How could such a mundane an area as Pots and Pans require Eco friendly analysis?

Selecting the right sized pots and pans with good lids and cooking at lower temps will reduce energy use.  A 6 inch pan on an 8 inch heating elements wastes 40% of the heating elements’ heat.  You should obviously adjust gas flames so they do not come up the sides.

What kind of material should I choose? Environmental Working Group has articles covering the dangers of coated nonstick pans and teflon dangers. “The coating on nonstick cookware contains a chemical called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). DuPont’s Teflon is the most well-known brand. When heated to very high temperatures, the teflon coating creates hazardous fumes.”

Did you know pet birds exposed to fumes from nonstick cookware can die?

Product brand names containing PTFE coating include non-stick Teflon, SilverStone, Supra, Calphalon, All-Clad, Circulon, Emerilware, Farberware, Meyer, KitchenAid, Krups, and George Foreman. The stain repellants StainMaster and Scotchgard also contain PTFE.

Silicone-coated brand name cookware such as Baker’s Secret and EKCO, will not produce toxic fumes, and are considered safe. Because cookware and appliance manufacturers are not required to label their products it is hard to figure out what is ptfe coating free.

Teflon-related compounds include perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluoroctanic acid (PFOA). They are also used in food packaging.

The Seattle-based Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition and other experts recommend stainless-steel, cast-iron and enameled cast-iron cookware as the best options.

Green Cookware for the Eco Friendly Kitchen covers some green pans and green pan cookware that avoids teflon dangers.

Ski wax also contains PFOA.