Who's Minding the Store?


1	Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Mind the Store Campaign			Rank, U.S. Sales (2015):	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	12	Sales rank from https://nrf.com/resources/annual-retailer-lists/top-100-retailers/stores-top-retailers-2016
2	2016 RETAILER REPORT CARD			RETAILERS:	Wal-Mart Stores	Kroger	Costco	The Home Depot	Walgreens	Target	CVS Health	Amazon.com	Albertsons	Lowe's	Best Buy

3	GRADING CRITERIA		Action Needed to Earn Maximum Points	Maximum Points Awarded	(includes Walmart and Sam's Club)
4	GRADING CRITERIA		Action Needed to Earn Maximum Points	Maximum Points Awarded	(includes Walmart and Sam's Club)
5	1. Assigned corporate management responsibility		A corporate manager has explicit responsibility for product safety related to chemical hazards in products (going beyond basic regulatory compliance) as part of sustainability, environmental, health & safety (EH&S), procurement, and supply chain management; company provides financial and other incentives to employees for successful implementation of their retailer safer chemicals policy; AND has Board or Senior Management engagement in the implementation of safer chemicals policy.	15	Walmart has multiple staff that oversee and implement their Sustainable Chemistry policy, including executive-level engagement with suppliers in implementing their policy. Associates from their sustainability, compliance, and merchandising teams all work together to advance their policy. Merchants and executives drive conversations with their suppliers when they use "High Priority" chemicals, discuss and ask for supplier plans to reduce, restrict and/or remove those chemicals of concern.	A corporate manager has some responsibility for product safety related to chemical hazards in products.	A corporate manager has some responsibility for product safety related to chemical hazards in products.	The Home Depot has multiple staff that work on sustainability including chemicals	A corporate manager has explicit responsibility for product safety related to chemical hazards in products.	Target has multiple staff that oversee and implement their Sustainable Product Index (SPI) and Made to Matter programs. Target's most recent sustainability report states the: "Board of Directors maintains oversight responsibility over Target’s reputation and corporate social responsibility efforts...Target’s EVP and Chief CSR Officer presents to the Board annually on CSR- related topics. Additionally, new directors participate in an orientation program that includes discussions with senior management, background materials on the Corporation’s plans, organization and financial statements, including CSR strategy, priorities and progress."	CVS has multiple staff that work on sustainability including chemicals. In their most recent sustainability report, the company states that: "Our goals are tied to our CSR strategic priorities, which are organized under three pillars. Each pillar has an executive sponsor who oversees progress against these priorities, while specific goals are owned and driven by senior management throughout our organization. Ultimately, our CEO and the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee of our Board of Directors have oversight of our CSR and sustainability performance."	Amazon has a sustainability team that has some responsibility for product safety related to chemical hazards, given the introduction of the Amazon Elements line of products.	A corporate manager has some responsibility for product safety related to chemical hazards in products.	A corporate manager has explicit responsibility for product safety related to chemical hazards in products.	A corporate manager has explicit responsibility for product safety related to chemical hazards in products.
