Market Transformation
We challenge the largest retailers in the nation to adopt strong policies to end the use of the most toxic chemicals and plastics in products, packaging, and global supply chains. This makes items on store shelves safer and drives change at a global scale.
Mind the Store is Toxic-Free Future’s market transformation program. The retailers we engage have more than 200,000 stores in the United States and Canada and sell billions of dollars of products and packaging. Every commitment we get from a retailer is a step forward for protecting families, communities, and workers!
What we’re doing
- 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
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 we launched the Mind the Store program, we have convinced some of the nation’s biggest retailers to take action to protect consumers, workers, and the environment.
Some 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 major 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
Toxic-Free Cosmetics
Hazardous chemicals such as phthalates, PFAS, and formaldehyde are legally used in a wide array of products from shampoo to lip gloss. We are targeting the most dangerous chemicals in cosmetics, such as phthalates, PFAS, formaldehyde, formaldehyde releasers, and siloxanes, and advocating for policies in Washington state and by retailers to ban these chemicals and make sure they are replaced with safer alternatives.
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About the Mind the Store
In 2013, we launched Mind the Store to challenge the nation’s largest retailers to adopt policies that stop the use of the most hazardous chemicals and ensure products they sell are safe. The program urges retailers to eliminate toxic chemicals in products and packaging and develop comprehensive safer chemicals policies. We are working to transform the marketplace and drive a competitive race to the top.
