My top blog entries for 2015 centered mostly on safer products, and the role retailers play in driving demand and educating their customers around those products.

I thought it would be interesting to compare the popularity of my blogs in 2015. I wrote over 30 articles about chemical management, including blog posts on

• Chemical regulations.
• Tools that companies may use to measure and manage chemicals.
• Campaigns that target hazardous chemicals.
• Safer product innovations.
• How brands are addressing chemicals in products.

I have a loyal base of readers, which includes work acquaintances and friends. Admittedly I tend to gravitate towards, and work in the “safer chemicals” universe. Here are the top 4 blog posts that I wrote in 2015. I have counted the number of people who opened my bi-weekly newsletter, rather than rely on the total percentage of readers, simply because my list has grown quite substantially over the last year.

Retailers drive demand for safer chemicals

This post focused on the implementation efforts made by major retailers, such as Home Depot and Ashley Furniture, to phase out of hazardous chemicals in their products. Home Depot has banned phthalates in flooring and Ashley Furniture has banned brominated flame-retardants in furniture.  Mind the Store has been campaigning against and collaborating with big box retailers to eliminate hazardous chemicals and consumers are listening.

Target responds to demand for safe sustainable products

Made to matter is Target’s answer to sustainable products. This successful collection of branded products is made up from a variety of different consumer categories from food to household cleaning to cosmetics. Made to matter is Target’s fastest growing initiative and is now a 1 billion dollar business. And it keeps growing!

Detox campaign targets apparel brands to eliminate hazardous chemicals.

The Greenpeace Detox campaign has targeted big global brands and retailers to eliminate hazardous chemicals in the apparel and footwear industry. This has been a very successful campaign and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Greenpeace initially focused on sportswear and fashion companies, then moved to luxury brands and now it is targeting German retailers. I wonder what is next.

Natural Indigo replaces tobacco in Tennessee

This post is one of my personal favorites. I had the honor of meeting Sarah Bellos, the CEO of Stony Creek Colors, at a conference last March in Savannah Georgia. I don’t think I have ever seen such commitment and passion exude from 1 person. Sarah is doing great work and I am confident it will pay off. She is putting the local community back to work and replacing derelict tobacco fields with nitrogen fixing indigo that may produce 2 to 3 harvests per year. Now that is innovation!

What are the impacts to your business?

Questions to consider:

• Is your company developing safer products?
• Are you seeking out safer products where you shop?
• Is your company being targeted by a NGO campaign?

For help with any issue associated with chemicals, contact Amanda Cattermole at (415) 412 8406 or Amanda@cattermoleconsulting.com. We can help you develop powerful solutions to protect your company and brand reputation and result in safer products manufactured in cleaner supply chains.

Tips and Insights contains information to help you make informed chemical management decisions. Each post highlights a particular topic and includes questions you may want to consider for your business.