6	1. Assigned corporate management responsibility			15	12	4	4	8	8	12	12	4	4	8	8
7	2. Adopted a retailer safer chemicals policy		Retailer has a written safer chemicals policy that aims to avoid all chemicals of high concern (CHCs) in products and packaging they offer for sale to their customers; includes a Beyond Restricted Substance list for chemicals of high concern for at least one major product category; has set public quantifiable goals for reducing and eliminating CHCs in the products and packaging it sells; and has a manufacturing restricted substance list (MRSL) for at least one product category. (See glossary for terms).	20	Walmart has a written safer chemicals policy, their Sustainable Chemistry Policy. Their Implementation Guide is a comprehensive resource providing guidance to suppliers on how they should work with Walmart to implement the policy. Walmart has developed a list of 16 "High Priority" chemicals and more than 1,000 "Priority" chemicals of concern that they are challenging suppliers to reduce and eliminate. The company states that: "All suppliers are expected to reduce, restrict and eliminate use of priority chemicals using informed substitution principles." The policy applies to cleaning products, cosmetics and personal care products, infant products, and pet supplies. In October 2016 Walmart unveiled their “Sustainable Packaging Playbook” which encourages suppliers to identify, remove, reduce and restrict their "Priority" chemicals and materials in packaging "that may present human health and environmental toxicity risks" which includes carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxicants, and PBTs. They also recommend suppliers avoid PVC plastic in packaging. However the company has not set public quantifiable goals for reduction and elimination of CHCs, they have not developed a MRSL, and the policy only applies to products sold in U.S. stores.	Retailer has no written safer chemicals policy.	Retailer has no written safer chemicals policy.	Retailer has no written safer chemicals policy.	The company has committed to developing a "Chemical Sustainability Program" to address chemicals in products. However they have stated they will be announcing it in "the coming months" for nearly two years.	Target's safer chemicals policy, their Sustainable Product Index (SPI), encourages suppliers to disclose chemical ingredients, reduce chemicals of high concern, and promote safer alternatives. Target has flagged more than 2,000 chemicals as either "High Priority" or of "Concern". Products are scored on a scale from 0 to 100 (or 110 for personal care products and 130 for household cleaning). 35 points address chemical hazards, 35 points address transparency (which includes encouraging suppliers to disclose fragrance ingredients and the full chemical formulation to UL Purview for screening against Target's list of "High Priority" or "Concern" chemicals), 5 on credible third party standards, and 1 on nanomaterials disclosure. Additional criteria apply to household cleaning products, incentivizing suppliers to: 1) use a significant percentage of safer chemicals identified on EPA's Safer Chemical Ingredient List (SCIL); and 2) reduce the use of VOC's in cleaning products. Additional criteria also apply to personal care products, incentivizing suppliers to not use chemical ingredients banned in Canada or the European Union. Target applies the SPI to personal care, cosmetics, household cleaning, and baby care products. However, the company has not set public quantifiable goals for reduction and elimination of CHCs, or developed a MRSL.	CVS has a Cosmetics Safety Policy that includes a commitment to: "Developing action plans to replace ingredients of concern in our branded and private label products when safer alternatives are available and prompting similar action by our suppliers." The company has developed a list of "chemicals of consumer concern (CCC)" and the states in their most recent sustainability report: "we actively identify and prioritize the replacement of CCCs with safer alternatives in certain CVS Brand categories, including beauty, baby and personal care, and food products. As new, conclusive research is published on how certain chemical ingredients are linked to health and environmental risks, and safer alternatives are made available, we apply our Cosmetic Safety Policy. This policy outlines our commitments to customer safety, scientific research, supplier collaboration and continuous improvement as well as the evaluation and replacement of CCCs in CVS Brand products. In 2015, we began the process of developing a sustainable products policy to further inform our strategy and commitments." In addition to the CCC list, CVS also has a restricted substance list (RSL) it has already phased out or restricted. They plan to make their RSL list public in 2017.	Retailer has no written safer chemicals policy.	Retailer has no written safer chemicals policy.	Retailer has no written safer chemicals policy.	Best Buy is actively developing a chemical management policy to be released publicly in 2017 which will include a Restricted Substance List (RSL) and a Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL). Best Buy, to their credit, is the only retailer we evaluated that is developing a MRSL.
