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Topics:
Environment
Dry
Cleaning Industry Partners With EPA and Public Interest Groups
to Reduce Toxics
Dry Cleaning
Industry Partners with EPA and Public Interest Groups to Reduce
Toxics. The Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics at EPA is
catalyzing a partnership with the dry cleaning industry and public
interest groups to reduce the use of perchloroethylene in the
34,000 commercial shops that exist in neighborhoods and malls
around the country. This partnership mobilizes assets within industry
to identify alternative garment cleaning methods that are cost
effective, enhance worker safety, and promote good neighbor relationships
and customer support. Case study plus.
Case
study plus: Cleaner Clothes, Cleaner Neighborhoods, Cleaner Solutions
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7406)
EPA 744-F93-004
Case study provided by: Henry Topper,Office of Pollution Prevention
and Topics
Why Is EPA
Working With Dry Cleaners?
Since 1992,
EPA has been working with the dry cleaning industry to reduce
exposure to perchloroethylene, also known as perc, which is a
chemical solvent used by most dry cleaners. With more than 34,000
commercial shops in neighborhoods and malls across the country,
dry cleaners are one of the largest groups of chemical users that
come into direct contact with the public. Because of the potential
health and environmental concerns associated with perc, EPA is
now working in partnership with the dry cleaning industry and
public interest groups to reduce perc exposures and evaluate alternative
controls and technologies through its Design for the Environment
(DfE) Program.
How Did
the Project Get Started?
Following
a 1992 international roundtable on dry cleaning, industry leaders
and EPA agreed that health and environmental issues surrounding
the dry cleaning industry could be addressed most effectively
through DfE's voluntary, proactive approach. This was the beginning
of the public/private partnership now known as the Dry Cleaning
Project.
What Is
EPA Doing About Dry Cleaning?
DfE's work
with the dry cleaning industry is conducted under three distinct
project areas: technical studies, implementation, and outreach.
Technical Studies
Working
with the industry, EPA is examining existing and new cleaning
technologies, substitute solvents, and exposure control methods
through a Cleaner Technology Substitutes Assessment (CTSA). A
CTSA is a tool used to evaluate the cost, performance, and environmental
and health risks of individual technologies and the associated
tradeoffs in a given industry. In 1993, in preparation for producing
the CTSA, EPA compared the costs and performance of perc-based
dry cleaning against an alternative process known as multiprocess
wet cleaning. This technology relies on the controlled application
of soap and water to clean clothes. Findings from this preliminary,
short-term study indicate that multiprocess wet cleaning is economically
competitive with dry cleaning and is acceptable to consumers.
DfE will
publish the dry cleaning CTSA in two parts. Part one will focus
on solvent-based cleaning technologies (including perc and petroleum-based
solvents). Part two will examine water-based methods. At the conclusion
of the CTSA, DfE plans to publish a technical overview of all
available traditional and alternative technologies, solvents,
and processes. EPA also will produce an informational document
for industry and the general public to promote cost-effective,
environmentally sound choices.
Implementation Efforts
With industry
input, DfE is working to remove barriers and create incentives
to use alternative garment cleaning methods. To assess the long-term
viability of several alternative cleaning methods, DfE will soon
launch a two-year demonstration project in cities across the United
States. Demonstration sites will mirror typical neighborhood dry
cleaning shops with one major difference: they will use mostly
alternative water-based technologies instead of solvents to clean
clothes.
The demonstration
shops will provide dry cleaners with an opportunity to observe
alternative cleaning processes under long-term, real-world conditions.
Performance, economic viability, and customer satisfaction will
be evaluated. A training program will be conducted at the shops
to instruct dry cleaning professionals in alternative techniques,
equipment, and quality control.
The DfE
Partnership also is discussing possibilities for a certification
program to encourage the design and operation of greener dry cleaning
facilities. Certification will be centered around three key objectives:
solvent use reduction, worker safety, and consumer awareness.
The certification program is part of a solvent reduction effort
whereby dry cleaners can pledge to reduce their solvent usage
by a targeted amount within a given timeframe.
In late
1995, pollution prevention training workshops will be held across
the nation to teach professional dry cleaners about new and alternative
cleaning methods. The workshops will also instruct cleaners in
total cost accounting system that helps companies assess the profitability
of their pollution prevention investments.
EPA also
has been working with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to make
the garment care label Dry Clean Only less restrictive, so that
other cleaning methods may be used when appropriate.
Outreach Activities
To educate
consumers and dry cleaners about ways to reduce the risks associated
with dry cleaning, DfE and its project partners are creating a
variety of informational materials. These products include brochures,
fact sheets, case studies, televideo conferences, educational
videos, and pollution prevention manuals. For more information
on the availability of these products, call EPA's Pollution Prevention
Information Clearinghouse at the number listed at the end of this
fact sheet.
How Does
the Project Affect Dry Cleaners?
By joining
DfE in its commitment to safer, cleaner technologies, dry cleaners
can maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace. In addition,
the information from the project will help dry cleaners in their
desire to be good neighbors. With an enhanced awareness of available
technological options, dry cleaners can improve their operations
and bottom line, while contributing to a cleaner environment and
safer workplace. As consumers increasingly opt for green, environmentally
sound products and services, dry cleaners that consider the health
and environmental impacts of their business decisions are more
likely to sustain solid customer support.
How Does
the Project Affect Consumers?
Like businesspeople,
consumers also benefit from understanding how their everyday choices
affect the environment. Consumers today face an ever-widening
array of products and services from which to choose. As people
better understand how a products design and manufacturing process
affects the environment, they will be able to make responsible
decisions that benefit them, their families, and their community.
More Information
To learn
more about EPA's Design for the Environment Program or the Dry
Cleaning Project, contact:
EPA's Pollution
Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW. (3404)
Washington, DC 20460
Tel: 202 260 1023
Fax: 202 260 0178
What Is
Design for the Environment?
EPA's Design
for the Environment (DfE) Program is a voluntary initiative that
forges partnerships with many stakeholder groups in an effort
to:
- Incorporate
environmental concerns into the traditional decision making
parameters of the business world: cost and performance.
- Build
incentives for behavior change to encourage continuous environmental
improvement.
To accomplish
these goals, the program utilizes EPA expertise and leadership
to evaluate the environmental and human health risks, performance,
and cost trade-offs between traditional and alternative technologies.
DfE disseminates information on its work to all interested parties
and also assists businesses in implementing new technologies identified
through the program.
The program
currently has cooperative partnerships with:
- Industry
- Government
purchasing authorities
- Professional
institutions
- Academia
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