Inventors and others who want to factor in environment and health as they formulate new chemicals or make policy or procurement decisions have a welcome helper in GreenScreen. Created by the nonprofit Clean Production Action, GreenScreen offers a three-step process for comparing chemicals in order to choose the best options:

  1. Assess and classify hazards to people and the environment.
  2. Apply GreenScreen benchmarks to produce an overall score.
  3. Use information gathered to make informed choices.

Users to date include Nike, Hewlett-Packard, the states of Maine and Washington, and the University of California, Davis.

Photo by Carolina Biological Supply (Flickr|Creative Commons)