Ace Hardware is still failing to publicly address toxic chemicals that may be in the products it sells. With a letter grade of F and a score of 11.5 points out of 146.5, it ranked 32nd out of the 43 retailers evaluated this year.
This is the third year that Ace Hardware has been included in the report card and its third year earning an F. While in years past the retailer earned zero points, this year it earned 11.5 points for taking action to eliminate paint removers that contain the toxic chemicals methylene chloride and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP). Ace was a target of a Mind The Store petition with over 90,000 signatures calling for this after falling behind many of its peers in the hardware sector in eliminating these chemicals. While the action was late in coming – and the company left the door open for its franchisees to continue to sell those deadly products – the action was not required by regulatory actions and represents a small step in the right direction.
As a retail cooperative, most Ace stores are independently owned and operated and have some flexibility in determining what they stock and market. However, the Ace Hardware company is responsible for selecting private-label products and can influence what is marketed at its member stores. While some local Ace stores have made progress in promoting safer products, leadership is clearly needed from the company to commit to addressing chemicals of high concern (CHCs) and identifying and promoting safer alternatives.
Opportunities for improvement: Ace Hardware can make progress by developing a public written safer chemicals policy, developing and enforcing a comprehensive public beyond restricted substance list (BRSL), and setting comprehensive public quantifiable goals with clear timelines for reducing and eliminating any CHCs, especially per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), toxic flame retardants, and phthalates that may be in products it sells. Ace Hardware should also become a signatory to the Chemical Footprint Project and pilot it with key private label suppliers.
Summary of Ace Hardware’s Grade

2.5 out of 17.5 points
Policy: Adopted a retailer safer chemicals policy
Ace Hardware has no public written safer chemicals policy, has not set public quantifiable goals for reducing and eliminating CHCs (besides methylene chloride and NMP in paint removal products), and does not have a publicly available BRSL (other than as noted above) or a publicly available manufacturing restricted substance list (MRSL).

0 out of 5 points
Oversight: Established management responsibilities and incentives

0 out of 12.5 points
Accountability: Ensures supply chain accountability

0 out of 13 points
Disclosure: Requires suppliers to report use of chemicals in products to retailer

3 out of 16 points
Action: Reduced or eliminated chemicals of high concern (CHCs) within the last three years

0 out of 13.5 points
Safer Alternatives: Evaluates safer alternatives, avoids regrettable substitutes

1 out of 18 points
Transparency: Demonstrates a commitment to transparency and public disclosure
The retailer has no broader public beyond restricted substance list (BRSL) or manufacturing restricted substance list (MRSL), and has not committed to disclosing either of those items in 2020.
Ace Hardware does not appear to encourage or require suppliers to publicly disclose ingredients in products online or on product packaging and does not itself publicly disclose the identity of articles or formulated products that are free of CHCs going beyond regulatory compliance.

0 out of 7.5 points
Chemical Footprint: Evaluates its chemical footprint

0 out of 8.5 points
Third-party Standards: Promotes credible third party standards for safer products
Extra Credit:

0 out of 5 points
Joint Announcement: Public commitment demonstrated through joint announcement

5 out of 15 points
Continuous Improvement: Shows continuous improvement by steadily expanding safer chemicals policy

0 out of 5 points
Safer Products: Program to promote safer products in stores and/or on website

0 out of 5 points
Collaboration: Actively participates in collaborative process to promote safer chemicals

0 out of 5 points
Impact Investment: Investing financial resources into independent research into safer alternatives and/or green chemistry solutions