Step forward for a toxic free future!

Large companies in the US have started a campaign for phasing out PVC.

12.12.2005 |Marie Kranendonk

PVC is a substance causing great health concern because it creates the very toxic dioxins when incinerated and the soft PVC products emit hormone disrupting phtalates. Women and environment and health organisations have long been demanding for replacemen of PVC by safer plastics. But the PVC lobby was able to prevent any EU legislation till now. Now there comes good news from the USA!

The Center for Health, Environment & Justice, an environmental organisation in the USA, has been working with numerous companies to get them to switch to safer compounds, a phase out campaign of PVC. Those companies getting PVC-free gold stars include: 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, Volvo.

Like Microsoft, these companies recently joined the phase-out trend: Catholic Healthcare West, Hewlett Packard, Wal-Mart, Firestone Building Products Company (manufacturer of commercial roofing) and Johnson and Johnson.
Microsoft has announced at December 7 that by the end of the year, it will have completely stopped using PVC plastics in the packaging for its software. That might not sound like much until you run the numbers. According to a press release from PR co. Waggener Edstrom Worldwide: (E)liminating PVC from Microsoft packaging has saved an estimated 361,000 pounds of PVC since July of this year alone. Based on historical software shipments, these measures will reduce PVC packaging over the next two years by over 1.6 million pounds." (Based on information from Lisa Stiffler at December 7). WECF hopes that in Europe this good example will be followed!