Washington Identifies Priority Consumer Products for Second Safer Products Program Cycle

On November 1, 2024, Washington State's Department of Ecology released the Draft Identification of Priority Products Report to the Legislature, along with a technical supporting documentation, for public consultation until December 31, 2024. This legislative report identifies priority consumer products for the second phase of the second cycle under the Safer Products for Washington program, which include:

Notably, the draft documents were also notified to the WTO on November 4, 2024.

Safer Products for Washington Program 

The Safer Products for Washington program, established under the Toxic Pollution Law (Chapter 70A.350 RCW) in 2019, is designed to reduce toxic chemicals in consumer products to safeguard human health, the environment and sensitive populations and species. It operates as a four-phase process repeating every five years.

Four-phase Implementation Process for Safer Products for Washington (Source: Washington State's Department of Ecology)The first cycle took place from 2019 to 2023, addressing six priority chemical classes among 11 priority consumer product categories. The second cycle (2023–2027) of the program builds on this work, with seven new priority chemical classes identified in the May 2024 Cycle 2 Phase 1 Report to the Legislature. These chemicals are known to pose risks to human health and the environment. The current efforts are focused on identifying significant sources or uses of these chemicals in consumer products.

The identification of priority products for Cycle 2 marks another step in Washington State's commitment to mitigating the environmental and health impacts of toxic chemicals.