Test Your Product IQ

Testing conducted by the Organic Consumers Association and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has shown that a wide spectrum of personal care products, including Nature's Gate, Jason, Method, Whole Food’s 365 Brand, and about a dozen other "natural" brands contain traces of the chemical 1,4-Dioxane in their products. This chemical is not intentionally added to these products, but shows up as a contaminant from a manufacturing process that includes petrochemicals (specifically the ethoxylation process.)

1,4-Dioxane is a possible human carcinogen, a known immune system toxicant, and a developmental/reproductive toxic. This chemical has been banned from cosmetics in Canada, and it is the subject of a recent lawsuit in California against "organic" brands that manufacture their products using petrochemicals that may lead to contaminants such as 1,4-Dioxane.

For brands that do not contain 1,4-dioxane, check out the Organic Consumers Association.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has supported the development of an environmental rating system for electronic products called EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool), which is administered by the non-profit Green Electronics Council. The EPEAT tool helps companies assess the overall environmental impact of their products, across their entire "life-cycle," from the raw materials and chemicals included in the product, to the manufacturing process, to energy efficiency, to end-of-life disposal. EPEAT assesses 8 broad criteria: Reduction/Elimination of Environmentally Sensitive Materials, Material Selection, Design for End of Life, Product Longevity, Energy Conservation, End of Life Management, Corporate Performance, and Packaging.

The Toshiba Portege model shown here has received the highest recognition possible – the EPEAT Gold rating – by earning 22 of 27 possible points. Six other Toshiba models have also earned the Gold rating, and three have a Silver rating. Panasonic's Toughbook CF-T5 model, on the other hand, has received a Silver rating, earning 14 points. Ten other Panasonic products have also received the Silver rating.

Greenpeace has also developed a system for rating electronics manufacturers for their efforts to reduce hazardous chemicals in their products, and for their progress in implementing comprehensive "take back" and recycling policies for their products. In this assessment as well, Toshiba leads Panasonic – Toshiba is tied for first, while Panasonic is tied for 15th out of 18 electronics companies. (Nintendo had the lowest score.)

In 2007, according to the Securities Exchange Commission, H. Lee Scott, the CEO of WalMart made $29,672,533 in total compensation, while James D. Sinegal, the CEO of Costco, made $2,981,202. At the same time, Costco pays its retail store workers on average $17 per hour, while WalMart pays its workers approximately $10 per hour.

Boca Burger is owned by Kraft Foods, the largest food manufacturer in the United States. Kraft, which was until 2007 owned by Altria Group (formerly known as Philip Morris tobacco company), has been acquiring a range of organic and natural brands such as Boca Foods and Back to Nature.

Much of the organic aisle of your local grocery store is now owned by large multinational food corporations. Kashi is owned by Kellogg, Muir Glen is owned by General Mills, Odwalla is owned by Coca-Cola, and Dagoba is owned by Hersheys.

Is this a good or bad thing? It's unclear. Some argue that this trend represents the mainstreaming of green values, while others view it as a selling-out and watering down of environmental principles. For more on the consolidation of organic and natural foods, see this New York Times article by Michael Pollen, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma".

Estée Lauder was one of the first cosmetics companies to end animal testing on its products in the late 1980's. It is actively involved in advancing non-animal testing alternatives and in funding research to achieve the goal of the elimination of animal testing. Estée Lauder is recognized by PETA and the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) as a company that does not test their cosmetics on animals.

Unilever continues to test its products through animal studies, but asserts that it "aims to minimize the number of animals used" and "is committed to the elimination of animal testing."

This Sally Hansen nail polish – which was recently discontinued - contained a chemical called dibutyl phthalate that has been banned in cosmetics in Europe. Dibutyl phthalate is a known human immune system toxicant, a possible developmental toxin, and a known human respiratory toxicant.

Nail polishes in general have been associated with a range of hazardous chemicals. More than 1,200 chemicals have been banned from cosmetics in Europe. A surprising number of these chemicals are still found in personal care products sold in the US.

The Starletz Dinner Party Tea Set was tested by the non-profit Ecology Center and found to contain 12,635 ppm of lead on the surface of the product, along with cadmium, chlorine, and arsenic. The Fisher Price toy was tested using similar methods (an XRF gun) and found to contain no detectable levels of lead.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a limit of just 40 parts per million for products that children may come in contact with.

Climate Counts, a non-profit public education organization, rates companies for the climate policies and practices. IBM received the highest score for an electronics firm, scoring 77 out of 100. IBM has been measuring its impact on global warming since 2000, has established clear goals to reduce its energy use, and has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions. IBM supports public policies that address climate change, and has made public information available on its companywide efforts to address global warming.

Climate Counts rated Apple a 11 out of 100 for its climate policies and programs. Apple has made very little information available on its efforts to measure or reduce its impact on global warming.

The L'Oreal Colour Riche True Red lipstick was found in 2007 to have 0.65 parts per million of lead in the lipstick. Lead in lipstick is of particular concern, as some percentage of lipstick can be ingested during normal use.

Lead is a neurotoxin and developmental toxicant. Pregnant women and young children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure. Lead easily crosses the placenta and enters the fetal brain where it can interfere with normal development. It has also been linked to infertility and miscarriage.

Bank of America has been recognized by Working Mother magazine as one of the top 100 firms in the country for their commitment to family-friendly policies. New mothers with one year of service receive 8 weeks of fully paid time off. Employees can flex and compress their hours and telecommute, and part-time staff who work at least 20 hours a week are eligible for benefits.

On the other hand, Wells Fargo, which did not make the list, settled a $12.8 million lawsuit in 2006 that will award nearly 4500 employees and consultants for unpaid overtime pay and related benefits.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Honda has the best smog performance and the best or second-best global warming performance in four out of the five classes of vehicles it produced, earning it UCS's Greenest Carmaker Award in 2007 (compared to seven other major automakers).

While coming in a close second in the rankings to Honda, Toyota is pulled down by emissions from the pickups, large SUVs, and large cars it produces. It has improved the environmental performance of its fleet in recent years, and it passed Nissan in the rankings in 2007. The worst performing company in the rankings is DaimlerChrysler, followed by General Motors and Ford.