UL Environment, a business division of Underwriters Laboratories (UL), launched a new standard – UL 2883 – that establishes human health and environmental criteria for the certification of disposable wipers designed for a range of household and other applications (excluding personal care wipers).

EcoLogo certification to UL 2883 will help end-users and professional purchasers identify sustainable wipers that will help reduce their impact on the environment and human health. Additionally, the standard will allow manufacturers to differentiate themselves in a marketplace in which certifications are more and more impactful to purchase behaviour and brand perception.

“The launch of the first-ever UL Standard for Disposable Wipers enhances our portfolio of standards for the janitorial/sanitation sector, and allows us to offer more complete solutions to manufacturers,” said Lisa Meier, vice-president and general manager at UL Environment. “This standard includes key criteria relating to environmental leadership in the manufacturing and end of life impacts of disposable wipers, including energy use, water pollution and resource use.”

The standard includes all disposable wipers, both woven and non-woven, made from either natural or synthetic materials and fibres, designed and used primarily for cleaning, dusting or sanitizing surfaces or tools; or for targeted absorbency tasks, including those used for industrial, institutional and health service, food service, household cleansing and technical applications (automotive, for example).

The standard does not include the following products: reusable wipers and disposable wipers used for personal or skin care (baby wipes, facial cleansing wipes or wipes designed primarily to deliver a personal care or health product); wipers designed for use in the care of animals or pets (pet dental wipes, pet eye wipes); and wipers made from 100 per cent wood pulp as these are covered under the UL 175 Sanitary Paper Standard.