The business case for chemical footprinting
by Tim Greiner
01 May 2017
National leaders in sustainable chemistry gathered at the Green Chemistry in Commerce Council (GC3) annual meeting hosted by Steelcase in Grand Rapids, MI this week to share inspiration, insights and explore the future of the field. Sally Edwards of UMass Lowell and I facilitated a workshop on the business case for The Chemical Footprint Project (CFP). The session explored the details of chemical footprinting through the experience of companies including Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Beautycounter who have participated in CFP.
Chemical footprinting is a new discipline. CFP was founded by Clean Production Action, UMass Lowell and Pure Strategies just three years ago. While companies have been on the sustainable chemistry journey for some time, CFP represents the first independent standard that benchmarks and rates a firm’s progress towards sustainable chemicals management. Modeled on CDP, The Chemical Footprint Project is a 20-question survey that includes an evaluation of:
- Company management strategy
- Chemicals inventory efforts
- Footprint measurement
- Transparency and disclosure practices
Three elements of the business case for chemical footprint came to light during our session:
This TruCost report is another excellent resource on the business case and includes a number of proof points quantifying these business benefits.
For J&J, participating in CFP has aided their program in several ways. Al Iannuzzi, Sr. Director of EHS & Sustainability, cited several benefits: J&J’s performance in CFP earned them recognition by major customer CVS; the company has found ways to improve its internal program; and their participation has allowed them to provide feedback and help to shape this new practice area. Beautycounter’s Nicole Acevedo emphasized the insights her firm discovered going through the survey process. The company has also received numerous plaudits for achieving the highest ranking in the 2015 survey.
Despite this progress, most sustainable chemistry work (including CFP) still focuses mainly on measuring “less bad.” I am inspired to find metrics that reflect true green chemistry in company-level footprinting efforts so we can celebrate and recognize the shift away from highly hazardous chemicals, as well as the movement towards safer and healthier chemicals. If you have insights on such a measure, I would love to hear from you.
Safer textiles get a boost
While footprinting helps set a baseline and reveal proactive chemicals management approaches, practical tools are also needed to accelerate the move to safer chemistries. To fill this gap, Clean Production Action recently debuted the GreenScreen CertifiedTM Standard for Textile Chemicals. This standard provides a transparent hazard assessment framework to promote the use of safer chemicals. Addressing textile manufacturing initially, the platform will be expanded to additional product categories, allowing formulators and brands to communicate their progress and requirements on safer chemicals. Pure Strategies is one of only three licensed GreenScreen® Consultants with the training and expertise to offer services on how GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals tools can support client chemicals management and sustainability goals.
Pure Strategies is proud to be a Co-Founder of The Chemical Footprint Project, a licensed GreenScreen® Consultant, and a member of the Green Chemistry in Commerce Council.
Written by Tim Greiner
Tim Greiner, a Pure Strategies Co-founder and Managing Director, has pioneered approaches to building environmental and social integrity into products, brands, and businesses. His experience spans the spectrum from developing sustainability strategy, drafting sustainability goals, designing product sustainability programs, creating approaches to transform sustainable supply chains and fostering collaborative mechanisms to lift the sustainability performance of entire industries. He is currently working with several progressive businesses on developing science-based targets and comprehensive climate strategies. He is a co-founder of the Chemical Footprint Project and has guided sustainable chemicals management strategies for companies across diverse industries. He has also led regenerative agriculture projects with food brands and retailers. Current and former clients include Annie’s, Walmart, Seventh Generation, Ben & Jerry’s, The North Face, Stonyfield Farm, MilliporeSigma and U.S. EPA.
Tim holds Masters’ degrees in Environmental Policy and Business from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor's degree in Materials Science Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a founding member of the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Planners Association and a former Board member and President. He is also founder of the Cape Ann Climate Change Network and is a Research Associate at the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production. Tim has experience in industry as a Process Engineer for Fairchild Semiconductor. He also worked for the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance as Project Director and Chief Engineer.
