ESG and cleaning chemistry: where the switch counts

The Environment theme includes the criteria Materials, Chemicals and Waste, and Customer Health and Safety. Labour and Human Rights covers Employee Health and Safety. A documented switch away from hazardous cleaning chemicals, with SDS as evidence, supports answers in these criteria.

ESRS E2 (Pollution) asks for information on substances of concern and substances of very high concern (SVHC) where pollution is material. After Omnibus I, adopted by the Council on 24 February 2026, mandatory CSRD reporting applies to EU companies with over 1,000 employees and over EUR 450 million net turnover. Smaller suppliers can only be asked for data within the voluntary VSME standard.

Directive 98/24/EC makes substitution the first choice: an employer should replace a hazardous chemical agent with one that is not hazardous or less hazardous where possible. In Germany this is the Substitutionsprüfung under the Gefahrstoffverordnung.

Both management systems expect hazards and environmental aspects to be identified and reduced. Fewer hazardous products means fewer risk assessments, less PPE and simpler storage rules to document.

LEED gives green cleaning credits for products with third-party labels such as Green Seal, UL EcoLogo or EPA Safer Choice. No Stress products do not hold these labels today, so we do not claim LEED points.