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The NIH Environmental Protection Division (DEP) has developed a sustainability innovation initiative to identify services and products used in our facilities and mission activities that contain or emit toxic, hazardous, polluting or unsustainable substances over their life cycle of manufacturing, transportation, use and disposal and promote purchasing of safer, environmentally preferable alternatives and other strategies to reduce hazards posed by these substances. These substances are referred to here as Substances of Concern (SoCs) and the initiative is the Substances of Concern Reduction Initiative (SCRI).
The primary objectives of this initiative are to reduce avoidable risks to health, safety, security, the environment and our mission that are associated with SoCs and ensure compliance with multiple current and emerging requirements for reducing procurement, use and disposal of products containing these substances. A searchable data base with an interim listing of SoCs and guidance for reducing procurement of SoCs and products containing them been released by DEP on the NIH Environmental Management System (NEMS) Website www.nems.nih.gov . Processes for identifying SoCs and reduction strategies, further development, implementation and promotion of the initiative will be carried out by the NEMS.
Background
Regulatory Framework and Authorities
Updated information on this initiative and the interim list of Substances of Concern.