EPA Settles With Colgate-Palmolive Over Chemical Reporting

Colgate-Palmolive certified compliance with federal chemical data reporting rules and paid a $930,000 penalty.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Chemistry

EPA Settles With Colgate-Palmolive Over Chemical Reporting

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement with Colgate-Palmolive Corporation on November 4, 2026. The settlement resolves the company's failure to report chemical data for numerous substances it imported between 2016 and 2019.

Why it matters

The Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Data Reporting rule requires manufacturers and importers to report chemical data so the EPA can assess potential human health and environmental impacts. The settlement corrects violations of that rule, which the agency relies on for oversight of reported chemicals.

Colgate-Palmolive has certified compliance and paid the $930,000 penalty, so the matter is concluded. The unreported data covered 47 chemicals imported above the reporting threshold between 2016 and 2019.

The players

Colgate-Palmolive Corporation

A multinational consumer products company that manufactures household and personal care goods, and the party that certified compliance and paid the penalty in this settlement.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The federal agency responsible for enforcing the Toxic Substances Control Act, which uses Chemical Data Reporting submissions to evaluate chemical risks.

The details

An EPA inspection of Colgate-Palmolive's New Jersey facility in March 2023 found that required chemical data had not been reported by the January 2021 deadline. The company reported the data in July 2023, and worked with the EPA to reach compliance and a legal settlement.

2016 through 2019: Chemical imports that went unreported occurred.
January 2021: The CDR reporting deadline passed without the required data.
March 2023: EPA inspected the New Jersey facility.
July 2023: Colgate-Palmolive reported its chemical data.
November 4, 2026: EPA announced the settlement.

Legal Context

The settlement is an enforcement action under the Toxic Substances Control Act's Chemical Data Reporting rule, which requires manufacturers and importers of large chemical volumes to report every four years. It shows the EPA using civil penalties and compliance agreements to enforce that reporting cycle.

Consumers buying household and personal care products from manufacturers covered by the CDR rule benefit from the EPA's data on chemicals in commerce. The settlement reinforces that companies importing large chemical volumes must file reports on schedule.

The takeaway

Companies that import or manufacture large chemical volumes must file Chemical Data Reporting submissions on schedule, and the EPA can impose penalties when they do not. Tracking federal reporting deadlines helps businesses avoid similar enforcement actions.