Center for Environmental Health

What Center for Environmental Health does

Center for Environmental Health (CEH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1996 and headquartered in Oakland, California. The organization protects the public from toxic chemical exposure through a hybrid model combining laboratory product testing, public interest litigation (primarily under California Proposition 65 and the federal Toxic Substances Control Act), policy advocacy at local, state, and federal levels, and procurement-side market engagement with major institutional purchasers. CEH maintains in-house analytical chemistry capabilities to quantify hazardous substances — including PFAS, lead, arsenic, BPA, glyphosate, phthalates, and flame retardants — across six product categories: children's products, food, fashion, home goods, personal care, and vaping.

The organization's revenue model blends individual donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships with licensing fees from the GreenScreen Certified™ certification standard it co-developed with Clean Production Action for food service ware, cookware, and thermal paper. CEH operates the Purchaser Pledge program, which has signed major institutional buyers including Kaiser Permanente, LinkedIn, the University of California System, Genentech, and the City of San Francisco to procurement commitments that exclude the 'Hazardous Handful' of toxic chemical classes from furniture and flooring purchases. The organization also distributes free educational resources such as the Ditching Disposables Toolkit for K-12 schools and the Parent Shopping Guide. With 11-50 employees and a 91% legal case win rate over the past five years, CEH has become a sustained force in chemical safety advocacy, most recently expanding its footprint from California into North Carolina through a PFAS-focused coalition with Cape Fear River Watch, Clean Cape Fear, and Toxic Free NC.

Name

Center for Environmental Health

Legal name

Center for Environmental Health

Website

https://ceh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Environmental Health is a 27-year-old Oakland-based nonprofit that protects the public from toxic chemicals through laboratory product testing, Proposition 65 and TSCA litigation, policy advocacy, and the GreenScreen Certified™ standard co-developed with Clean Production Action.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Health Advocacy Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Public Health Laboratories (Water/Air/Soil) (HLAJAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Stack/Source Emissions Testing & CEMS Support (EUAHACAB)

Keywords

• Toxic chemical testing
• Environmental health advocacy
• Product certification standards
• Nonprofit advocacy organization
• Consumer safety services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: CEH generates revenue primarily through individual donations and foundation grants. The organization has received significant in-kind media grants (e.g., $100,000 from PVBLIC Foundation) and accepts various forms of charitable contributions.
2. Certification Licensing Fees: The GreenScreen Certified program generates revenue through licensing agreements with companies that achieve certification. Companies pay fees for Silver, Gold, or Platinum certification levels.
3. Corporate Engagement and Sponsorships: CEH offers corporate engagement opportunities and sponsorship programs where companies can support the organization's work in exchange for association with CEH's mission and programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) is a nonprofit advocacy organization that protects people from toxic chemicals through scientific laboratory testing of consumer products, public-interest litigation under laws such as California Proposition 65, policy advocacy, and market-based programs. It operates a portfolio of testing programs across children's products, food, fashion, home goods, personal care, and vaping, co-developed the GreenScreen Certified standards for food service ware, and runs the Clean and Green Purchasing program that advises institutional buyers on healthier procurement.

Product overview

CEH is a nonprofit organization that protects people from toxic chemicals through product testing, legal action, and advocacy. The organization operates testing programs across six product categories (Children, Food, Fashion, Home, Personal Care, and Vaping) to identify harmful chemicals in consumer products and hold companies accountable through California Proposition 65 litigation. CEH offers certification standards through its GreenScreen Certified program (developed jointly with Clean Production Action) for food service ware and reusable products, along with the Clean and Green Purchasing advisory program for institutional buyers. The organization provides consumer resources including the Ditching Disposables Toolkit for schools and Parent Shopping Guide, while running advocacy campaigns such as Cape Fear Courage to address environmental contamination from PFAS and other toxic chemicals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GreenScreen Certified: A certification standard for safer chemicals in food service ware and products, developed jointly by CEH and Clean Production Action
• Glyphosate Report
• Ditching Disposables Toolkit

