Walmart and Proctor & Gamble Deserve Some TreeHugger Love
by John Laumer, Philadelphia 
on 04.18.07
This is a good news item about US corporations doing the right thing without waiting to be told to do it by the government; for example, Wal-Mart and Proctor and Gamble, respectively, have pushed for and made cleaning product formulation changes for the benefit of the environment and human health. What motived these changes? Via NewsDay:- "Scientists are suggesting a common cause for two seemingly unrelated events, the feminization of fish in Jamaica Bay [New York and Long Island USA], where the former 50-50 male-to-female ratio has all but disappeared, and enlarged breasts in young boys. The common factor: endocrine disruptors, chemicals found in detergents, cosmetics and household and [commercial cleaners]. The laundry detergent additive [NPE] belongs to a family of "surfactants," chemicals that lift dirt and help detergents and cleaning agents do a better job of stain removal. Makers of domestic and industrial cleaners say NPEs are virtually unbeatable in the way they remove dirt...But, support for NPE-containing products is eroding... Wal-Mart Corp., for example, is discouraging the use of NPEs in cleaning agents it sells and has asked suppliers to find alternatives."
"Some U.S. manufacturers have switched to other surfactants to avoid the environmental problems associated with NPEs. The popular detergent Tide is NPE-free. The additive has been eliminated from Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner sold through Wal-Mart Stores and Sam's Club outlets. But the makers of the product have not yet removed the compound from Simple Green cleaner sold elsewhere, citing the expense involved in switching to safer surfactants."
Jonathan Propper, president of Cot'n Wash in Philadelphia, makers of a laundry detergent called Dropps, said his company removed NPEs from its product in the last quarter of 2006 because of environmental concerns. He said the additive's low cost is key to its popularity among manufacturers TreeHugger's Kara covered Dropps a few years ago.
TreeHugger comments: Newsday, in this story, lumps a small number of well documented human endocrine disruption cases (exposure was via direct application of personal care products) in with the much broader risk of wastewater effluents causing endocrine disruption among fishes and mollusks. This definitely could leave the reading public with the mis-impression that ordinary household detergents have been shown to pose a clinically documented human health risk: there is no such evidence at this time.
Rather than wait for industry and regulators to reach consensus as to whether low level, direct exposures to detergent NPE's pose a human health risk (which may never happen, or is likely to take many years if it does), consumers already have the option of buying cleaners not formulated with NPE's. Wal-Mart and Proctor and Gamble are to be congratulated for taking the lead on giving us that option.
The next time you're buying a cleaning product and wonder if paying a premium for it is worth while, keep this in mind. Very often, you get the reduced risk you pay for when you buy "green."
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No love for P&G until they practice it themselves!
http://www.uncaged.co.uk/pg.htm
I think this is a great step in the right direction. We can't expect large corporations to become "green" overnight. Every little thing counts. I've heard that there is a lot of "Greening" going on at P&G, however we don't see it on the market yet.
I think we need to have an optomistic attitude toward large corporations. They have a lot of power to make changes that have a HUGE impact on the environment.
PG&E and now, Proctor & Gamble? Wal-Mart?
Treehugger, you're risking any Editorial opinion credence.
I'm with Joyce on this one, we need to encourage efforts from corporations, however small they may seem. There is a palpable difference between greenwashing and true greening. While what's cited here may be an example of both, I think some encouragement is in order.
Remember, there are still cleaners people intentionally ingest. Vinegar and baking soda come to mind. So does water...
Are these efforts truly in earnest? Why are they a recent phenomena? Could it be because they see a push in the green movement and want to hop on the hybrid-wagon? I would have more love for them if they implemented these ideas years ago; intead of only recently, to gain + PR (or avoid - PR).
caustic detergents aren't needed if you have clean, soft water. perhaps the real solution is your water...
Perhaps a more important issue is the fact that Proctor and Gamble are still the most horrific animal abusers. They steadfastly refuse to change their cruel animal experimentation.
I wonder how many innocent creatures, from mice to bunnies and cats and dogs suffered to help them develop this 'wonderfully green' product?
=== author's response follows ===
I wonder how many people realize that product safety testing protocols required by regulating agencies mandate skin testing on mammals for example?
Don't forget that even all natural products are not necessarily "safe" for all to use, either.
Lavender and tea tree oils--stalwarts of organic and natural body care and cleaning--are endocrine disruptors that can cause breast growth in boys. I think I saw this on TH before, but here is a link to the NIH release from January.
I think it's naive to expect major companies to have a "heart". It's all about green, money that is. The marketing departments see how popular these items are, how trendy even among the most unaware consumer and they want a piece of the action.
And it's fabulous, really! We're voting with every single cent on the direction of major products. Keep buying green, keep demanding more and they will jump on any opportunity at our cash. Good work!