8	2. Adopted a retailer safer chemicals policy			20	12	0	0	0	2	8	8	0	0	0	3
9	3. Requires suppliers to report use of chemicals in products to retailer		Full chemical ingredient information collected for all private label and brand name formulated products AND generic material content for articles (see definition of full chemical ingredient information in appendix).	10	Walmart uses the WERCSmart platform for collecting and evaluating information about chemical ingredients in consumables. Walmart is measuring the percentage of products (by number of UPCs) with fully disclosed formulation by supplier to The Wercs through WERCSmart. Walmart states: "To capture this data, Walmart shares internal inventory data from Retail Link (a decision support system that is a bridge between Walmart and its suppliers) to The Wercs. The Wercs combines the Retail Link data with formulation data submitted by all their suppliers (for compliance purposes) into the WERCSmart system."	No discernible action on disclosure of ingredients that goes beyond OSHA Safety Data Sheet requirements or other compliance purposes.	No discernible action on disclosure of ingredients that goes beyond OSHA Safety Data Sheet requirements or other compliance purposes.	No discernible action on disclosure of ingredients that goes beyond OSHA Safety Data Sheet requirements or other compliance purposes.	No discernible action on disclosure of ingredients that goes beyond OSHA Safety Data Sheet requirements or other compliance purposes.	Target uses the UL WERCSmart and PurView platforms for collecting and evaluating information about chemical ingredients in consumables and other formulated products. Suppliers are graded on transparency and disclosure practices in their SPI and encouraged but not required to disclose full ingredient formulations. Target states that: "A product will receive a maximum of 35 points if its label discloses every ingredient in it, including the specific constituents of fragrances or other proprietary components. 10-30 points are available for other disclosure best practices, based on the extent to which they support complete and open assessments of a product." In 2016 the company significantly expanded their ingredient transparency criteria, and stated that: "To create an incentive for manufacturers to adopt labeling practices that meet consumer demand for complete ingredient disclosure, Target allocates a significant percentage of the points available in its Sustainable Product Index (SPI) to evaluations of ingredient disclosure practices. In Version 3.0 of the SPI, 35% of the total points available to a product are awarded based on its disclosure practices. Working with our partner UL, we have identified the range of disclosure practices currently observed in the marketplace and adopted a scoring system that rewards those practices that allows each chemical's impacts to be assessed." They do this by rewarding suppliers who publicly disclose their "palette list" of chemicals in generic ingredients like fragrance as well as those that publicly discloses allergens of concern identified by the EU. They also encourage disclosure of fragrance ingredients and full formulations through a third party to as UL, DFE (Safer Choice), or a Cradle 2 Cradle certifier so that these ingredients can be screened against Target's red list of chemicals of concern. Target has created this new screening mechanism so that ingredients can be evaluated for safety against Target's "High Priority" and chemicals of "Concern" while at the same time protecting confidential business information (CBI) of suppliers.	CVS "require suppliers to disclose chemical-based ingredients in certain product categories and for new or reformulated products" which is used, in part, to "identify non-compliant products that contain restricted ingredients or are on our list of CCCs. In 2015, we invested in a new monitoring tool, which further increases our visibility into the sustainability of our supply chain by allowing us to look deeper into the ingredient profile of products."	No discernible action on disclosure of ingredients that goes beyond OSHA Safety Data Sheet requirements or other compliance purposes	No discernible action on disclosure of ingredients that goes beyond OSHA Safety Data Sheet requirements or other compliance purposes.	No discernible action on disclosure of ingredients that goes beyond OSHA Safety Data Sheet requirements or other compliance purposes.	No discernible action on disclosure of ingredients that goes beyond OSHA Safety Data Sheet requirements or other compliance purposes. According to the company: "Disclosure focused on OSHA Safety Data Sheet requirements, CA ROHS reporting and other compliance purposes."
