BY AMY ZIFF
When I started MADE SAFE I wanted to help bring about change to the everyday products that we use and to the things we all invite into our homes. We either use these items daily or they are part of our rituals, but we hardly ever think about the impact they may have on our health or on the environment. I wanted to unveil the mystery surrounding these things and reveal the truth that, in fact, there is no single overarching agency harmonizing a sensible, precautionary approach to chemical use in the United States today.
A NEW PARADIGM
I wanted to remind people that while there are more than 80,000 chemicals in use today – and hundreds, if not thousands, added to the market each year without any testing – we don’t have to accept that as our status quo.
It was with this understanding and also the knowledge that the marketplace can be a powerful driver of change, that I set about gathering world-class scientists and experts to help design a new paradigm.
At MADE SAFE that paradigm is our ecosystem approach, a process we use to determine if ingredients are in fact made from safe ingredients not known to be carcinogenic or endocrine active (behavioral, developmental, neurological, reproductive, or teratogenic). We screen for high risk pesticides, synthetic flame retardants, harmful VOCs and toxic solvents. Our evaluation ensures things won’t harm humans or the ecosystem (which includes water, air, soil, sediment, aquatic and terrestrial animal life.)
At launch in 2016, it was audacious, even revolutionary. Five years later, in 2020, it still is.
I believe that in using this ecosystem approach we can eliminate potentially toxic chemicals from consumer products. We’ve grown from working with 12 small companies to more than 150 brands, some very small and some very large. We have certified over 1,500 products, proving that my vision is possible: The marketplace can lead the way to safer and more sustainable products.
ANNOUNCING: SEVENTH GENERATION
Today, I am proud to announce the work we’ve been doing with the largest company yet: Seventh Generation. Seventh Generation is a leading brand of plant-based home and personal care products. For the past 30 years, it’s been Seventh Generation’s mission to create an equitable and sustainable world for everyone, and bring this mission to life through the products they make. The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy that states, “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”
After months of formulation meetings and ingredient reviews with our team to apply the ecosystem approach, these products are quite literally NOT JUST personal care products. They are MADE SAFE certified and effective, high-performing products with a mission to protect our planet’s most precious resource, water. They do this by using ingredients that won’t harm humans, that readily biodegrade, and aren’t known to harm the ecosystem or aquatic life. They also do this by giving back a portion of sales to Clean Water Action, a leading nonprofit working to stop water pollution and to protect our nation’s drinking water.
The MADE SAFE mission is to change how products are made for a safe and sustainable future. Working alongside the Seventh Generation and Unilever team has been the most rewarding work. It serves as a perfect proof point of how the MADE SAFE / Nontoxic Certified mission works in the real world. We are creating change. Seventh Generation is pioneering and proving that business can be a force for good – not because they have to, but because they want to do what’s right, and in this case for the next seven generations.
CELEBRATE – AND SHOP!
This is an incredible day. I hope you will celebrate with us! Treat yourself to a new Seventh Generation NOT JUST Body Wash or Deodorant. Be proud that these products were designed with human and environmental health in mind, knowing that every purchase helps to protect your drinking water through a donation to Clean Water Action. Not to mention you’ll be supporting a company with a passion, commitment and dedication to making the world a better place. That’s putting your money to work for you, and for all of us!
Now at Your Neighborhood Walmart
These new Seventh Generation personal care products carrying the MADE SAFE certification are not only designed to perform, but are designed with real, systemic, lasting change in mind. The four new Not Just Deodorants retail for $4.97 and the large Not Just Body Wash products retail for $6.97 on Walmart.com. These affordable products are available across the U.S.
Amy Ziff is the Founder and Executive Director of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Nontoxic Certified. MADE SAFE® is a program of Nontoxic Certified.
> If you’re a consumer you can shop MADE SAFE solutions starting today: right here.
> If you work for a company and you want to learn about your ingredients or request an ingredient report or certification, click here.
> If you just want to learn more about ingredients, check out the MADE SAFE Hazard List.
> If you’d like to listen to Amy speaking about toxic ingredient issues, listen & learn.
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