The Environmental Protection Agency has denied a petition that could have limited use of polyvinyl alcohol film in laundry and dishwashing pods.
EPA on April 27 rejected the effort to change PVA's status on the Safer Chemicals Ingredient List (SCIL) that would have required additional testing for the material.
Kathleen Stanton, associate vice president at the American Cleaning Institute, applauded the decision, noting that EPA's response "cites a significant number of easily findable studies demonstrating the safety and biodegradability of PVA that the petitioners overlooked or ignored."
A green home products brand and an environmental coalition first filed the petition in November and then resubmitted it in January.
The petitioners claimed about 75 percent of PVA from laundry and dishwasher pods could make its way into waterways and affect the environment. The petitioners included New York-based Blueland — a home products brand — along with the Plastic Pollution Coalition, Beyond Plastics and others.