Apple Comes Top in US Retailer Chemical Ranking

IT giant Apple has come top in a ‘report card’, ranking 30 US retailers on their actions to eliminate chemicals in consumer products.

The report, Who’s Minding the Store? A Report Card on Retailer Actions to Eliminate Toxic Chemicals, is the second by the Mind the Store coalition of NGOs.

It found that two thirds of rated companies remained serious laggards with 40% receiving D and 30% F grades (see table below). It also reveals that Amazon, which came bottom of last year's report, Walgreens and Staples are developing chemicals policies and that Walgreens and Staples plan to launch theirs in 2018.

Last year's report covered 11 major retailers but was expanded this year to include a further 19.

Points were awarded for criteria such as chemical policy, transparency, chemical footprint and continuous improvement. They are based on publicly available and self-reported information on retailers' practices. The average grade for the 30 retailers assessed this year is D+, the same as in 2016.

Improving grades
The 11 retailers that were included in last year’s report, have raised their grade from an average of D+ to c. Seven of these announced significant improvements over the last year:

> Walmart Stores (Walmart and Sam’s Club) improved from B+ to A-;

> Target improved its grade from B to B+;

> CVS Health improved from a C to a B+;

> Best Buy rose from a C- to a B;

> The Home Depot rose in grading from a D+ to a C+;

>Costco improved the most from an F to a C-; and

> Albertsons Companies improved its grade from an F to a C-.

Mind the Store campaign director, Mike Schade, said: "We are thrilled that major retailers like Walmart, CVS Health and Target are driving a race to the top, to eliminate dangerous chemicals that threaten our families’ health. At the same time, far too many are lagging behind, failing to meet the rising consumer demand for healthy products."

Reducing toxic chemicals
The report says that retailers are driving toxic chemicals out of the market, but "more effort is needed to avoid regrettable substitutes as alternatives."

Over the past three years, at least a dozen retailers achieved serious reductions, or elimination, of dangerous chemicals far ahead of any government-imposed restrictions. These include:

> Apple – eliminated use of chlorinated organic solvents, N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and Toluene in the final assembly of its products;

> Walmart Stores – since 2014, suppliers slashed high priority chemicals by 96% to Walmart and 49% to Sam’s Club, and more than halved priority chemicals for Walmart by 68% (all percentage reductions are by weight);

>CVS Health – removed parabens, phthalates, and major FORMALDEHYDE donors from nearly 600 beauty and personal care products across several store brands;
IKEA – banned all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals from textiles;

> Whole Food Markets – eliminated formaldehyde-releasing compounds and oxybenzone from body care products, and phased out BPA in 70% of store-brand cans;

> The Home Depot – will eliminate alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), including NPEs, in paints by 2019, and prohibited other chemicals of high concern in many products;

> Albertsons – phased out BPA in more than 80% of store-branded can linings and in thermal receipt paper;

> Rite Aid – suppliers eliminated triclosan, formaldehyde, diethyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate from its formulated products; and

> Kroger – converted 90% of its store-branded canned foods to non-BPA liners.
The report adds that evaluating safer alternatives remains a challenge for big retailers. Very few, it says, provide specific guidance to suppliers to ensure the safety of the alternatives in relation to targeted chemicals of high concern. And most fail to disclose which alternatives are present in reformulated products.

This may contribute to 'regrettable substitution’, in which the alternative chemistries raise additional or new health and environmental concerns.