What corporate sustainability is missing

In a welcome development for the planet, the sustainability movement has increased and displaced the corporate landscape. In 2023, 72% of S&P 500 companies Integrated metric of sustainability In executive compensation, signaling an increasing awareness of the need to consider environmental impacts alongside financial performance.

For many companies, durability is synonymous with carbon lowering. Success is typically measured in terms of metric tone of carbon dioxide, kilowatt-hours of energy used and percentages of energy consumed by renewable sources. But with a narrow concentration in lowering their carbon footprint, many companies are bypassing their chemical trail.

Throughout their supply operations and chains, companies use a wide range of chemicals, some with a potential for adverse environmental and human health. These include continuous pollutants, endocrine decay and heavy metals. These chemicals contaminate our air, water and soil, presenting long -term risks to human ecosystems and health. If companies ignore their use and proper management of concern chemicals, they are underestimating their environmental administration.

Climatic-chemical connection

As the world crosses pure energy, fossil fuel companies are increasingly focusing on petrochemical production. Petrochemics serve as construction blocks for a wide range of products, including plastic, synthetic fabrics, inks, insulation, fertilizers and pharmaceuticals. This strategic displacement allows the industry to continue to use oil and gas and extend the life of fossil fuel fuel infrastructure. This pivot is undermining the climate progress and is creating harmful pollution. Manufacturers of retail products and retailers can help whiten damages by limiting their use of problematic or unnecessary petrochemics.

The benefits of the safest chemistry business

Choosing the healthiest materials not only protects the environment, clients and employees is also good for business. For example, reducing the use of harmful chemicals can reduce financial and reputable risks to companies. Addressing harmful chemicals can also help companies stand in front of new regulations and avoid possible penalties or fines. Most importantly, the public is becoming aware of the environmental and health impacts of the products they buy. They increasingly prefer companies that prioritize human and environmental health. Demonstrating commitment to avoid using concern chemicals can help companies differentiate between employees and their customers from their competition.

Start: Access of six classes

Instead of addressing thousands of chemicals in operations and supply chains one by one, companies can apply Six classes approach it is easier and more effective to stop using the whole class of disturbance chemicals immediately, which are large groups determined by similarities in the chemical structure (“chemical cousins”) and function. IN Green Science Institute of PoliciesWe recommend prioritizing six classes of chemicals commonly used, associated with health damage and migrate from products in the air and dust (and eventually our bodies). These are PFA (per- and polyphluoroalkil substances), antimicrobial, flame retardant, bisphenol and phthalates, some solvents and certain metals.

When producing, designing or purchasing, companies should consider whether products or materials contain a chemical from six classes. If so they should ask three questions:

1. Is it necessary? Some disturbing chemicals are unnecessary. Performance can often be achieved without using harmful chemicals. For example, by stopping fires with smolder -resistant fabrics, we can prevent the need for flame retardant in the foam foam.
2. Is it worth the function? PFAs can make a stain of resistant carpets, but can cause long-term health damage to a trailing baby. Does the risk function deserve?
3. Are there safer alternatives? Harmful chemicals can often be replaced with alternative materials or patterns. For example, bottles of glass or stainless steel can be a better choice than plastic, which may contain bisphenole and fhtalate.

Companies like IKEA are leading the road

Some innovative businesses such as IKEA, Permanent Kaiser, Levi Strauss and Co., and Crate & Barrel have used the approach of six classes to fasten all classes of distress chemicals. The folk shoe company KEEN has applied access for years. After learning their shoes had PFA, the company audited their supply chain, identifying PFA in 101 seats, from shoes to packaging bills. Surprisingly, they found it 75% of these uses were unnecessary and did not require replacement chemicals. For other uses, with time and effort, they found effective alternatives. They share their strategy to eliminate the entire PFA class in their shoes in Green paper.

Expanding their focus to include lowering entire classes of harmful chemicals along with carbon emissions, corporate durability programs can increase worker and consumer safety, and make financial and business benefits.