Macy’s received a letter grade of F, scoring 13 out of 135 possible points and tying for a rank of 23rd out of 40 retailers. This represents a drop from our last report card in which the company scored 16 out of 135 points. The company, which also owns Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury, started to take some actions to address toxic chemicals in its products back in 2015, but still has much room for improvement. Macy’s does not have a public safer chemicals policy. Macy’s committed to eliminating flame retardants in the furniture it sells in 2015, but has not publicly discussed the status of this commitment or disclosed any major initiatives since then. Macy’s subsidiaries do promote safer products online by highlighting natural or clean beauty products, but Macy’s itself does not currently highlight these products as much as it had in 2017. The company also sells sheets, bath towels, and rugs with the label of “Made in Green by OEKO-TEX,” which appears to mean that certain toxic chemicals are limited. However, the company doesn’t appear to require its products to be certified to a third-party safer chemicals standard and doesn’t appear to require the disclosure of ingredients to show that these products are in fact safer. The product development organization of Macy’s is assessing the factories in the company’s supply chain using the Higg index, which measures activities including chemical use and management.
Opportunities for improvement: Macy’s should report on the status of its commitment to eliminate flame retardants in furniture. More broadly, Macy’s can make progress by developing a written safer chemicals policy and setting public quantifiable goals with clear timelines for reducing and eliminating chemicals of high concern, beginning with its private-label products. Macy’s should also become a signatory to the Chemical Footprint Project and pilot it with key private label suppliers.
Note — our assessment is primarily based on the policies and practices of Macy’s, the parent company.
Summary of Macy’s Grade
0 out of 17.5 points
Policy: Adopted a retailer safer chemicals policy
0 out of 7.5 points
Oversight: Established management responsibilities and incentives
0 out of 10 points
Accountability: Ensures supply chain accountability
0 out of 10 points
Disclosure: Requires suppliers to report use of chemicals in products to retailer
0 out of 15 points
Action: Reduced or eliminated chemicals of high concern within the last three years
Macy’s has not publicly reported on progress in implementing this initiative. The company also has not disclosed any progress on reducing other chemicals since then.
0 out of 10 points
Safer Alternatives: Evaluates safer alternatives, avoids regrettable substitutes
1.5 out of 15 points
Transparency: Demonstrates a commitment to transparency and public disclosure
Macy’s subsidiary Bluemercury discloses that its “M-61 Powerful Skincare” line of products “is 100% free from harmful parabens, sulfates, and phthalates” on products’ webpages under the heading of “About the Brand,” and sometimes puts these disclosures on packaging.
0 out of 7.5 points
Chemical Footprint: Evaluates its chemical footprint
1.5 out of 7.5 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
Macy’s Merchandising Group (MMG), the company’s product development organization, is a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, which “is working to reduce the environmental and social impact of apparel and footwear products around the world” and uses the Higg Index to assess sustainability. One category of activities measured with this index is “chemical use and management.” In 2016, MMG began using the Higg index to assess 170 factories producing apparel, footwear, and textiles as well as 150 facilities producing metal trims, hangers, etc. This year will be the third time Macy’s has required suppliers to complete the Higg Index. The first iteration of the survey provided data on 40% of the company’s volume, whereas in 2018 it will cover at least 50%, or roughly 400 facilities.
5 out of 5 points
Safer Products: Program to promote safer products in stores and/or on website
“Wellchemist” is highlighted on the front page of the “Beauty” section of www.bloomingdales.com. This is the company’s “handpicked clean beauty collection…backed with next-generation science and packed with safe, proven formulas- always free of sulfates, parabens, and phthalates.”
Bluemercury.com promotes “m-61 Powerful Skincare” as a “featured brand” on its homepage. This line is “100% free from harmful parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.”
On www.macys.com, “Natural Beauty” is listed under the “Trending Now” heading on the Beauty page. Products listed on the “Natural Beauty” page are highlighted as being “paraben-free,” “phthalate-free,” and “sulfate-free.”
Macy’s Coast to Coast website has a recent blog post highlighting a few companies that are taking action on toxic chemicals in their clothing (Levi’s, Eileen Fisher, and Burberry).
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