Amazon Latest to Restrict Paint Strippers

Online retailer Amazon recently posted a policy update that effectively prohibits the sale of paint strippers that contain methylene chloride and n-methylpyrrolidone, joining the growing list of manufacturers and distributors that have banned the chemicals.

Amazon’s policy takes effect in March.

PPG, Kelly-Moore and The Sherwin-Williams Company, as well as The Home Depot and Lowe’s, have all recently announced the phasing-out of methylene chloride and NMP.

PPG spokesperson Mark Silvey confirmed to Bloomberg in October that the manufacturer has removed the two chemicals from almost all of its paint removers and is working to eliminate them from a few products that are still being sold outside the U.S. and Canada.

Online retailer Amazon recently posted a policy update that effectively prohibits the sale of paint strippers that contain methylene chloride and n-methylpyrrolidone, joining the growing list of manufacturers and distributors that have banned the chemicals.

In June, Sherwin-Williams and Home Depot announced that they would be discontinuing paint strippers that contain the products. Lowe’s announced the same news a month before that.

Sherwin’s decision came after a letter was penned to the company—by groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council; Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families; and Mind the Store—urging Sherwin to “take immediate action to phase out the sale of paint removers that contain the chemicals methylene chloride and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP).”

Sherwin announced the changes via a memo from Corporate Communications Director Mike Conway, as well as with a tweet, which said, “Our customers are our #1 priority at Sherwin-Williams, so we are eliminating methylene chloride paint strippers from our stores. We have several effective alternatives available to serve your project needs.”