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Speeding Up Safety
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He and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), oversight and investigations subcommittee chairman, launched an investigation after learning that a contractor preparing a draft report on the risks of BPA for a government panel had also done work for the chemical industry. The FDA has formed a task force to look at its position on BPA.
In recent months, lawmakers have introduced proposals to restrict the use of BPA and phthalates, another chemical used in plastics, in children's products.
But companies don't want to wait for legislators or regulators to act, said Paul Argenti, professor of corporate communications at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business.
They have more immediate concerns. Their reputations are under constant threat of attack from environmental activists and dissatisfied consumers, who, because of online message boards and Web sites, can more readily broadcast their worries and organize than in years past. It took only about eight weeks, for instance, for Moms Rising and the Center for Health, Environment & Justice to amass about 20,000 signatures for a petition they plan to deliver Wednesday to the remaining companies that still make bottles with bisphenol A.
Shareholders are also demanding that executives do more about potentially toxic chemicals in their products. This year, a record 21 resolutions on toxic chemicals and product safety were introduced at companies including Dow Chemical, Avon Products and Mattel, according to the Investor Environmental Health Network, a group of investment managers based in Falls Church. Such proposals are likely to get increased support since RiskMetrics Group, a proxy advisory firm, altered its policies this year to look more favorably on resolutions that ask companies to be more forthcoming about toxic materials.
Of course, there are always financial considerations -- in the case of BPA, sales of bottles without the chemical have been increasing.
"Our customers have told us . . . they are willing to pay for safety," Storch said.
"In instances where our customers may look for a product that goes beyond standards the FDA has set, it behooves us to listen and to stay in step with what parents are telling us," said Linda Blakley, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart.
All these factors give companies incentive to go above and beyond regulations. "The point is, you want to be ahead of the game. You don't want to wait until [protesters] come to your board meeting," Argenti said. "That's just the way expectations are today. "
