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The world's largest retailer, Walmart, announced today it would begin disclosing chemicals in many product categories while phasing out approximately ten chemicals from products, in favor of safer alternatives. It also announced that it will pursue EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) imprimatur for some of its private label products. The disclosure practices will begin in 2015 and apply to cleaners, personal care products, cosmetics and baby care.

A new report from the Breast Cancer Fund today finds that pregnant mothers are commonly exposed to the harmful chemical bisphenol-a (BPA) in part as a result of eating canned food. The chemical is linked to hormone disruption, miscarriages and birth defects.

Going to a local retailer is a common experience. But last week a group of Ohio women visited Target and CVS to ask them to get serious about toxic chemicals. Here’s what happened...

Two pre-Labor Day federal announcements combine to pinpoint where we are in protecting the health and safety of workers in the United States.

Once as a child, I visited the factory floor, and saw the machine my father stood over, stamping out parts that helped make America hum with electricity. It was hot in there, and the place was filled with dust. Decades later, we would learn that dust was a toxin called kaolin, a fine naturally occurring particle used to make plastics and ceramics.

Why are we still hopeful that Target may take the lead on our Mind the Store challenge? Because of some of the steps they’ve already taken on toxic chemicals...

“Amazingly, it’s hard to fathom that as architects we don’t always know what chemicals are in the building materials we use. It’s time for this to change. It’s time to bring a new set of baseline criteria to building design and construction by starting with the elimination of toxic chemicals in building materials.” – Robin Guenther, Principal, Perkins+Will

Construction Specialties has created a niche for itself by developing and manufacturing environmentally responsible building products. This $300-million-a-year business helps builders avoid PVCs, PBTs, and other chemicals known to harm human health and the environment. “The demand for environmentally responsible and relevant building products is growing rapidly.”

A leading brand of natural household and personal care products, Seventh Generation is an excellent example of how socially responsible businesses are thriving in today’s marketplace. Their name comes from the Law of the Iroquois that states, “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”

Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) manages to combine business success with a commitment to sustainability. “The moral and operational imperatives are here, now, for health care to support safer chemicals reform. This isn’t just a fight between environmentalists and the chemical industry, it’s really about who cares for human health.”