GreenWERCS™

Evaluation Tool

GreenWERCS™

Tool Category

Third-party Evaluation Tools

At a Glance

GreenWERCS™ is a software tool that can be used to evaluate the health and environmental hazards of chemicals in products.  It was originally developed for a retailer that wished to better understand the chemical hazards in its suppliers’ formulated products.  A third party reviews the ingredient data submitted by suppliers without revealing the formulation to the retailer.

GreenWERCS™ can also be used by chemical manufacturers, formulators, and product manufacturers at the product development stage to evaluate the potential impact of chemical ingredients.  

Tool Website(s)

www.thewercs.com/products-and-services/greenwercs

Tool Owner/Sponsor

UL Information & Insights

Product Stage of Life Evaluated

Raw materials, manufacturing, consumer use, end of life

Tool Description

GreenWERCS™ analyzes the chemical ingredients for their potential impact on human health and the environment. Customers can configure their own scoring algorithms to reflect their company sustainability priorities, and then view a “green score” as well as a visual analysis of where the most immediate opportunities for safer formulation lie.

The GreenScreen List Translator—a comprehensive method and decision support criteria compiled by the independent NGO, Clean Production Action (CPA)—has been incorporated into GreenWERCS.

Product Categories

All Sectors

Tool Requirements

Suppliers provide key product ingredient data (chemical composition and formulation) for chemical products. GreenWERCS™ protects a manufacturer's proprietary data; the ingredient data is not shared directly with the retailer.

Cost of Tool

Contact the WERCS® for pricing information.

Evaluation Frequency

Ongoing. National and international regulatory lists of hazardous substances are updated quarterly.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths: Retailers can use product scores generated by GreenWERCS™ to compare competing products and encourage suppliers to substitute safer ingredients for harmful ones.

Weaknesses: Chemicals that do not appear on any lists receive a lower score, which can indicate a preferable ingredient. This may be misleading, as chemicals not on lists may not have been adequately tested for human health and environmental hazards. As retailers determine their own weighting methodology, products may not be comparable across retailers.

Examples of Retailers That Use It

Walmart / Sam's Club

Similar Tools that Serve the Same Industry or Product Category

SciVera Lens™, 3E Green Product Analyzer ™, IHS Chemical Inventory Greening Solutions; Chemical Compliance Systems (CCS) Tools

For More Information

518-640-9200 or 800-572-6501; email: info@thewercs.com