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 Media Center > Target and PVC
Retailers and Companies Phasing Out or Reducing PVC:
PVC is being reduced and phased out by major retailers, hospitals, building materials’ companies, electronics, toy, and apparel companies. This includes companies like Wal-Mart, Target, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Toyota, Adidas, Apple, Asics, Aveda, Body Shop, Boots, Brio, Bristol Myers, Carnegie Fabrics, Chicco, Consorta, Costco, Crabtree & Evelyn, Dean Foods, Dell, Evenflo, Estée Lauder, Evian, Firestone Building Products, First Years, Gerber, H&M, Helene Curtis, Herman Miller, Hewlett Packard, Honda, Ikea, International Playthings, Johnson & Johnson, Kaiser Permanente, Kiss My Face, Lamaze Infant Development, Lego Systems, Limited Brands (Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret), Marks & Spencer, Milliken, Nike, Nokia, Puma, Samsung, Sassy, SC Johnson, Sharp, Shaw, Sony, Tiny Love and Volvo. For additional companies, visit http://besafenet.com/pvc/companypolicies.htm
Examples of What Other Major Retailers Are Doing:
Wal-Mart
In October 2005, Wal-Mart announced plans to eliminate PVC packaging in its private brands by October 2007. Wal-Mart has also stopped selling PVC lunch boxes and baby bids over concerns that those products may contain lead. The company also supports an industry-wide standard to remove PVC from all products intended for kids, and is exploring PVC free materials for its buildings.
Sears Holdings (Sears & K Mart)
The company is eliminating PVC packaging in a few key product areas (such as their private label toys), assessing whether they can eliminate PVC lunchboxes and mouthable toys, and is investigating other product areas.
Costco
Costco has made some progress in transitioning out of PVC to PET and other recyclable plastics in some packaging.
H&M
H&M successfully phased out PVC from all of its products in 2002. PVC was eliminated in products such as children’s rainwear, anti-slip plastic on baby socks, prints on t-shirts, ski gloves, zipper pullers and product labels.
Ikea
Ikea developed a plan to phase out PVC in all of their products and packaging over 10 years ago between 1992-1996. Ikea has eliminated PVC in products such as toys, shower curtains, tablecloths, placemats, rugs, and window treatments.
Wal-Mart’s Efforts to Move Away from PVC Packaging, Lunchboxes and Baby Bibs
Wal-Mart has been moving away from PVC because, “more and more studies show that PVC has toxins that can pose long-term health and environmental risks.”
Wal-Mart Phasing Out PVC Packaging
On October 24, 2005, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott announced a major new sustainability initiative that included a focus on PVC packaging. Lee Scott stated the company is committed to, “replacing PVC packaging for our private brands with alternatives that are more sustainable and recyclable within the next two years.” In October 2006, Wal-Mart announced a new packaging scorecard that will grade suppliers on the sustainability of their packaging.
Wal-Mart Phased Out PVC Lunchboxes and Baby Bibs
On July 28, 2006 Wal-Mart announced they would immediately stop selling all PVC children’s lunchboxes, in response to an FDA order to remove lead from children’s lunchboxes. Wal-Mart went above and beyond the FDA’s request by not only removing lead but also PVC from the lunchboxes. On May 2, 2007, the New York and Illinois Attorney Generals announced that Wal-Mart will stop selling PVC baby bibs because testing revealed some contained elevated levels of lead.
Wal-Mart Supports Elimination of PVC in Children’s Toys
On May 2, 2007, the New York and Illinois Attorney Generals announced the company has committed to support the development of an industry standard to eliminate PVC from all products intended for use by children.
Wal-Mart Develops Chemicals Policy
On October 30, 2006, Wal-Mart unveiled a broad new chemicals policy, restricting the most hazardous chemicals from their consumer products. The chemicals policy embraces the “precautionary principle,” and discusses how the company will evaluate chemicals in products based on the hazards they pose throughout their lifecycle. It, “will immediately focus on chemicals that, with regard to hazard, have been identified as known, likely, or probable human carcinogens (cause cancer), mutagens (damage human or animal genetic material), or reproductive toxicants (damage to a fetus or harm mothers’ or fathers’ ability to reproduce. We will also focus on chemicals that are persistent (slow to break down in the environment), bioaccumulative (build-up in plants and animals), and toxic (harmful to various species in the environment) and are often referred to as PBTs).” Wal-Mart announced they would begin by banning chemicals from their products that meet these criteria, beginning with a list of twenty chemicals. While this new chemical’s policy did not specifically mention PVC, PVC meets virtually all of the criteria.
Building Materials:
Wal-Mart recognizes PVC is widely used in building materials, and is now beginning to explore PVC-free materials. Wal-Mart is planning to eliminate all PVC roofing from its new stores and distribution centers, and switching to a safer material, Thermoplastic Poly Olefin (TPO) membrane. This came after Firestone Building Products, Wal-Mart’s supplier, announced Firestone would stop offering PVC roofing products due to health and environmental hazards. Target has explored TPO roofs but surprisingly experienced performance issues with the roofing, which may be due to improper installation and not because of the TPO material, given the experience of Wal-Mart and Firestone. According to the Healthy Building Network, TPO roofing is offered by Firestone with the same service and guarantees, and at a more competitive price and installed cost.
At a new experimental store in Aurora, IL, Wal-Mart has used alternatives to PVC in the flooring, irrigation system, cart bumpers, wire and cable insulation, ceiling tiles, metal and fiberglass trims and cooler doors.
Wal-Mart’s sustainability initiatives around PVC and other issues are to be commended and are a step in the right direction. However, they still have significant environmental, human rights, and labor issues that the company should address as part of its sustainability strategy.
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