7gen Bloc
P&G's Sustainability Initiatives -- Not So Sustainable
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That’s the headline of Melanie Warner’s story in this month’s issue of Fast Company. The story takes Procter & Gamble to task on a number of issues:
"...none of P&G's sustainability initiatives address what's arguably its most fundamental environmental challenge: ‘green chemistry,’ or finding ways to make products without chemicals that are hazardous to human health and the environment."
- "Products such as Herbal Essences shampoo and Olay Complete Body Wash contain comparatively high levels of 1,4-dioxane, a chemical that has been characterized as a probable human carcinogen by the EPA and banned from personal-care products in the European Union." (As we have previously disclosed, 1,4-dioxane is also found at very low levels in Seventh Generation dish and laundry products.)
- "When the European Union classified dibutyl phthalate (DBP) as a reproductive toxicant in 2004 and banned it from use in cosmetics and personal-care products, P&G and many other companies were forced to reformulate products, predominantly nail polish."
- "But if [Len Sauers, P&G’s VP of global sustainability] wants to be a sustainability chief in more than name only -- if P&G is going to lead rather than be dragged into compliance -- he has a chemistry problem to solve. And right now, he's procrastinating."
From my point of view, the article failed to consider two critical proof points for determining whether a company is behaving sustainably: how is P&G helping consumers make the right environmental choices; and to what extent is P&G acting transparently, by providing clear, objective information about the products it sells?
The evidence is less-than-encouraging when you consider Pure Essentials, repositioned versions of the Tide, Bounce, and Downy brands. P&G describes Pure Essentials as "a collection of laundry [products] with naturally inspired scents for a relaxing, refreshing, romantic, or uplifting experience."
Pure Essentials’ scents might be "naturally inspired," but apparently P&G’s intent is to cloak the entire brand in a green guise. Essentials’ packaging replaces Tide’s dazzling, industrial-strength hues with an earth-tone tan and images of aloe and citrus. Scents including Waterlily and Jasmine, Rose & Violet, Vanilla & Lavender tempt consumers with "natural"- sounding appeal. P&G is too clever to positively assert the use of natural ingredients in Pure Essentials. To the contrary, according to the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for Tide Pure Essentials Detergents, the products are identical to conventional Tide!
So, just how environmentally impure are Pure Essentials? According to Debra Lynn Dadd, a green product advocate for over a decade, "Tide Pure Essentials are similar to Tide Simple Pleasures that is, a petrochemical detergent with some natural fragrances.."
On closer inspection, Pure Essentials:
- provide only limited ingredient disclosure,
- don’t disclose whether the products use natural essential oils exclusively, or use only minimal amounts of essential oils (augmented by synthetic scents),
- and don’t disclose whether the ingredients are plant-based or petrochemicals.
- But, according to P&G’s MSDS, Tide Pure Essentials Detergents do include volatile organic chemicals such as ethanol and ethanolamine.
These chemicals have some less-than-wonderful, short-term exposure effects:
According to the International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre, ethanolamine is "corrosive to the respiratory tract, the skin and the eyes. The vapor is irritating to the eyes, the skin and the respiratory tract. The substance may cause effects on the central nervous system. Exposure could cause lowering of consciousness… Repeated or prolonged contact may cause skin sensitization."
Tide Pure Essentials’ MSDS indicates that the products’ concentrations of ethanolamine range from 0.5%-5%. Is that level high enough to be considered corrosive? To get a definitive answer, you’d need data on consumer usage, exposure, the size of the room that the washing machine is in, etc. No matter. Regardless of the concentration, ethanolamine does not belong in a product that implies that it’s "natural" and seeks to attract consumers who are trying to do the right thing for their families and the environment.
Yes, P&G deserves credit for reducing the packaging materials for products like Tide Coldwater, which also cuts energy consumption by not requiring hot water. Like most big companies, P&G’s efforts around sustainability might generously be described as still a work in progress. But think about it: last year, the consumer-products giant racked up more than $68 billion in revenues. P&G could change entire industries, if only it would authentically champion sustainability. Instead, it seeks to sow confusion where other companies are genuinely trying to do good. Why in the world is P&G running so fast, in so wrong a direction?
Read the Fast Company article here.
Jeffrey Hollender, President and Chief Inspired Protagonist of Burlington, VT-based Seventh Generation Inc., is a well-respected advocate of sustainable business.
For more on Jeffrey, click here.
I don't trust the big guys anymore. Gotta read the labels.
I feel so much better about myself, our clothes and our home since I have discovered Seventh Generation. It is one more small thing that I can do to make a difference. P.S. The mint dish soap ROCKS!
Jan