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. Our work includes:

Publishing the annual Retailer Report Card, which grades North America’s largest retailers on their actions on toxics
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

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!

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.

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.

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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. We have:

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