10				10	5	0	0	0	0	6	5	0	0	0	0
11	4. Reduced or eliminated chemicals of high concern within the last three years		The company quantifies reductions (by weight) in the use of several chemicals of high concern in multiple product categories.	10	In July 2016 Walmart announced significant progress in reducing chemicals of high concern: achieving a reduction of "High Priority" chemicals of 95% by weight and a reduction of priority chemicals of 45% by weight. This translates to a reduction of approximately 11,000 tons or 23 million pounds of Walmart "High Priority" chemicals. More progress is clearly still needed as while the percent of products containing "High Priority" chemicals decreased by 3 percentage points, the percent of suppliers using "High Priority" chemicals actually increased. Additionally the percent of products containing any Priority Chemical went up one percentage point. Walmart has also disclosed it has worked with suppliers to phase out toxic flame retardants in furniture. In years past Walmart committed to eliminate PVC in packaging, and reduce the use of PVC in other products, but has not disclosed progress on those initiatives over the past three years.	The company has taken steps to eliminate triclosan, quaternium-15, phthalates, parabens and chlorine in pulp of baby products. Additionally they've eliminated triclosan from corporate branded body washes and antibacterial soaps by the end of 2014. The company in 2011 pledged to act on BPA in canned foods. As of May 2016, corporate brands has converted 370 canned goods to Non BPA liners. This includes all canned offerings under their Simple Truth Organic® brand. However the company has not disclosed a timeframe or plan for completely eliminating and safely substituting BPA in canned foods.	No progress documented in the last three years.	Home Depot was the first major home improvement retailer globally to phase out all ortho-phthalates in vinyl flooring in one years time, setting a major precedent for other home improvement chains and flooring retailers who followed suit. This is very significant as flooring is one of the biggest uses of phthalates globally.	Walgreens introduced Well Beginnings, a broad range of newborn, infant and toddler products, that are free of parabens, phthalates, quaternium 15 and similar formaldehyde donor preservatives.	In 2014 Target reported cutting the use of chemicals by 400 tons in textile mills through its Clean by Design initiative, however did not disclose the identity of the substances. Target also reported removing triclosan from Up&Up liquid hand soap and body soap. Otherwise the company has not reported on how suppliers are reducing chemicals in response to their Sustainable Product Index. In years past Target reported on goals and progress to reduce and eliminate PVC and phthalates from products and packaging but has not reported on progress on PVC or phthalates over the past three years.	In the company's most recent CSR report, they describe progress in removing triclosan from all CVS Brand products as well as most name brand products they stock in 2015 and formaldehyde from various products in advance of regulations.	Amazon Elements baby wipes do not contain phthalates, parabens, the formaldehyde donor bronopol, methylisothiazolinone (MIT) or dyes.	The company has reported some progress in reducing the use of BPA in canned foods. They stated in a communication that: "Albertsons Companies has been working with our Own Brand product suppliers to identify acceptable alternatives to packaging containing BPA. It is our desire as a company to use BPA- free packaging for as many products as possible. We expect to make the transition on an ongoing basis as new options become commercially available. In the meantime, using alternatives that are currently available, we have made notable packaging and product changes. In addition to those changes noted to the above children’s products, we have eliminated the use of register paper containing BPA. " However, the company has not disclosed a timeframe or plan for completely eliminating and safely substituting BPA in canned foods.	Lowe's was the second major U.S. retailer to work with suppliers to eliminate all ortho-phthalates in residential vinyl flooring, one of the largest uses globally. Lowe's enforces the California formaldehyde restrictions for all laminate, engineered, and bamboo flooring categories. The company also restricts lead to 600 parts per million (ppm) in surface coating for all products, not just regulated items. However, the resulting reductions in formaldehyde and lead were not quantified, thus resulting in only partial credit.	Best Buy has eliminated BPA and BPS in thermal receipt paper, piloted a program to reduce the use of flame retardants in private label televisions, and demonstrated reductions through its CA ROHS reporting. The company noted, "This design improvement has eliminated approximately 157 tons of flame-retardants in 2014 without reducing the fire safety for these products."
