Green-List Seal in Question

Green-List Seal in Question

SC Johnson is being challenged on two fronts about its self-imposed labeling of products as being environmentally friendly.

A two-year-old civil suit accused the household products giant of being deceptive in implying that its Windex glass cleaner and Shout stain remover were tested by a neutral party. Also, the federal government is considering new regulations on the subject. Both products carry the “Green-list” seal of approval. But a customer must look on the inside label to see that SC Johnson actually holds the patent to “Green-list.” The legal cases are still pending in Wisconsin and California. Under the proposed federal regulations, it would be considered deceptive for a company to imply that a product has been certified by an outside party when it’s really not.

SC Johnson spokesman Christopher Beard denies that its “Green-list” label is misleading. He said the company’s program has eliminated 48 million pounds of volatile organic chemicals from its cleaning products in the past five years.


Ingredient Disclosure Proposal Unnecessary, Says ACI in Report
New York State’s plan to implement a 35-year-old law on cleaning product ingredient disclosure is unnecessary, unworkable and would further strain scarce taxpayer resources, according to the American Cleaning Institute. ACI said that an existing industry initiative has led to innovative ways to expand ingredient information to consumers. Requirements laid out by the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) would duplicate, and in some cases contradict, federal labeling requirements for household and industrial and institutional cleaning products, according to ACI. The Institute questions why the state wants to invest scarce taxpayer dollars in implementing a program that industry is already putting into place.

ACI and other industry representatives met with DEC staff in February to share details about the industry’s proactive efforts to provide ingredient information to consumers through the voluntary Consumer Product Ingredient Communication Initiative and other industry programs. ACI emphasized that the intent of the 1976 law is addressed by voluntary programs, and that the DEC proposal is unworkable and does not provide useful information.

According to ACI, the industry’s Consumer Product Ingredient Communication Initiative correlates highly with the DEC program intent and effectively fulfills the criteria noted. ACI insists that the voluntary nature of the Initiative allows the program to evolve and improve significantly in response to consumer needs.

ACI said that the initiative provides for more disclosure than required under any law for any industry.

CSPC Issues Recalls for Tommy Bahama, Pier 1 Products
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in coopera-tion with the firms named below, announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer products.

Name of Product: Tommy Bahama Mini-Candle Travel Sets
Units: About 1,800
Distributor/Retailer: Tommy Bahama Group Inc., Seattle, WA
Hazard: The candle flame can spread from the wick to the wax causing a larger than expected flame, posing a risk of burns to consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: Tommy Bahama has received two reports of candles flames extending to the wax area. No injuries have been reported at press time.
Description: This recall involves Tommy Bahama six tin mini-candle travel sets. The mini-tin candles have the following scents: pineapple paradise, pineapple cilantro, maui mango, coconut mango, hibiscus blossom and Caribbean breeze. The six tin candles are packaged in a beige carton with a matching sleeve that reads “Tommy Bahama,” “mini candle travel set” and “Set of 6 mini tins.” Various color labels are affixed to the top of the bronze-colored tins listing the individual candle scents.
Sold at: Tommy Bahama retail stores nationwide and online at www.tommybahama.com from November 2010 through January 2011 for about $40.
Manufactured in: U.S. and China

Name of Product: Pier 1 Imports Golden tea lights sold with ornament tea light holders
Units: About 370,000 tea lights in U.S. and 30,000 tea lights in Canada
Importer: Pier 1 Imports of Fort Worth, TX
Hazard: The flame from the tea lights can burn with a high flame, posing a fire hazard.
Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received four reports of high flames at press time. In one of these incidents, the consumer suffered a minor burn.
Description: This recall involves all tea lights in golden tin cups sold in sets of five with either the Red Ornament Tea Light Holder (SKU 2473959) or the White Ornament Tea Light Holder (SKU 2473961). The SKU number is found on the packaging.
Sold exclusively at: Pier 1 Imports stores from September 2010 through January 2011 for between $2 and $8.
Manufactured in: China