2018 ACI Mid-Year Meeting

ACI's 2018 Mid-Year Meeting took place at our headquarters in Washington DC from June 18th - 20th, giving 118 registrants a chance to network, discuss current trends in the cleaning products industry and strategize during meetings of our experts standing committees. This was followed by the Board of Directors meeting on June 21.

An opening presentation from Nathan Brown and Howard Sklamberg from Akin Grump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP walked members through how to prepare for a facility inspection from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In preparation for the upcoming ingredient disclosure requirements, briefings provided just-in-time information to companies preparing for changes in on-pack and online disclosures.

Larry Culleen of Arnold & Porter discussed California’s Cleaning Product Right to Know Act and New York’s Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program, while Jim Flannery from the Grocery Manufacturers Association explained the work being done with the new Smartlabel® program and how it applies to cleaning products.

Sustainability was also a topic of interest, with the introduction of recommendations to update ACI’s sustainability framework.

A highlight of the Meeting was recognizing some of the great work going on in youth community outreach. Dwayne Sattler of the Chemical Education Foundation stopped by to highlight the success of their You Be the Chemist program and related STEM-related education efforts. In addition, ACI awarded Kittitas Secondary School FCCLA from Washington state the 2018 "Healthy Schools, Healthy People, It's a SNAP" National Award for their "Paws for the Handwashing Cause" initiative. Thank you to Amway, Arylessence, Inc., The Clorox Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Ecolab Inc., Georgia-Pacific Professional, Henkel Corporation, RB and Seventh Generation, Inc. for sponsoring this year's awards program.

Members got to relax and experience "summer cool" networking dinner events after day-long meetings. The first evening included a DC landmarks cruise aboard the Odyssey while the second evening involved high-tech golfing at Topgolf. Participants brought their "A" game to the driving range where players earned points for accurate shots. Competition was fierce yet friendly!

What came through loud and clear throughout the networking, presentations and committee conversations is that there are key issues bringing the cleaning products supply chain together like never before. With ingredient disclosure laws coming into effect and a growing distrust of chemicals regardless of risk, there is a need to refocus the safety conversation and highlight the positive balance of health impacts from cleaning products. The collaborative work of the American Cleaning Institute and its members will play an important role in this, providing consumers transparent and trusted information to help them make informed decisions.

ACI members can access the 2018 Mid-Year Meeting materials and presentations on our Members Only Website.