12				10	10	8	0	6	8	8	8	2	4	5	8
13	5. Evaluates safer alternatives, avoids regrettable substitutes		The company provides strong assurance that detailed alternatives evaluation guidelines are applied, and either commissions or requires suppliers to conduct a credible hazard assessment for alternatives to chemicals of high concern.	10	Walmart is encouraging their suppliers to avoid “regrettable substitution” by evaluating the hazards of replacement chemicals and embracing best in class “informed substitution” and “alternatives assessment” principles. Walmart states: “Informed substitution is the considered transition from a chemical of particular concern to safer chemicals or non-chemical alternatives [1]. Using informed substitution principles will mitigate hazard risks associated with product formulation and achieve compliance with Walmart’s Policy on Sustainable Chemistry in Consumables…In the aim of advancing safer formulated products and promoting informed substitution, Walmart recommends the major tenets of Alternatives Assessment, a process for identifying, comparing and selecting safer alternatives to priority chemicals (including those in materials, processes or technologies) on the basis of their hazards, performance, and economic viability[1][2]…” In their Implementation Guide, they cite many great resources, such as the GreenScreen, CleanGredients, Pharos Chemical and Material Library, BizNGO’s Chemical Alternatives Assessment Protocol, US EPA Safer Chemical Ingredient List (SCIL), and the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production’s Alternatives Assessment Protocol. It is unclear how they are tracking or evaluating suppliers use of these tools and practices.	No discernible approach or public commitment to safer alternatives. A recent report documented regrettable substitutes in BPA-free cans such as vinyl and styrene based resins, demonstrating that Kroger must develop a plan to evaluate alternatives when eliminating or reducing chemicals of high concern to avoid regrettable substitutes such as these.	No public criteria available.	No public criteria available.	No public criteria available.	Target's Sustainable Product Index provides a framework that suppliers could follow for evaluating alternative ingredients and, for example, rewards household cleaning products suppliers whose ingredients are on EPA's "Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL)," but the company does not outline specific alternatives or hazard assessment methodologies suppliers should follow.	The company states they "actively identify and prioritize the replacement of CCCs with safer alternatives in certain CVS Brand categories, including beauty, baby and personal care, and food products," however, they have no clear guidelines for how they or suppliers evaluate safer alternatives.	No public criteria available.	No discernible approach or public commitment to safer alternatives. A recent report documented regrettable substitutes in BPA-free cans such as vinyl and styrene based resins, demonstrating that Albertsons must develop a plan to evaluate alternatives when eliminating or reducing chemicals of high concern to avoid regrettable substitutes such as these.	No public criteria available.	No public criteria available. The company's process for evaluating alternatives to BPA and BPS in thermal receipt paper is unclear.
14				10	5	0	0	0	0	2.5	2.5	0	0	0	0		sw3
15	6. Demonstrates a commitment to transparency and public disclosure		The company demonstrates transparency by (1) making publicly available its safer chemicals policy and Beyond Restricted Substance List (RSL), and by annually reporting its results; (Metrics include quantifying reductions of CHCs by weight, number or percent of products containing CHCs, and/or number or percent of suppliers selling products containing CHCs); and (2) by requiring all suppliers of formulated products and articles to publicly disclose all ingredients online and on product packaging, including fragrance ingredients, generic ingredients, contaminants, impurities, byproducts, allergens, and nanomaterials.	15	Walmart's "Sustainable Chemistry Policy" and its "Implementation Guide" are publicly available, Walmart's list of 16 "High Priority" chemicals is publicly available, their list of lists that comprise their "priority" chemicals is publicly available, and the company for the first time reported on numerous metrics in implementing their policy in July 2016 on their Sustainability Hub website. Walmart states that: "Walmart will create more transparency about ingredients contained in the products on its shelves by requiring all suppliers to provide full online ingredient disclosure beginning January 2015 and Walmart Priority chemicals on pack beginning January 2018. Walmart expects online public disclosure to be publicly accessible from the supplier's website and to be displayed at the per-product level." Walmart recommends that disclosure should include “full disclosure of all ingredients including those typically protected under trade secrets (e.g. fragrances)” as well as “known residuals, contaminants and by-products” but does not require full ingredient disclosure for all products.	The company states on its website that: "As packaging labels get updated, customers will be able to identify which canned goods have Non BPA liners by simply locating our standardized Non BPA liner icon across our corporate brands portfolio." However the company has not committed to publicly disclosing the identity of the alternative materials.	