Target to "Systematically Reduce" PVC Use

Target may finally be feeling the heat from consumer, health, and environmental groups such as the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ), which has been vociferous in its campaign to get the nation's fifth-largest retailer to stop selling products made of or packaged in PVC.

The retailer, which makes $59 billion in revenues per year, now says it is reducing its use of PVC in packaging and children's products, such as lunch boxes and bibs. Target says it is committed to systematically reducing PVC beginning with its in-house brands, while collaborating with a variety of its third-party vendors at the same time, according to a CHEJ press release.

Made from vinyl chloride, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies as a human carcinogen, PVC may also contain lead, which can pose health risks if the plastic deteriorates or when kids put the products in their mouths. Pthalates, a class of chemicals often added to make PVC more flexible, have been linked to male reproductive-development problems. ::Wall Street Journal and ::CHEJ