Additional Resources

This section lists additional resources for each of the criteria listed in the BioSpecs for Food Service Ware.

Biomass Production

1.b Use of genetically modified (GM) plants (biomass)

• The U.S. Biotechnology Industry Organization maintains a searchable database that contains information regarding the regulatory and commercial status of agricultural biotechnology products by country (http://www.biotradestatus.com).
• Other databases containing information on the regulatory status, but not necessarily the commercial status, of biotechnology products can be found at the U.S. Regulatory Agencies Unified Biotechnology website (http://usbiotechreg.nbii.gov/index.asp).
• Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Food Database (http://www.gmo-compass.org).
• Health Care Without Harm, “Position Statement on Genetically Engineered Food” (http://www.noharm.org/details.cfm?ID=1540&type=document)
• World Health Organization (http://www.who.int/entity/foodsafety/publications/biotech/en/20questions_en.pdf)
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (http://www.fao.org/Biotech/stat.asp)

1.c.1 Forest- and brushland-derived biomass must be sustainably harvested with adequate documentation

• •Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Definition of Sustainable Packaging, version 1.0, October 2005 (http://www.sustainablepackaging.org)
• IKEA Sustainability Report, 2008 (http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/pdf/Sustainability_report_2008.pdf)

1.c.2 Agricultural biomass must be sustainably grown

• •Food Alliance (http://www.foodalliance.org)
• Nordic Ecolabeling (http://www.ecolabel.nu/nordic_eco2)
• USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Programs/new_csp/csp.html)

Manufacturing

2.a No chlorine or chlorine compounds (including chlorine dioxide) may be used in production processes

• Joe Thornton. 2000. Pandora’s Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press.

2.b Additives and contaminants of high concern

• Clean Production Action – Green Screen (http://www.cleanproduction.org/Greenscreen.php)
• High-Definition X-Ray Fluorescence applications (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/xroi/2008/709692.html)
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (http://chm.pops.int)
• Joe Thornton. 2000. Pandora’s Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
• Environmental Working Group, “Body Burden – The Pollution in Newborns” (http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php)
• Terry Collins, “Towards Sustainable Chemistry,” Science, January 2001, v. 291, no. 5501, pp. 48-49.
• Hindawi. 2008. High-Definition X-Ray Fluorescence: Applications (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/xroi/2008/709692.html)
• Ecology Center, Survey of Presence and Breakdown of Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) in Vehicle Interior Components via Photodegradation (http://www.ecocenter.org/media/www.healthycar.org/doc/DecaPhotolysis2.pdf)
• Environmental Working Group, Credibility Gap: Toxic Chemicals in Food Packaging and DuPont's Greenwashing, “New Food Packaging Chemical: No Health Data” (http://www.ewg.org/reports/teflongreenwash)
• Environmental Working Group, PFC Dictionary, November 2006 (http://www.ewg.org/pfcdictionary)
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Title 21 - Sec. 170.39 - Threshold of regulation for substances used in food-contact articles (CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21)

2.b.3 No engineered nanomaterials may be added to the product without being assessed for health risks

• For more information on the potential risks of nanotechnology, see:
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Nanotechnology White Paper (http://www.epa.gov/osa/nanotech.htm)
• Action Group on Erosion, Technology, and Concentration (ETC Group), “Nanotechnology” (http://www.etcgroup.org/en/issues/nanotechnology.html)
• Friends of the Earth (http://www.foe.org/search/node/nanotechnology), “Nanotechnology” search results
• Natural Resources Defense Council, “Nanotechnology: Small Science, Big Consequences” (http://www.nrdc.org/health/science/nano/contents.asp)
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, “Nanotechnology at NIOSH” (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech)
• Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (http://www.nanotechproject.org)
• Institute for Local Self-Reliance, “Bioplastics and Nanotechnology” (http://www.sustainableplastics.org/bioplastics/bioplastics-and-nanotechnology)

2.b.4 All additives must be tested for hazards to human health and the environment

• For case studies on how to gather data on chemicals in products, see:
• Tim Greiner et al., Healthy Business Strategies for Transforming the Toxic Chemical Economy (http://www.cleanproduction.org/Green.Healthy.php)
• Mark Rossi et al., 2006, “Design for the Next Generation: Incorporating Cradle-to-Cradle Design into Herman Miller Products.” Journal of Industrial Ecology (10):193-210.

2.c Paper or paper-based products

• Health Care Without Harm fact sheet, Choosing Environmentally Preferable Food Service Ware (http://www.noharm.org/details.cfm?ID=1456&type=document)
• Canadian Standards Association - PLUS 14021, Environmental Claims: A Guide for Industry and Advertisers (http://www.csagroup.org/%5Crepository%5Cca%5CPLUS_14021-08EN.pdf)

2.f Local ownership and production must be promoted

• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2009 for New Construction and Major Renovation Rating System, Materials & Resources (MR) Credit 5: Regional Materials, p. 53 (www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=5546). The 500-mile standard is based on the USGBC credit for using building products sourced regionally.

End of Product Life

3.b.1 The product must be clearly labeled as commercially compostable if a composting infrastructure exists

• Californians Against Waste, AB 2147 (Harman), Compostable Plastics Labeling – Support (http://www.cawrecycles.org/issues/current_legislation/ab2147_06)
• San Francisco – Food Waste Reduction Ordinance (http://www.sfenvironment.org/our_programs/interests.html?ssi=3&ti=6&ii=127)
• NAPCOR Statement – NAPCOR Refutes Claims That PLA Can Be Recycled with PET (http://www.napcor.com/pdf/NAPCOR_PLA.pdf)

3.b.2 Product must have additional clear labeling when sold in an area where no commercial composting is available

• FTC – Part 260 – Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm)