How a nonprofit is working with retail giants like Whole Foods to ditch toxic 'forever chemicals' in products and packaging

Insider

Fast-food packaging that tested positive for fluorine.

Courtesy of Mind the Store.

• "Forever chemicals," also known as PFAS, which are found in products like Teflon and wrappers are polluting the environment and us.
• Nonprofit Mind the Store educates retailers on why they need to eliminate PFAS from their products.
• It works as a resource for brands like Whole Foods to get in front of the story and achieve their mission.
• This article is part of a series called "Partners for a Sustainable Future," profiling innovative alliances that are driving real progress in sustainability.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a class of some 9,000 toxic chemicals used to make products waterproof, greaseproof, heatproof, and stain-resistant.

Better known as "forever chemicals," PFAS are commonly found in things such as Teflon nonstick coating, fast-food burger wrappers, and cosmetics.

Their chemistry means they take thousands of years to break down under typical environmental conditions. In other words, what makes them useful in products makes them bad for the environment and bad for us - creating a pollution crisis that's been called a "public health emergency" by research and advocacy organization the Environmental Working Group.

The impact of PFAS on the environment.

Courtesy of Mind the Store.

The Mind the Store campaign helps to mitigate the effects of these "forever chemicals" by partnering with large retailers and developing comprehensive chemicals policies.

"We do everything from publishing an annual report card that benchmarks retailers on their chemical policies - or lack thereof - to commissioning independent scientific research investigating chemicals of concern in food packaging and other products," Mike Schade, director of the Mind the Store campaign, told Insider.

The campaign has resources designed for grocery chains and fast-food outlets, which list safe alternative products and suppliers that produce them. They also have tailored guides to help brands through the process, run webinars and workshops, and connect businesses with each other to share experiences.

Working with brands directly is the most effective method over public statements

"Healthy" chain packaging that tested positive for fluorine.

Courtesy of Mind the Store.

Mind the Store isn't afraid to go after iconic names with loud campaigns. A recent petition called "Tell Burger King: Stop making toxic trash" gained significant media attention and prompted other fast-food outlets like Wendy's to commit to banning PFAS from their products.

"In the summer of 2018, we sent letters to roughly 75 top fast-food and grocery store chains. McDonald's and Wendy's announced commitments to phase out, but Burger King did not take action, so we started this campaign," Schade said, noting that Burger King announced in June this year that it was testing alternatives.

But while Schade has seen success through these kinds of campaigns, he's found that the best way to get brands on board is by acting as a partner and sharing their test results before they're made public.

"We want to build trust with retailers," he said. "What we like to do is give them an opportunity to get out in front of an issue and begin to make change."

Schade believes that reaching out to these companies ahead of Mind the Store's first report in 2018 led to "even greater dialogue" than if they'd only released it to the media.

"We share information with them on better alternatives, helping them manage the process and providing policy recommendations and technical assistance, and outlining steps that they can take to improve," he said.

Getting brands' attention is important, so Mind the Store continues to publish report cards and test products publicly to pressure brands to change and empower consumers.

"Our goal is to make transformative change, and we've found that when we can share our research, it can help to build a relationship, build a dialogue, and increase trust," he said.

Businesses should take advantage of free consulting

A sampling of food packaging that contained PFAS.

Courtesy of Mind the Store.

Schade said that corporations should see NGOs such as Mind the Store as a resource.

"In many cases, we are essentially providing free consulting work for businesses," he said. "We're telling them that their customers are demanding safer, more sustainable packaging - and scientific evidence is mounting."

One of the first companies to get on board with Mind the Store's mission was Whole Foods. Jody Villecco, principal quality standards advisor at Whole Foods, told Insider that the chain takes a collaborative approach to corporate engagement and works with retailers to move the industry in the right direction.

The relationship with Mind the Store operates like your standard retailer/NGO partnership. That is, it focuses on information sharing, joint advocacy, and, in select instances, collaboration on the development of safer chemicals policies.

"Mind the Store's work raising awareness about the presence of PFAS in food packaging is unparalleled. We have appreciated their knowledgeable support along the way as Whole Foods Market strives to steadily continue expanding our safer chemicals policies," she said.

The next step is banding together for legislation

Campaigns about forever chemicals are seeing a demand for legislation, and Mind the Store is helping companies understand what's coming down the pipeline.

"There's a real lack of supply-chain transparency, and the testing that we commission is oftentimes a wake-up call for most businesses," Schade said.

Mind the Store has found that competitors tend to follow suit once one brand is on board - and, increasingly, investors are driving change, too. Last December, a shareholder resolution saw McDonald's commit to eliminating PFAS by 2025.

As successful as much of their outreach and subsequent partnerships have been, Schade said that no one company or partnership can solve these complex sustainability challenges alone.

"Meaningful, comprehensive, and systemic regulation at all levels of government is needed to level the playing field in the business community," he said.

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