Disclosed are methods for evaluating the environmental impact of various
chemical components as a function of their proposed functional use in a
chemical product, methods for formulating products based on those
evaluations, and databases for assisting in those methods. Consumer
products can be environmentally improved using these methods.
Environmental criteria are in part developed based on the nature of the
ultimate use of the product, and usually vary for a given chemical
between types of proposed uses. The environmental classes for components
are adjusted by their weight representation in the final product.