The Chemical Footprint Project (CFP) is an initiative for measuring corporate progress to safer chemicals.

The CFP provides a metric for benchmarking companies as they select safer alternatives and reduce their use of chemicals of high concern. The CFP measures and defines the Chemical Footprint as the total mass of chemicals of high concern in products sold by a company and used in its manufacturing operations. It defines chemicals of high concern as those on the California Candidate List.

There is an ongoing trend towards greater transparency as purchasers and investors want to know how companies use, choose and manage chemicals in products and supply chains, specifically chemicals of concern.

Currently there is no third party metric for publicly benchmarking corporate progress in reducing chemicals of high concern, and therefore it is difficult for investors and purchasers to identify and reward good performers, and difficult for companies to demonstrate superior performance.

The CFP provides a solution to these issues.

• For investors, it helps evaluate corporate sustainability.
• For retailers, it provides a credible, third party approach for driving chemicals management into the value chain.
• For brands, it is a way to assess chemicals management and benchmarking progress and provides an opportunity to lead in the marketplace.
• For purchasers, it will help to identify chemical management leaders in specific product categories of interest.
• For the public, it will mean that chemicals of high concern are reduced in consumer products, leading to lower exposures and improved health outcomes.

The CFP is an initiative founded by Clean Production Action, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and Pure Strategies. Clean Production Action administers the project and The Lowell Center and Pure Strategies provide strategic and technical guidance.

The CFP is currently being piloted by 11 companies. Any company can use the CFP tool and it will launch in the first quarter of 2015.

What are the impacts to your business?

Questions to consider:

• Do you have a strategy in place to identify chemicals of concern in your products and supply chains?
• Are you engaging with your supply chain to help develop a chemicals inventory?
• Do you have the resources to engage in this work?

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 is published bi-monthly and 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.