Wal-Mart Stores said it was pushing suppliers to remove or restrict the use of eight hazardous chemicals from products including household cleaning, personal care and beauty items.

The retailer named the chemicals including formaldehyde, a carcinogen found in wood products and building materials, in the wake of pressure from consumers who are increasingly becoming conscious of what goes into their food and household items.

Target also moved last year to remove more than 1 000 chemicals from its household cleaning, personal care and beauty products, and has been promoting the products that comply.

The chemicals Wal-Mart wants to remove include butylparaben, used as a preservative in cosmetics, and triclosan, used in toothpaste for treating plaque.

P&G, a major supplier to Wal-Mart, uses parabens within safe limits set by scientific and regulatory agencies and their presence is disclosed on labels, according to the company website.

It also said it had eliminated triclosan from more than 99 percent of the products where it was used and had an exit plan for the few remaining.

Colgate-Palmolive, another supplier, has defended the use of triclosan, saying the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies have confirmed it was safe for use in toothpaste.

Wal-Mart committed in 2013 to increase transparency about ingredients in products it sells, advance safer formulations and attain the US Environmental Protection Agency's Safer Choice certification for its private brand products.

The policy, effective from January 2014, focuses on products sold at Walmart and Sam's Club stores in the United States, according to the Environmental Defence Fund (EDF), which said it worked with Wal-Mart to develop and implement its policy.

Wal-Mart said in April that its suppliers had removed 95 percent of the eight high-priority chemicals by volume weight from the products it sells in the United States.

“These eight chemicals and chemical classes were among the most ubiquitous found in home and personal care products sold at Walmart,” the EDF said in a statement.

Wal-Mart's policy also requires that the use of any priority chemical must be disclosed on its packaging starting 2018, EDF said.

The retailer also said on Wednesday it would work with suppliers to encourage them to disclose ingredients in all markets where they operate, not just the United States.

Reuters

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