2019 Mind the Store Campaign: What Retailers are Taking Actions to Eliminate Toxic Chemicals

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When you go shopping do you ever feel frustrated when trying to figure out if the products being sold will expose our families to harmful chemicals?  It still happens to me sometimes!

Why? Well I am all too aware that more than 40,000 chemicals are added to or used to make consumer products and food packaging; and  the majority have never been adequately tested for safety and many others are well studied and known  to threaten human health.

While the government ignores the importance of chemical safety, some good news:  some large retailers are stepping up and taking a stance against harmful chemicals.

According the most recent 'Who’s Minding the Store?  report card, which grades retailer actions to eliminate toxic chemicals, some major retailers are making slow but meaningful progress in improving the safety of the products and packaging they sell.

What is driving this slow, but important, shift in the market to stricter chemical restrictions in consumer products?
We are.  You, me, everyone who reads this- people like us are demanding better, safer products for our family's. 

As consumers, we have ENORMOUS power. Big retailers care what we think, we vote with our purchases and this is leading to changes worth highlighting.Companies that received the highest grades for their work to protect customers from toxic products and packaging are: 

Apple (A+)

Target (A)

Walmart (A-)  

IKEA (A-)

Followed by:

Whole foods: ( B+)

CVS Health (B+)

Rite Aid (B+)

Walgreens (B-) 

Home Depot ( B-)  

Unfortunately some of the worse grades (F’s) were given to well known retailers including: 

Panera bread

Macys

Office depot

Trader joes  

Nordtroms

Ulta beauty

Ace hardware

Sally beauty

Starbucks

TJX companies

Subway

Publix

all scored F’s

*Amazon for its part earned a C ; showing improvement from its D grade in 2017 and F grade in 2016, but also evidence d that it has a long way to goFor the full list and detailed description of why the retailers received the grades they received click on the link

Bottom line?  Let’s keep on voting with our wallets!

  • Continue encouraging retailers to restrict chemicals of concern

  • Support cleaner product lines being sold at large retailers

  • Shop for products that you know do not contain harmful chemicals

  • Support, especially this holiday season, retailers and products, large and small, that go our of their way to sell non-toxic products 

  • Did your favorite retailer receive a bad grade?  Contact them and let them know how disappointed you are that they are not taking steps to protect their clients!

buying guideAida Garcia-ToledoComment