European Commission Position on DecaBDE up in Smoke After European Court Decision

Brussels An international group of environmental, legal and health NGOs[1] welcomed today’s judgment by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) against the European Commission’s decision to exempt decaBDE[2], a brominated flame retardant,… …

Avalon Natural Products: Consciousness in Cosmetics

Since its founding in 1989, California based Avalon Natural Products has been a leader in making cosmetics from natural and organic ingredients. Avalon sells mainly in the organic and natural foods market, through stores such as Whole Foods and Wild… …

Interface Fabric: Benign by Design

Terratex PLA represents Interface’s latest innovation on the company’s journey towards sustainability. Launched in 2004 as the first commercial interior fabric made from 100 percent renewable biopolymers, Terratex PLA is used in window… …

H&M: Fashion Chemistry

You’ve got to have your supply chain aligned to manage chemicals in retail fashion. In this fast moving industry, designs sell out in six months. With this high turnover rate, fashion companies like H&M never design the same product twice.… …

Herman Miller: Healthy Chairs

Long before green design became popular, a culture that would nourish it had formed at Herman Miller. Product design at Herman Miller has long been seen in the light of constraints, problem solving, and long-term value. The designer Charles Eames,… …

Dell Inc.: Mainstreaming the Precautionary Principle

In the mid 1990’s, Dell shipped its first computers and displays free of a host of toxic brominated flame-retardants. Since then, Dell has worked with its customers, regulators, investors and environmental advocates to develop a broader list of… …

Premier: Choosing Safer Products Helps Improve the Health of Communities

The Premier healthcare alliance is committed to protecting the environment and maintaining a safe and healthy climate for patients, workers and communities. Premier and its members are leaders in the industry, setting the bar for environmentally… …

Perkins+Will: Taking a Precautionary Approach to Chemicals in Products

At Perkins+Will we design structures that achieve our clients’ vision while maintaining the company’s founding principles of sustainability, integrity and design excellence. …

Novation: Supporting Safer Products in Health Care

Novation is committed to helping hospitals create an environment free from hazards posed by chemicals that are harmful to humans, animals, and the environment. Chemicals management is a considerable undertaking for the health care industry, largely… …

Kaiser Permanente: Using Safer Chemicals in Products Supports Preventive Health Care

Environmental activism emerged within Kaiser Permanente four decades ago when the organization invited Rachel Carson to deliver the keynote address to a large symposium of physicians and scientists. Today the 8.5 million member organization with… …

Deca-BDE Controversy in Europe

In 2003, the European Union passed into law the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, which eliminates the use of certain toxic chemicals in electronics, including deca-BDE (bromodiphenyl ether), beginning in July 2006. Under the… …

Healthy Business Strategies for Transforming the Toxic Chemical Economy

This report profiles six companies that are crafting healthy strategies for using chemicals and materials in their products.  While their individual actions to address toxic chemicals vary, their best practices, when gathered together define the… …

Health and Environment Groups on Alert for Test Case on Chemical Safety

A hazardous chemical is likely to be accepted as “safe for consumer use” by the European Commission this week. Deca-BDE, which is used as a flame retardant for electrical goods and textiles and is found as a contaminant in food, is known… …

Louisville Charter and the Need for Substitution

The Louisville Charter for Safer Chemicals A Platform for Creating a Safe and Healthy Environment through Innovation Fundamental reform to current chemical laws is necessary to protect children, workers, communities, and the environment. We must… …

Brominated Flame Retardants in Dust on Computers

In 2004 the first nationwide tests for brominated flame retardants in dust swiped from computers  in public buildings in 8 US states, revealed that computers are likely to be a significant source of deca-BDE  and other brominated flame… …