No public disclosure of policy, RSL, or approach to ingredient disclosure.	The Home Depot publicly disclosed its policy to phase out ortho-phthalates in vinyl flooring on its Eco Options website .	Walgreens Ology and Well Beginnings product lines are free of a number of chemicals of high concern.	Target's Sustainable Product Index is public and the company has publicly disclosed their authoritative list of lists of "High Priority" and chemicals of "Concern" to identify chemicals with high level health concerns. Target encourages suppliers to list ingredients on packaging and their websites including fragrance, allergens, and other generic ingredients through its SPI. The company significantly expanded their criteria around public disclosure in 2016 to encourage suppliers to disclose ingredients to both Target and the public. The company has not publicly reported on metrics in implementing their policy.	CVS' Cosmetics Safety Policy is public. The company publicly disclosed that triclosan and formaldehyde were removed from various private label and brand name products in 2015. CVS Health has pledged to publish their Restricted Substance List (RSL) in 2017, chemicals they have phased out or restricted in products. This list is updated on a regular basis.	Amazon Elements baby wipes disclose which ingredients are in the products, the function of the ingredients, and which ingredients are restricted. Additionally each pack of Amazon Elements Baby Wipes includes a unique code, which customers can use to track its specific ingredients and their origins, date and place of manufacture, date of delivery, and 'best by' date. Customers can access this information by scanning a unique code on a smartphone.	No public disclosure of policy, RSL, or approach to ingredient disclosure.	Lowe's disclosed and featured its phthalates in flooring policy in their 2015 sustainability report, which was highlighted in a letter from their CEO.	Best Buy publicly disclosed that thermal receipt paper used in stores no longer contains BPA or BPS, however the company has not disclosed the identity of the replacement chemical(s). The company has pledged to release its chemical policy and both of its Restricted Substance Lists in 2017.
16				15	12	1.5	0	0	1.5	10	3.5	1.5	0	1.5	3.5
17	7. Evaluates its chemical footprint		The company completes the Chemical Footprint Project (CFP) survey.	10	Walmart did not participate in the first annual survey of the Chemical Footprint Project. However, to their credit, in their most recent sustainability report, Walmart talks about evaluating their chemical footprint and states they: "have an initial framework for evaluating our chemical footprint using UL’s WERCSmart™ platform for inscope formulated consumable products."	No discernible progress on chemical footprint.	No discernible progress on chemical footprint.	No discernible progress on chemical footprint.	No discernible progress on chemical footprint.	Target serves on the Chemical Footprint Project Steering Committee but has not become a signatory to the CFP or performed a CFP survey.	CVS Health became a signatory to the Chemical Footprint project in November 2016, becoming the first national pharmacy chain to do so.	No discernible progress on chemical footprint.	No discernible progress on chemical footprint.	No discernible progress on chemical footprint.	No discernible progress on chemical footprint. However, according to the company: "Best Buy has initiated research into the Chemical Footprint Project."
18	7. Evaluates its chemical footprint			10	5	0	0	0	0	0	2.5	0	0	0	0
19	8. Promotes credible third party standards for safer products		The company requires credible third party safer chemicals certification (see appendix for examples) in multiple categories of retailer private label products, which go beyond regulatory compliance.	10	Walmart has set a goal to certify all of its private label cleaning products to EPA's Safer Choice program, however the company has not reported on metrics in implementing this goal to date. The company has committed to expand this certification to other categories as the Safer Choice program grows.	No discernible progress on credible third party safer chemicals standards	Costco sells some private label cleaning products that are Safer Choice certified	The Home Depot sells and features numerous products on its website that meet credible third party standards such as Safer Choice	No discernible progress on credible third party safer chemicals standards	Target's Sustainable Product Index encourages and rewards suppliers that meet either Safer Choice or Cradle 2 Cradle standards. In 2016, the company unfortunately reduced the number of points it rewards for third party standards in their SPI, from 10 possible points to 5. Target has recently reformulated most of their Up & Up liquid hand soap products to meet the EPA Safer Choice criteria, and Target's Cat & Jack organic pajamas meet the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) standard, which prohibits numerous chemicals of high concern.	No discernible progress on credible third party safer chemicals standards, though to their credit the company states in their most recent sustainability report: "In 2015, we began the process of developing a sustainable products policy to further inform our strategy and commitments. In the future, we will work on developing standards or leveraging ones already established by credible third-party partners for specific product categories."	