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% legal case win rate over five years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Clean Production ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEH and Clean Production Action jointly created two GreenScreen Certified standards for food packaging, food service ware, and cookware. These certification programs set new safety standards for PFAS and thousands of other chemicals of concern, drawing from CEH's extensive testing work and CPA's GreenScreen methodology.
• Kaiser PermanentecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor healthcare system that signed CEH's Purchaser Pledge, committing to buy furniture free from the 'Hazardous Handful' including flame retardants and fluorinated substances. Kaiser Permanente collectively spends over $500 million annually on furniture with other signatories.
• LinkedIncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology company that signed CEH's Purchaser Pledge committing to healthier furniture procurement standards.
• University of California SystemcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFirst public university system in the nation to sign CEH's Purchaser Pledge, restricting five key toxic chemical classes (flame retardants, fluorinated stain treatments, and others) in furniture purchases.
• Cape Fear River WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental advocacy group working to protect and improve water quality of the Cape Fear River Basin. CEH has joined grassroots groups in North Carolina fighting PFAS 'forever chemicals' pollution from the Chemours facility.
• Clean Cape FearcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of advocacy groups, community leaders, educators, and professionals working to restore and protect water quality while spotlighting governmental regulatory deficiencies affecting right to clean water in NC communities.
• Toxic Free North CarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental health and justice organization engaging communities in initiatives advancing safe alternatives to harmful pesticides and chemicals. Partner in Cape Fear coalition addressing PFAS contamination.
• Peak Plastic FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmy-award winning filmmakers who teamed with CEH and NC community groups to produce 'Cape Fear Courage' video telling the story of communities fighting PFAS pollution in their drinking water.
• Healthy Babies Bright FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner that worked with CEH to test baby cereals for arsenic, launching a 2018 report finding arsenic levels in infant rice cereal six times higher than in cereals made from other ingredients.
• GenentechcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare technology company that pledged to remove furniture with flame retardants from offices through CEH's Purchaser Pledge program.
• City of San FranciscocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMunicipal government that signed CEH's Purchaser Pledge for healthier furniture procurement standards.
• We ReUseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompany that became the second manufacturer to make reusable school cafeteria trays using safer chemical ingredients certified through CEH's GreenScreen Certified standard.
• AhimsaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst company to manufacture reusable school cafeteria trays that use inherently safer chemical ingredients through CEH's GreenScreen Certified standard.
• Cape Fear River WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization in North Carolina that has joined CEH in the fight to protect public and environmental health from PFAS 'forever chemicals' through advocacy and legal action.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Environmental Defense Fund: Large environmental nonprofit using scientific research, market-based solutions, and policy advocacy to address chemical safety, climate, and ecosystem health. Highly comparable to CEH in combining science-driven advocacy with corporate engagement.
• Natural Resources Defense Council: Major environmental advocacy organization combining science, law, and policy to protect health from toxic chemicals and pollution. Closely comparable to CEH's litigation-plus-advocacy model.
• Earthjustice: Public interest environmental law organization that litigates cases nationwide on behalf of communities affected by pollution and toxic chemicals. Closely aligned with CEH's Prop 65 litigation strategy.
• Clean Production Action: Nonprofit that co-developed the GreenScreen Certified standards with CEH and provides the underlying GreenScreen methodology for safer chemicals. Direct strategic partner and the closest technical peer.
• As You Sow: Nonprofit using shareholder advocacy and corporate engagement to push for safer chemicals, packaging, and product disclosure. Operates a comparable corporate-accountability model to CEH.
• Toxic-Free Future: Northwest-based nonprofit advancing safer chemicals and healthy products through science, advocacy, and corporate accountability. Directly comparable mission in chemical safety reform.
• Breast Cancer Prevention Partners: Nonprofit working to identify and eliminate toxic chemicals linked to breast cancer through science, advocacy, and corporate campaigns. Overlaps with CEH's personal care and consumer product testing focus.

Emerging players

• Safer Chemicals Healthy Families: Coalition of environmental and health organizations advancing federal chemical safety reform. Operates as an advocacy network rather than a single organization, providing CEH complementary policy pressure.

Broad incumbents

• Greenpeace USA: Large environmental nonprofit conducting corporate accountability campaigns on toxic chemicals, plastics, and pollution. Comparable advocacy methodology though with much broader scope than CEH.
• Sierra Club: One of the oldest and largest U.S. environmental nonprofits, working on pollution, chemical safety, and environmental health through grassroots advocacy and litigation. Comparable mission though much broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/4envirohealth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpnkx7ZSz8JCBr-28istTBQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/centerforenvironmentalhealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-environmental-health
• Instagraminstagram.com/centerforenvironmentalhealth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Environmental Health