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News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday November 1, 2006
CONTACT:
Mike Schade, CHEJ, 212-964-3680
Andrew Goldberg, Dogwood Alliance,
828-251-2525 x19
Environmental Groups’ Statement on Wal-Mart‘s Packaging Scorecard’ Announcement
Washington, D.C. – Lois Gibbs, Executive Director of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice issued the following statement in response to Wal-Mart’s new packaging scorecard:
“Wal-Mart’s new packaging scorecard is a step in the right direction to rank suppliers on sustainable packaging, however it’s not clear whether it will address PVC, the poison plastic, in brand name packaging. Last year Wal-Mart announced plans to phase out PVC plastic in private label packaging over the next 2 years. Wal-Mart should also set concrete benchmarks for phasing out PVC in brand name packaging to protect our communities from this poison plastic.
Phasing out PVC in brand name packaging would insure that our children are growing up healthy and free from exposure to dangerous toxic chemicals. PVC packaging can contaminate and ruin other recyclable plastics and is dangerous to our health and environment releasing toxic chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects, and immune system disorders. Finally, Wal-Mart should recognize that sustainability must include labor issues both domestically and throughout the supply chain.”
Andrew Goldberg, Campaign Director from the Dogwood Alliance, also issued the following statement:
“As the world’s largest retailer Wal-Mart’s commitment to use a “sustainability scorecard” in evaluating packaging for their own branded products is certainly a good first step. Just as Wal-Mart works to drive down prices for consumers, we trust that Wal-Mart will drive their own private label suppliers and the suppliers of branded products on their shelves like Procter & Gamble and Unilever to increase the use of post-consumer recycled content in paper packaging.
Wal-Mart can't stop there. To be truly responsible, they must do the hard work of understanding where the virgin fiber that goes into their paper packaging on their shelves is sourced from and work to ensure that the fiber does not come from endangered forests and is produced using responsible forest practices.”
ATTN JOURNALISTS: Background materials on PVC packaging hazards is available by visiting www.pvcfree.org and on the negative environmental impacts of paper packaging by visiting http://www.dogwoodalliance.org/campaign/packaging.php
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