ingredients and residuals above a threshold as a condition of certification, subject to confidential business information protections.

This section authorizes voluntary participation in the Safer Choice and Design for the Environment labeling programs. It permits the Administrator to authorize use of the Safer Choice label on products meeting the Safer Choice Standard and the Design for the Environment label on products meeting the Design for the Environment Standard. It prohibits false, misleading, or unauthorized use of either label and authorizes the Administrator to enforce compliance by notifying violators, suspending or terminating authorization, or referring matters to the Attorney General.

This section requires the Administrator to submit to Congress and make publicly available an annual report on Program implementation, beginning no later than one year after enactment, covering the number of certified products and changes in their status, updates to standards, outreach activities, and recommendations for improvement. It also directs the Administrator to maintain a publicly accessible database of products authorized to use the Safer Choice or Design for the Environment label.

This section provides that the Act takes effect on the date of enactment and includes a severability clause ensuring that any invalid provision does not affect the remainder of the Act or its application to other persons or circumstances.