New Report Tracks BPA Use by Packaged Food Companies
Green Century Capital Management, an investment advisory firm focused
on environmentally responsible companies, and As You Sow, an advocacy
group that promotes corporate accountability, have issued a 2010 report that
ranks packaged food companies on their efforts to address bisphenol A (BPA).
Building on a previous effort published in April 2009, Seeking Safer Packaging
2010 seeks to analyze “how companies are responding to this critical issue by
disclosing information, exploring substitutes and committing to phase out
BPA.”
The findings apparently indicate “that notable progress has been made
toward commercializing substitutes to BPA epoxy can linings,” with the
“overwhelming majority” of the 26 survey respondents acknowledging “some
efforts” to mitigate potential risks. The report notes, however, that outside
some industry leaders, “some of the largest companies are the biggest
laggards in seeking substitutes to and phasing out BPA.”
According to the authors, “New scientific and investigative reports on the potential health impacts have been published, more states and cities are adopting restrictions, and consumer concern is rising.” They ultimately urge all companies to “make significant investments in phasing out BPA from products and take aggressive action to remove it where feasible and safe substitutes exist.” As the report concludes, “Companies should also increase transparency on how they are responding to consumer concerns and possible risks to shareholder value associated with the chemical.” Additional information about the April 2009 report appears in Issue 301 of this Update. See As You Sow Press Release, October 21, 2010.
