Consumer Concern for Chemicals Drives New Business Solutions

11/30/2011 Press Releases

Consumer Concern for Chemicals Drives New Business Solutions Business, NGO Leaders Team Up to launch new tools for identifying safer chemicals and sustainable plastics (Framingham, Massachusetts) Today a coalition of companies and environmental health groups working to protect consumers from toxic chemicals, the BizNGO Group, released two important frameworks to help companies choose more sustainable plastics and safer chemicals for their products: The Principles for Sustainable Plastics, and the Chemical Alternatives Assessment Protocol (v.1.0): How to Select Safer Alternatives to Chemicals of Concern to Human Health or the Environment. The Principles and Protocol were co-developed by companies and environmental health advocacy groups in the BizNGO Group, working to advance safer chemicals and materials in our economy.

Roger McFadden, Vice President and Senior Scientist at Staples and BizNGO participant, explains: "BizNGO is delivering the tools we need to create benchmarks for progress to safer chemicals and sustainable materials in a doable and pragmatic way that any business can implement. We are proud to be hosting this year's annual general meeting of the BizNGO."

Helen Holder, Corporate Material Selection Manager for Hewlett-Packard (HP), a BizNGO participant comments, “We find the BizNGO Chemical Alternatives Assessment Protocol compelling, because it lays out a meaningful process for selecting alternatives to restricted substances that have a lower impact to human health and the environment.” Ms. Holder added, “Also businesses need better tools for identifying truly sustainable plastics. The principles are a first step to getting us on this path. I look forward to the BizNGO delivering a final tool that embodies these principles next year.”

“We make decisions based on concerns for human health and the environment, added Howard Williams, Vice President, Construction Specialties. "We want to know the chemicals used in the materials and processes we select are safer and this Protocol reflects a pragmatic way forward. Furthermore, we call on the plastics industry to embed the Principles for Sustainable Plastics into new material development.”

The Chemicals Alternatives Assessment Protocol is a tool that creates clear decision logic for businesses to make real time decisions on identifying safer substitutions to toxic chemicals. The Principles for Sustainable Plastics identify, with comprehensive summary, what makes a plastic “sustainable.”

"Families and consumers want to know the chemicals in the products they buy are safe, and workers want to know they are not handling hazardous substances on the job. This Protocol will help companies more rapidly phase out toxic chemicals and replace them with truly safer materials," adds Mike Belliveau, Executive Director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center.

Announcing the release of these two tools, Mark Rossi, chair of BizNGO, emphasized the power of businesses working together with environmental and health advocacy groups to advance a common agenda. "These strategies demonstrate the ability of business and environmental health leaders to collaborate for the development of a clear roadmap to producing products with safer chemicals and sustainable plastics. Together, we are advancing the innovative thinking that is crucial to truly transform our chemicals and materials economy in the 21st century."

BizNGO is the Business NGO Working Group for Safer Chemicals and Sustainable Materials a unique collaboration of company leaders and environmental advocates working together to develop tools and strategies that promote market transitions to a healthy economy, healthy environment, and healthy people.

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