ChemWorks Launches Free Application to Strengthen Worker Safety in Electronics Assembly
Apple-Backed Initiative Unveils Supply Chain Transformation Tools to Accelerate Global Shift to Safer Cleaners and Degreasers
August 20, 2025 – Cleaners and degreasers are one of the highest use materials in electronics assembly. It is so critical that they be as safe as possible in their formulation and usage. In a bold step to safeguard the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of workers in the global electronics assembly industry, ChemFORWARD, in partnership with Apple, is proud to launch a dedicated application for cleaner and degreaser ingredient optimization. The free, web-based tool will help formulators rapidly replace high-hazard chemicals with safer, vetted alternatives thus reducing worker exposure.
The cleaners and degreasers ingredient optimization application is a part of the ChemWorks platform that allows users to:
Search safer ingredients by function—from antimicrobials to surfactants;
Access verified chemical hazard data, including hazard bands and regulatory red flags;
Identify ingredients accepted by leading frameworks like GreenScreen Certified™, EPA Safer Choice, and ToxFMD®;
Navigate compliance with IPC-1402 and other electronics safety standards.
“Cleaners are consistently used across electronics assembly lines around the world,” said Stacy Glass, Executive Director of ChemFORWARD. “This suite of tools gives the industry what it’s been missing: fast, reliable access to certified safer cleaners and safer chemical substitutes—grounded in science, not marketing.”
By pre-screening and optimizing formulations before certification, the tools reduce cost, save time, and accelerate the adoption of verified safer products. Once certified, products are featured on the Safer Cleaners Registry, giving the entire industry visibility to safer options.
The cleaners and degreasers ingredient optimization application completes the ChemWorks platform, which also includes the Safer Cleaners Registry and the CleanScreen formulation app—creating a full pathway from ingredient-level evaluation to certification and market adoption. Thanks to Apple’s support, all ChemWorks.org tools will be available free of charge for the first year.
“This is how systems change starts,” said Glass. “We’re removing barriers—technical, financial, and informational—so any supplier, anywhere in the world, can take action today.”
Electronics brands, manufacturers, and formulators can explore the full ChemWorks platform—including the new ingredients application—at: www.ChemWorks.org.
About ChemFORWARD
ChemFORWARD is a science-based, nonprofit, data trust working to end the uncertainty about chemical hazards by ensuring that all chemicals entering commerce are well characterized and support safe and sustainable design. Utilizing a data-sharing model, we offer users trusted information on comprehensive chemical hazard assessments with a focus on safer alternatives.
About ChemWorks
ChemWorks is an industry collaboration to advance safer chemistry, the sharing of data and safer alternatives, and the verification and promotion of formulations that meet rigorous scientific evaluation. The project is managed by ChemFORWARD, a science-based, non-profit value chain collaboration. Website: www.ChemWorks.org.
