Unadulterated

Harmful materials present a significant barrier to shifting many products and supply chains to sustainable and circular economy solutions.

Radio Flyer and Beautycounter stand among leading companies taking proactive steps to manage chemicals in their products and supply chains. These and just over twenty other firms benchmarked their programs and performance in the newly launched Chemical Footprint Project.

The inaugural Chemical Footprint Project report released this week highlights the financial risks that companies face due to chemicals of high concern (CoHCs) to human health and the environment in their products and supply chains.

A critical step in developing an effective restricted chemicals list is considering what will be used instead, because replacements may be just as much of a concern as the original substance.Many companies include additional materials that are similar to a primary chemical of concern and carefully evaluate alternatives in order to avoid a regrettable substitution. However, companies may determine that a material does not have a safer or effective alternative and should not be replaced yet.

Proactively adopting a sustainable chemicals management program is a company’s best response to ever-increasing requirements and demands from consumers, supply chain partners and regulators. A key challenge for firms employing this approach is accessing the necessary chemical information. Software systems designed to meet this need can save resources, support improved chemical selection for the design of safer products and allow more rapid response to changing market demands for ingredients and materials.

Just as companies evaluate their carbon, water and waste footprints, the CFP finally provides a tool that enables purchasers and brands to: benchmark and measure progress towards safer chemicals; recognize and reward suppliers for doing what matters most to retailers and customers; create greater accountability across value chains; encourage chemical information sharing; and provide a metric to compare and measure continuous improvement of suppliers.