WHAT YOU NEED NOW - CONTENT UPDATED THROUGH THE DAY
Dec. 8, 2005
Microsoft, HP, Wal-Mart, Other Companies Phasing Out PVC in Consumer
Packaging, Products
By HNN Staff
Washington, DC (HNN) – Microsoft, along with Kaiser Permanente, Crabtree and
Evelyn, and others, announced they have joined the fast-growing ranks of
major corporations demonstrating concern about the environmental health
impacts of their products or packaging by phasing out PVC plastic (polyvinyl
chloride or vinyl).
Hazardous chemicals are used and released in this commonly used material,
the second highest selling plastic in the world. Studies show links between
chemicals created and used during the PVC lifecycle and cancer, reproductive
and immune system damage, and asthma.
A coalition of 60 organizations coordinated by the Center for Health,
Environment & Justice (CHEJ www.chej.org ) worked with these companies to
convince them to eliminate PVC packaging or products voluntarily, thereby
helping build markets for safer substitutes. Health Care Without Harm works
with healthcare institutions to promote safer substitutes to products such
as PVC plastic in health care. The Healthy Building Network is leading the
campaign to accelerate the transition away from PVC building materials in
favor of safer, healthier alternatives.
New PVC phase-out developments include the following:
* Microsoft announced that by the end of 2005 it will have completed its PVC
packaging phase out, which has already resulted in the elimination of
361,000 pounds of PVC since July, 2005.
* Crabtree & Evelyn, an international manufacturer and retailer of
personal care products, toiletries, home fragrance products and fine foods,
has announced it will phase out PVC in its packaging. Crabtree & Evelyn has
already begun to phase out PVC in existing and all new product lines, and is
developing a complete PVC phase out timeline.
* Kaiser Permanente, the largest non-profit health care system in the
US, has announced phasing out PVC wherever possible in millions of square
feet in new construction to be built over the next decade. Kaiser vendors
have developed PVC-free wall protection products and PVC-free carpeting.
Other recent PVC phase-out announcements include the following:
* Catholic Healthcare West, a healthcare system with 40 hospitals,
announced on November 21, 2005, it awarded a five year, $70 million contract
to B.Braun to supply CHW with
PVC-free and DEHP-free IV systems.
* HP announced on November 1, 2005 that it plans to eliminate its
remaining uses of PVC as safer alternatives are available. The company has
removed PVC from all external case parts. In correspondence with HP, they
noted that they will be out of all PVC packaging in two months. The
Computer Take Back Campaign has worked with HP and other electronic
companies to replace PVC and other harmful materials of concern with safer
alternatives.
* Wal-Mart announced on October 24, 2005, it will phase out PVC in its
private label packaging over the next two years. Environmental health
advocates welcomed Wal-Mart’s PVC phase out however stressed it's only a
small step, and the company needs to address major outstanding environmental
and labor concerns.
* Firestone Building Products Company, the world's largest
manufacturer of commercial roofing, closed down their PVC line in late 2005
in favor of safer materials. This represents some six thousand tons of PVC
production annually.
* Shaw Industries Inc. ran its last production of PVC carpet backing
at the beginning of 2005, replacing it with EcoWorx, a cradle-to-cradle
product that can be sustainably recycled, has less embodied energy than PVC
carpet tiles, and maintains equal or greater performance.
* Johnson and Johnson announced it has set a goal to eliminate PVC in
their primary packaging, and is actively engaged with suppliers to identify
alternatives to replace existing PVC packaging and avoid PVC use in future
products.
A New Multi-Industry Trend
These companies join the ranks of other innovators who have already moved to
phase out PVC including Adidas, Aveda, Bath and Body Works, the Body Shop,
Gerber,
Honda, Ikea, Lego Systems, Nike, Samsung, SC Johnson, Shaw Carpet, Toyota,
Victoria’s Secret, Volkswagen, and Volvo, among others.
They are part of a broader economic trend in which US businesses are
increasingly incorporating safer, sustainable materials into their
operations.
“We are seeing a new trend: major corporations are phasing out PVC and
switching to safer and healthier consumer products,” said Lois Gibbs, the
homemaker-turned-activist who led the community effort to relocate hundreds
of families away from the infamous Love Canal toxic waste site, and who went
on to found CHEJ.
“We applaud Microsoft and other innovative companies who recognize that
safeguarding our health is not only the right thing to do, but also makes
good business sense.
Consumers need to support companies that have demonstrated commitments to
safer products. Parents should remember the adage ‘bad news comes in
threes,’ and avoid buying PVC products which are marked with a “3” or “v” in the recycle
symbol this holiday season.”
“As part of our continuing efforts toward global environmental stewardship,
we have eliminated PVC from all Microsoft packaging effective Dec. 31,
2005,” said Pamela Passman, vice president of corporate affairs for Microsoft.
“The long term environmental effects of PVC are well known, and we are proud
that our efforts have eliminated an estimated 361,000 pounds of PVC
packaging since July of this year alone. In 2004 we set a goal to eliminate PVC in packing by the
end of 2005, and, together with partners such as The Center for Health,
Environment and Justice, we have achieved this important step toward protecting our natural
resources.”
A comprehensive national report, PVC: Bad News Come in Threes released by
CHEJ, the Environmental Health Strategy Center, and the national BE SAFE
coalition last year as part of a kick off campaign to convince companies to eliminate PVC is
available at http://www.besafenet.com/PVCDisposalReport_2-Column_R6.pdf.
The Poison Plastic
PVC is the worst plastic from an environmental health perspective, dangerous
throughout its entire life cycle of production, use and disposal. Consumers
can identify it by looking for the number “3”, “PVC” or the letter “V” inside or underneath the
universal recycling symbol. In addition, soft flexible PVC products often
have a distinct odor, such as vinyl
shower curtains.
When produced or burned, PVC plastic releases dioxins, the most potent
synthetic chemicals ever tested, which can cause cancer and harm the immune
and reproductive systems. Studies have shown plasticizers such as phthalates have migrated out of PVC
consumer products, exposing people to toxic additives linked to reproductive
defects and other health problems. Our bodies are contaminated with toxic chemicals released during
the PVC lifecycle, such as mercury, dioxins, and phthalates, which may pose
life-long health threats.
A 2005 report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found
eleven of twelve phthalates tested were higher in children than adults
(http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/). A study published in the
Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) journal in August, 2005 demonstrated
for the first time a strong link between a mother’s exposure during
pregnancy to phthalates and adverse effects on the male reproductive system
(http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2005/8100/abstract.html). These changes were
seen at phthalate levels below those found in one-quarter of the female
population of the United States. Most recently, Danish medical researchers
published a new study in EHP on September 7th, 2005 finding that 3-month-old
boys exposed to higher levels of phthalates through breast milk produced
less testosterone than baby boys exposed to lower levels of the chemicals,
suggesting the human testis may be vulnerable to phthalate exposure during
development (http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2005/8075/abstract.html).
PVC cannot be effectively recycled due to the many toxic additives used to
soften or stabilize PVC, which can contaminate the recycling batch. In
fact, just one PVC bottle can contaminate a recycling load of 100,000 PET bottles. Safer, cost effective
alternatives are readily available for virtually ever use of PVC. From
safer plastics, to bio-based materials, there is a growing market for substitutes for hazardous PVC products.
To view letters from Microsoft and other companies phasing out PVC, or to
access the PVC Fact Sheet and national PVC report, visit
www.besafenet.com/phaseout.htm
