Market Transformation
We challenge the nation’s largest retailers to lead the way by adopting strong policies that eliminate the most toxic chemicals and plastics from products, packaging, and global supply chains—making store shelves safer and driving change at a global scale.
Mind the Store is Toxic-Free Future’s market transformation program, pushing the nation’s largest retailers to eliminate toxic chemicals and plastics from products, packaging, and global supply chains. The companies we engage operate over 200,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada, selling billions of dollars in goods. Every commitment we secure—from eliminating PFAS in food packaging to banning harmful paint strippers—is a step toward healthier products, safer communities, and a toxic-free future.
What we’re doing
Through research, advocacy, and collaboration, we’re driving change in the retail sector to eliminate toxic chemicals and plastics.
- Publishing the Retailer Report Card, which grades major retailers on their actions on toxics and plastics
- Providing technical expertise and advice to major retailers
- Publishing scientific research on the dangers of toxic chemicals hiding in products and packaging
- Building grassroots power and partnerships to convince big corporations to take action
Act Now!
Ranking Retailers on Toxic Chemicals
Toxic-Free Future’s Retailer Report Card benchmarks and scores the biggest retailers in the U.S. on their safer chemicals policies. By highlighting retailer leaders and identifying the laggards, we drive a competitive race to the top to eliminate toxic chemicals and replace them with safer alternatives.
Impact
Since launching the Mind the Store program, we’ve pushed some of the nation’s largest retailers to take meaningful steps to protect consumers, workers, and the environment from toxic chemicals and plastics.
Highlights include:
- Convinced food giants like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Whole Foods Market to eliminate PFAS in food packaging at more than 140,000 locations worldwide
- Moved more than a dozen retailers—including The Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Walmart—to eliminate the dangerous chemicals methylene chloride and NMP in paint removal products at over 30,000 stores
- Won policies from major furniture retailers like Ashley Furniture to eliminate toxic flame retardants from furniture
- Spurred leading retailers—including Lowe’s, Rite Aid, Sephora, and Target to adopt comprehensive corporate chemical policies
MARKETPLACE TRANSFORMATION
Our recent victories
MARKETPLACE TRANSFORMATION
Key Projects & Priorities
The Home Depot, ban PVC
Our Mind the Store program highlights how major retailers can lead the way in eliminating toxic chemicals—including banning PVC, a hazardous plastic used in building materials and packaging. That’s why we’re calling on The Home Depot—the world’s largest home improvement retailer—to take action. By phasing out PVC, The Home Depot can help drive industry-wide change and protect the health of its customers, workers, and the communities it serves.
Toxic-Free Cosmetics
Hazardous chemicals like phthalates, PFAS, and formaldehyde are still legally allowed in everyday cosmetics and personal care products—from shampoo to lip gloss. Toxic-Free Future is targeting the most harmful chemicals in these products—including phthalates, PFAS, formaldehyde, formaldehyde-releasing agents, and siloxanes—and pushing for strong policies in Washington state and from major retailers to ban them and ensure safer alternatives are used.
About the Mind the Store
Launched in 2013, Mind the Store challenges the nation’s largest retailers to lead the way in protecting health and the environment by eliminating the most hazardous chemicals from the products and packaging they sell. The program pushes companies to develop comprehensive safer chemicals policies—transforming the marketplace and driving a race to the top across the retail industry.
Latest news from Mind the Store
