The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on September 18, 2024, the launch of an Outdoor Use Safer Choice label. According to EPA, this new label expands on its existing Safer Choice label and will identify outdoor use products — such as pet care products, fire defense products, and car, boat, or grill cleaners — that meet additional EPA criteria to help protect the environment. EPA states that it examines every ingredient, no matter its concentration, to make sure Safer Choice-certified products contain only the safest possible ingredients. For products typically used outdoors, the Safer Choice program further requires that every ingredient break down quickly and have lower aquatic toxicity. EPA notes that products such as all-purpose cleaners can also meet these additional criteria, even though they are typically used indoors, and that more than 50 Safer Choice-certified products currently meet the additional criteria for outdoor use. EPA expects the Outdoor Use Safer Choice label to be on products as early as 2025. Products that are Safer Choice-certified for outdoor use can be found now by using the Safer Choice product search page by selecting the “Products with outdoor uses” box.
