2026 Impact Report
Welcome
For more than three decades, Green Seal has helped define environmentally preferable purchasing in the public and institutional marketplace—where clear standards and procurement requirements turned ambition into action and set a high bar for leadership. We did this work in close partnership with governments, institutions, and industry, proving that credible standards can shift entire markets.
Today, a similar transformation is underway in the consumer marketplace. As demand for safer and more sustainable products accelerates, consumers are seeking clearer, more trustworthy guidance — but are met with a growing volume of claims and increasing uncertainty about what truly matters. This is the moment to bring the same clarity, credibility, and consistency that transformed institutional procurement into the consumer space.
We are seizing this opportunity to raise expectations for product sustainability and bring greater consistency to the marketplace. Over the past year, we have convened retailers, brands, and advocates to align around a shared, credible definition of leadership — grounded in safer chemicals, responsible sourcing, low-impact manufacturing, sustainable packaging, and verified performance and claims.
At the same time, we are advancing progress across product categories — from eliminating PFAS in key segments of the supply chain to establishing new leadership standards for tree-free and recycled sanitary paper and strengthening the framework that underpins our certification system.
This report highlights the progress we are making — together with our partners — to move safer, more sustainable products from niche to norm, and to build a marketplace that works better for people and the planet.
Impacts That Matter
Our standards ensure products meet truly comprehensive health and sustainability requirements — from beginning to end. Here’s how Green Seal-certified products achieved impacts that matter in 2025.
Safer Chemicals
9.8 million
students and teachers protected from toxic chemicals/asthma triggers through their schools’ use of Green Seal-certified cleaning products.
Responsible Sourcing
9.3 million
metric tons of CO2 emissions saved by Green Seal-certified sanitary paper – the equivalent of taking 2.2 million cars off the road.*
Low-Impact Manufacturing
25 billion
gallons of water saved by Green Seal-certified sanitary paper products due to 100% recycled content.*
Sustainable Packaging
256 million
pounds of plastic saved by Green Seal-certified cleaning products each year – the equivalent of 27.7 million plastic water bottles.*
* Based on 2024 and 2025 data
Market Leadership in Action
June 2022
We prohibit PFAS in certified cleaning and personal care products
June 2023
All Green Seal-certified cleaning and personal care products are verified to contain no intentionally added PFAS
March 2025
We prohibit PFAS in paints and coatings, floor care products, adhesives, and degreasers
November 2025
We announce the first floor care products certified to contain no intentionally added PFAS (from Midlab and Spartan Chemical)
Your Impacts
Paint
757 grams
Amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) you avoid with each gallon of Green Seal-certified paint you choose, protecting the air in your home from harmful chemicals.
Sanitary Products
230 pounds
Amount of CO2 emissions you save each year by choosing Green Seal-certified 100% recycled toilet paper, reducing your carbon footprint by 70% compared to virgin paper.
Laundry Care
960 kilowatt hours
Amount of electricity your household saves each year from choosing Green Seal-certified laundry detergent designed for cold-water use – enough to charge 82,758 smartphones.
Raising the Bar
We are committed to continuously learning, improving, and innovating to address the most intractable health and environmental challenges of our time. Here are initiatives we fostered in 2025 to help the brands in our community stay at the forefront of product sustainability.
Transforming Our Standards Framework
To cut through the fragmented landscape of sustainability policies and standards holding back the marketplace, we convened a Standards Steering Committee of retailers, brands, and policy advocates to bring greater consistency and clarity to the marketplace. Together, we are aligning on clear, credible benchmarks across five critical pillars of product leadership: safer chemicals, responsible sourcing, low-impact manufacturing, sustainable packaging, and verified performance and claims.
Eliminating PFAS from the Consumer Products Supply Chain
We followed through on our commitment to eliminate harmful “forever chemicals” from the supply chain for consumer products by finalizing an across-the-board prohibition on PFAS in paints, coatings, adhesives, and floor care products – and announced the first floor care products in the marketplace certified to be formulated without any intentionally added PFAS.
Defining Sustainability Leadership for Sanitary Paper
To prevent significant deforestation and climate change impacts from towel and tissue production, we collaborated with leading brands, retailers, and purchasers to create a modern leadership standard for tree-free and recycled content sanitary paper products that never use virgin tree fiber.
Simplifying Sustainable Shopping
With a standard trusted worldwide, our certification mark helps you cut through the chaos to make safer product choices at home, away from home – and for our collective home planet.
100+
public purchasing
policies specify
Green Seal
45+
countries with Green Seal-certified products
1.5 billion+
square feet of commercial space cleaned daily by Green Seal-certified cleaning service providers
1,458
certified products
Countries with Green Seal-Certified Products
Our Partnerships
Celebrating Leadership
Our community of brands is united by a commitment to sustainability leadership, meeting a high standard for protecting people and the planet through the design of safer and more sustainable products. Here’s how our partners are leading.
Customer Spotlights
Buckeye on Balancing Product Performance, Safety, and Environmental Responsibility
CleanBoss on Changing the World to Non-Toxic
InnuScience on Making Biotechnology More Accessible to the Cleaning Industry
Tork on Providing Data-Driven Hygiene Solutions
Vanity Group on Delivering Premium, Responsibly Developed Hotel Essentials
Newly Certified
We welcomed the following brands to the Green Seal community.
Newly Participating
The following brands and organizations have begun the process to certify their first product or service with Green Seal, demonstrating their commitment to meeting a high standard for protecting people and planet.
Thanks
Thank you to Green Seal’s Board of Directors and Steering Committee for their support, guidance, and expertise. Learn about the members here.