No discernible progress on credible third party safer chemicals standards	Albertsons (Safeway) sells some private label cleaning products that are Safer Choice certified	Lowe's requires flooring products be certified to either Greenguard or FloorScore standards to meet CDPH-1350 standards for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). While these certification programs are primarily oriented around meeting a California regulatory standard, Lowe's requires suppliers meet this certification nationally.	Best Buy identifies, marks, and promotes EPEAT certified products for their business customers. The company states that: "Best Buy customers purchased more than 3 million EPEAT-registered products, which collectively helped prevent the generation of hazardous materials equivalent to the weight of 35,000 refrigerators"
20				10	7.5	0	2.5	2.5	0	5	0	0	2.5	2.5	2.5
21			Subtotal:	100	68.5	13.5	6.5	16.5	19.5	51.5	41.5	7.5	10.5	17	25
22	EXTRA CREDIT
23	9. Engaged in safer chemicals dialogue with the Mind the Store campaign		The company engages in extensive dialogue, and is open and responsive to regular inquiries and discussions.	5	Open, transparent and responsive to regular inquiries and discussions.	Kroger responded in writing to letters from the campaign in 2014 and 2015 but has been unresponsive to follow-up communications and reasonable requests to meet	Dialogue ongoing though limited to periodic conversation.	The Home Depot was engaging in extensive dialogue with the campaign about phthalates and other chemicals of high concern, however the company has been unresponsive over the past year.	Open, transparent and responsive to regular inquiries and discussions.	Open, transparent and responsive to regular inquiries and discussions.	Open, transparent and responsive to regular inquiries and discussions.	Not applicable.	Albertsons responded in writing to a survey on BPA in food packaging from the campaign in 2015, but has been unresponsive to follow-up communications and reasonable requests to meet	Open, transparent and responsive to regular inquiries and discussions.	Open, transparent and responsive to regular inquiries and discussions.
24				5	5	2	3	4	5	5	5	0	2	5	5
25	10. Public commitment demonstrated through joint announcement		The company participated in a joint public announcement with the Mind the Store campaign.	5	NO	NO	NO	Participated in a public announcement on their policy to phase out ortho-phthalates in vinyl flooring.	NO	NO	The company plans to work with the Mind the Store campaign on a joint announcement in 2017.	NO	NO	Announcement on phasing out ortho-phthalates in vinyl flooring.	The company briefed us in advance of their pledged 2017 announcement of their chemical policy and RSLs.
26				5	0	0	0	5	0	0	1.5	0	0	2.5	1
27	11. Show continuous improvement by steadily expanding safer chemicals policy		The company expanded the number of chemicals on its Beyond Restricted Substance List and expanded the number of product categories covered by its safer chemicals policy in the past year.	10	While the company has made significant progress in implementing its policy as evidenced by their July 2016 update to their Sustainability Hub website, they have not updated the list of their "High Priority" or "Priority" chemicals, nor have they updated the product categories covered by their policy over the past three years. In November 2016 Walmart announced new 2025 sustainability goals which include a commitment to sell more "safer and healthier products" but unfortunately they did not announce any new goals or commitments to reduce and eliminate toxic chemicals in products as part of this effort	No safer chemicals policy in place.	No safer chemicals policy in place.	No safer chemicals policy in place.	No safer chemicals policy in place.	Target has made significant improvements to their policy in both 2015 and 2016. In 2016 they expanded their policy to include cosmetics and significantly expanded the policy to push for greater disclosure of fragrance ingredients and allergens (see above). Target has expanded their policy's list of chemicals of concern over the past two years. In 2015, Target added triclosan as well as Health Canada’s “Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist – prohibited for use in cosmetics” to its list of “High Priority" ingredients. In 2016, Target added the European Union's "Prohibited in Cosmetic Products. European Commission, Cosmetics Regulation Annex II", a list of approximately 1,300 banned ingredients, to their "High Priority" list. They also added the European Union's list of fragrance allergens to its list of "Concern" ingredients. Target also added new criteria for cosmetics, incentivizing suppliers to eliminate chemicals in cosmetics that have been restricted in Canada and European Union. However they removed the European Commission's "priority list" of endocrine disruptors in 2016 and also removed reference to endocrine disruptors and other health hazards in their policy. The company to their credit is "aiming to add other product categories in the near future."	No new changes to CVS' RSL or product categories.	No safer chemicals policy in place.	No safer chemicals policy in place.	No safer chemicals policy in place.	No safer chemicals policy in place.
