Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s has no public written safer chemicals policy, has not set public quantifiable goals for reducing and eliminating chemicals of high concern, and does not have a publicly available Beyond Restricted Substance List (BRSL) or publicly available Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL).

The statements provided in Trader Joe’s November 2017 announcement, as updated in May 2018, do not amount to an official policy, as they are only related to actions on specific chemicals:

In an announcement dated November 27, 2017, Trader Joe’s states: “…when concerns related to the use of BPA were starting to build, we evaluated where and how it was being used within our operation and identified steps to take: changing the receipt-paper used at cash registers to a non-BPA version and working on canned products (eliminating BPA where we could in many products’ packaging and clarifying for customers which product packages still make use of BPA).” In a May 2018 update, the company adds: “We identified receipt paper that is free of phenol chemicals (including BPA and BPS), which we will be rolling out to all stores in the next couple months.” The company continued in its 2017 statement: “We continue to reevaluate our Health & Beauty and Household products, developing and introducing new formulas made without chemicals such as parabens.”

No staff appear to be assigned to safer chemicals management in products (going beyond basic regulatory compliance), nor are any of the other activities described publicly deployed.

No discernible effort to assess supplier conformance with safer chemicals policy (because Trader Joe’s has no public safer chemicals policy)

No discernible action on disclosure of ingredients that goes beyond OSHA Safety Data Sheet requirements or other compliance purposes.

In response to testing by Ecology Center, Trader Joe’s stated on May 3, 2018: “We identified receipt paper that is free of phenol chemicals (including BPA and BPS), which we will be rolling out to all stores in the next couple months.” The company first disclosed that it was “pursuing receipt paper that is free of phenol chemicals (including BPA and BPS)” in January 2018.

TJ’s specifies which private-label product packaging doesn’t contain BPA. As of the writing of this report card, this list has not changed since November 13, 2017. The company also notes that certain private-label products are free of chemicals like parabens and phthalates but does not explicitly state whether this represents a “reduction” in chemical use.

Trader Joe’s has not publicly committed to finding and using safer alternatives in products, packaging or operations.

TJ’s does not specify what they’ve moved to in place of BPA for some packaging (although the 2016 report “BPA Buyer Beware” found that out of the cans tested, Trader Joe’s alternative liners were mostly polyester resin and a few PVC co-polymer materials).

In its November 27, 2017 announcement, Trader Joe’s states: “We continue to reevaluate our Health & Beauty and Household products, developing and introducing new formulas made without chemicals such as parabens.” However, the company does not explicitly state that it intends to replace chemicals “such as parabens” with safer alternatives.

In this announcement, the company discusses the topic of safety but not safer alternatives: “While there are aspects of our product supply-chain beyond our direct control, we will never leave to chance the safety of the products we offer…We take action quickly, aggressively investigating potential problems and removing product [sic] from sale if there is any doubt about its safety or quality….We won’t sell unsafe products.” Overall, Trader Joe’s indicates it will only take action after the fact, and not before a product is put on shelves, to investigate its safety.

Trader Joe’s has no public safer chemicals policy or Beyond Restricted Substance List (BRSL).

The company discloses which products have packaging that is BPA-free, in line with its limited BPA packaging policy.

Although the company stated in 2018 that “None of our products contain hidden ingredients; all are clearly labeled,” some of the ingredient lists for personal care products include a reference to “fragrance” despite the fact that fragrance can have many components, some of which are potentially toxic. Additionally, the company does not appear to require the disclosure of contaminants, impurities, or byproducts.

No discernible progress on chemical footprint.

No discernible progress on credible third-party safer chemicals standards going beyond regulatory compliance

No discernible public commitment via joint announcement.

Trader Joe’s improved its chemicals management over the past year by announcing an initiative to move to phenol-free receipt paper in January 2018 and providing a timeline for the transition in May 2018.

TJ’s has no discernible program to feature and market safer products on store shelves and/or its website.

The company does highlight which products have BPA-free packaging under Product FAQs on its website (and notes whether a product is free of parabens, for example, on individual product pages), but this doesn’t amount to a program.

No indication of active participation in collaborative process to promote safer chemicals.

No indication that company invests significant financial resources into independent research into safer alternatives to chemicals of high concern and/or green chemistry solutions