The American Cleaning Institute (ACI formerly The Soap and Detergent Association – SDA) is an organization representing producers of household, industrial, and institutional

cleaning product Cleaning agents or hard-surface cleaners are substances (usually liquids, powders, sprays, or granules) used to remove dirt, including dust, stains, bad smells, and clutter on surfaces. Purposes of cleaning agents include health, beauty, removing ...

s, their ingredients and finished packaging;

oleochemical Oleochemistry is the study of vegetable oils and animal oils and fats, and oleochemicals derived from these fats and oils. The resulting product can be called oleochemicals (from Latin: oleum "olive oil"). The major product of this industry is soa ...

producers; and chemical distributors to the cleaning product industry. Established in 1926, ACI's goal is to advance public understanding of the safety and benefits of cleaning products, and protect the ability of its members to formulate products that best meet

consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...

needs. ACI develops and shares information about industry products with the technical community, policy makers,

childcare Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

and health professionals,

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

and consumers. ACI includes over 100 manufacturers who make approximately 90% of all cleaning products produced in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, at the household, industrial, and institutional level. (The cleaning products industry is a $30 billion a year industry in the U.S

In addition to companies that manufacture

soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are us ...

s and

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are m ...

s directly, the association also includes producers of oleochemical products and other chemicals used in producing cleaning products, as well as companies that produce packaging and labeling for cleaning supplies. Like many

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. An industry trade association partic ...

s, it acts as the industry's liaison with

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, the government, and the general public. In recent years, a good deal of the ACI's activities have focused on issues about which the government and the general public are concerned and the

environmental impact Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

of soaps and detergents. These concerns about human safety and environmental concerns lead the ACI to be in frequent contact with the

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale ...

, the

Consumer Product Safety Commission The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC, CPSC, or commission) is an independent agency of the United States government. The CPSC seeks to promote the safety of consumer products by addressing “unreasonable risks” of inj ...

, and the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

References

About ACI Section on ACI WebsiteProfile at the Corporate Social Responsibility NewswireBusiness Week Profile

External links

ACI WebsiteACI Science Website
Trade associations based in the United States 1926 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1926 Cleaning industry