28				10	0	0	0	0	0	10	0	0	0	0	0
29	12. Program to promote safer products in stores and/or on website		Developed program to feature and market safer products on store shelves and/or website	5	Walmart developed a "Sustainability Leaders Shop;" however the criteria they utilize for this is not fully consistent with their Sustainable Chemistry policy and the online shop features some products which contain chemicals of concern.	No program in place.	No program in place.	Home Depot's Eco Options program promotes safer cleaning products certified by Safer Choice as well as other products to "reduce toxins"	No program in place.	Target created the Made to Matter program to promote and feature products online and on store shelves free of toxic chemicals. Target states that these meet their "clean label" criteria, which is based on scores generated through their Sustainable Product Index. They sold over $1 billion worth of these products in 2015 alone.	No program in place.	No program in place.	No program in place.	No program in place.	Best Buy identifies and promotes EPEAT certified products for their customers. While shopping online, customers can search and filter for EPEAT-registered products such as monitors, desktops, laptops, and printers. In fiscal year 2016, Best Buy customers purchased more than 3 million EPEAT-registered products, which collectively helped prevent the generation of hazardous materials equivalent to the weight of 35,000 refrigerators.
30				5	0	0	0	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	5
31	13. Actively participates in collaborative process to promote safer chemicals		The company actively participates in a collaborative process to promote safer chemicals. Examples of such initiatives include the Beauty and Personal Care Products Sustainability Project (BPC), BizNGO Workgroup for Safer chemicals and Sustainable Materials (BizNGO), Green Chemistry & Commerce Council's (GC3) Retailer Leadership Council (RLC) or GC3 Preservatives Project, and the Zero Discharge of Hazardous chemicals (ZDHC) Programme.	5	Walmart is active in the Beauty and Personal Care Products Sustainability Project (BPC) and the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council's (GC3) Retailer Leadership Council (RLC).	No known participation in such processes. .	No known participation in such processes. .	The Home Depot is active in the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council's (GC3) Retailer Leadership Council (RLC).	Walgreens is active in the Beauty and Personal Care Products Sustainability Project (BPC).	Target is active in the the Beauty and Personal Care Products Sustainability Project (BPC) and the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council's (GC3) Retailer Leadership Council (RLC).	CVS is active in the the Beauty and Personal Care Products Sustainability Project (BPC) and the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council's (GC3) Retailer Leadership Council (RLC).	No known participation in such processes. .	No known participation in such processes. .	Lowe's is active in the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council's (GC3) Retailer Leadership Council (RLC).	Best Buy is active in the Green Chemistry & Commerce Council's (GC3) Retailer Leadership Council (RLC).
32				5	5	0	0	5	5	5	5	0	0	5	5
33			Subtotal:	30	10	2	3	19	10	25	11.5	0	2	12.5	16
34
35				TOTAL Score	78.5	15.5	9.5	35.5	29.5	76.5	53	7.5	12.5	29.5	41
36	Grading Rubric			Letter Grade	B	D-	F	D+	D	B	C	F	F	D	C-
37	Number of Points		Letter Grade
38	Greater than or Equal to:	But Less than:	Letter Grade
39	105	130	A+
40	95	105	A
41	87	95	A-
42	79	87	B+
43	71	79	B
44	63	71	B-
45	55	63	C+
46	47	55	C
47	39	47	C-
48	31	39	D+
49	23	31	D
50	15	23	D-
51	0	15	F