The UC system takes a major step toward health protection

After several years of CEH’s collaboration with internal champions, the University of California (UC) system became the first public university system in the nation to sign CEH’s Purchaser Pledge for healthier furniture. These standards restrict the use of the five key toxic chemicals (flame retardants, fluorinated stain treatments, antimicrobials, PVC, and formaldehyde) in furniture.

Because college is often a home away from home and students are in their critical reproductive years, it’s vital that they not be exposed to hormone-disrupting chemicals.

This historic move will protect more than 400,000 UC students, faculty, and staff across 10 campuses from chemicals that cause infertility, childhood developmental issues, and cancer. It also sends a powerful signal to suppliers and builds momentum in the industry to shift to healthier alternatives. CEH looks forward to continuing to work with colleges and universities across the nation to adopt our healthier standards for furniture.