Costco to Screen Products for 'Chemicals of Concern'

US retailer Costco has launched a product screening programme to learn more about which chemicals of "regulatory and social concern" are in the products it sells.

This is a new step for the store, which has come under fire from NGOs for not having a public chemicals policy.

According to the Costco website, the company "historically has tested many different consumer product categories for chemicals regulated in the countries where we do business ". However, it's unclear how the new screening programme moves things forward.

Last year, Costco received an ‘F’ grade in NGO Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families’ (SCHF) Mind the Store retailer report card, which rated the 11 largest US retailers on their actions to develop safer chemicals policies.

Costco received just 9.5 out of a possible 130 points, coming second from last in the ranking, while Walmart, Target and CVS Health came top.

Mike Schade of SCHF told Chemical Watch that although the smart screening programme was "an important step in the right direction", it was hard to assess its significance "without seeing the list and thresholds of chemicals they're testing and restricting".

He said it was unclear whether it was set up "to primarily ensure suppliers are in legal compliance" and that the US's chemical safety laws were "sadly not sufficient".

The retail chain told Chemical Watch it was "unable to provide a response" to a request for further information about the programme, such as which groups of chemicals are included.

"We hope Costco will join other retailers like Walmart, CVS Health and Target and disclose the list of chemicals they're addressing," said Mr Schade. "Additionally, we hope it will move forward in developing a robust safer chemicals policy with clear goals and timelines."

The company's website says children's and adult apparel, bedding, home goods, pet beds, furniture, personal care products, cleaning products, and Costco's own label Kirkland Signature food packaging, baby wipes and nappies, are being tested against a list of more than 300 chemicals of concern (CoCs).

These include those subject to the labelling requirements of California's Proposition 65 law. They also include substances from "the EU REACH programme and the US Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) – but the company doesn't explain which parts of these laws this statement is referring to. More categories of substances, it says, will be added over time.

The screening programme also provides information for suppliers to use in developing replacement chemicals. "We continue to work with the chemical and consumer product industries to increase our understanding in this area and to find more environmentally friendly alternatives for chemicals and practices of concern," it says.

Each product category has its own CoCs list as well as its own restricted substance list (RSL). Costco's website says it has been updating its RSL for the past three years "to keep up with the ever-growing global regulatory changes and challenges for chemical restrictions in consumer products." And it has started securing a partnership with "a major academic institution" to support its efforts.

Costco recently joined the Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2) as a supporting member. IC2 is an association of state, local and tribal governments that promotes the development and use of safer chemicals and products, run by the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association.

IC2 supporting members sign a memorandum of agreement demonstrating support for its principles and provide annual dues to help fund baseline activities.

In its newsletter, IC2 welcomed Costco's membership, saying that the store "works with the chemical and consumer product industries to find appropriate replacements for many chemicals of concern and to develop a green approach to chemical use."