Getting toxics out of what we buy

Since 2005, EDF and Walmart have worked to reduce the retailing giant’s environmental footprint.

Together, we’re making the company’s operations and its products more sustainable, such as finding ways to reduce the environmental impact of every stage of what’s known as the supply chain — how products move from raw materials to store shelves. 

Addressing toxics

One important part of our work with Walmart is helping them reduce or eliminate “chemicals of concern” — chemicals in their products that may not be safe for people or the environment. 

Why take on this role instead of letting the EPA step in? Current U.S. law on chemicals is so ineffective that the vast majority of the roughly 80,000 chemicals available for use have never been tested for their potential threat to people or the planet. In fact, the law is so weak that EPA could not even ban asbestos, a known human carcinogen. Congress had to do the job instead.

Some chemicals of concern are long-lasting toxic substances that accumulate in the human body or the environment. Others are endocrine disrupters — chemicals that in minute amounts mimic human hormones and disrupt the body’s normal functioning. Chemicals like these are commonly found in household products. The chemical diethyl phthalate — a suspected endocrine disrupter — appears in products like air fresheners, bubble bath, and body lotion. Formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, appears in detergents, home cleaners, and shampoo.

EDF has worked hard to ensure that the toxic chemicals law is reformed. In the meantime, however, our partnership with Walmart presented us with a key opportunity to change the way the retailers deal with chemicals in consumer products.

EDF, Walmart create new software tool

In 2009, Walmart announced the creation of GreenWERCS, a software tool that assesses the chemical ingredients of household cleaners, personal care products and other chemical-based items on its shelves. 

With GreenWERCS, Walmart can get information about carcinogens, reproductive toxins and other substances of concern used in making the products it sells, as well as a product’s potential to become hazardous waste. The tool revealed that almost 40% of formulated products on Walmart shelves contain chemicals of concern. 

An EDF representative co-chaired the working group that spent 18 months developing the tool. More recently, EDF has been an active participant in developing metrics that assess chemical-based products from chemical manufacture to store placement, so Walmart and other retailers can have a more complete scorecard for assessing options. 

In August 2012, Walmart asked the first set of suppliers of common household products to complete a questionnaire that will populate the new expanded scorecard. Over the next three years, EDF will work with Walmart to use the scores in setting new sustainability goals for reducing or eliminating chemicals of concern by taking products off the shelf or reformulating them.  

(Read more about this process and partnership between EDF and Walmart.)