Public Opinion Powering Change

Johnson & Johnson's third quarter net earnings were $3,202,000. That is a lot of baby shampoo, skin care products, medical devices and political clout. They have a lion share of the market, yet with all that money (power) they have recently acquiesced to the pressure of public opinion.

In a statement to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to remove quaternium-15 a chemical that releases formaldehyde, a known carcinogen from its Baby Shampoo formula.

Lab tests of Johnsons Baby Shampoo revealed the presence of two carcinogens that were not listed on the label, formaldehyde and 1,4 dioxane.

Johnson's Baby Shampoo formulas sold in Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the U.K. contain non-formaldehyde preservatives.

"Clearly there is no need for Johnson & Johnson to expose babies to a known carcinogen when the company is already making safer alternatives. All babies deserve safer products," said Lisa Archer, director of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund.

You can read the report "Baby's Still Toxic" published by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

In the statement from Johnson & Johnson they said: "Last year we completed the removal of phthalates, including phthalates in fragrances, from our baby products. We also have begun providing new formulas with alternatives to formaldehyde-releasing preservatives and expect to finish this process in our hundreds of baby products around the world within about two years, and sooner for our baby shampoos. We also are well along in work with our global suppliers to require them to use state-of-the-art technologies that reliably reduce traces of 1,4-dioxane to <1 to 4ppm, and most now meet this standard. Even as we complete this changeover, we continue to search for new alternatives that do not produce 1,4-dioxane during the manufacturing process, and this is our long-term goal."

Why the change? It took two years of pressure from public health groups to convince Johnson & Johnson that it was in their own best interest to modify their formula for the global market just as they already have for a handful of countries.

The image Johnson & Johnson built of providing safe products over their 125 year history is threatened by public awareness of the contents of their formulas, particularly now that there are so many non-toxic alternatives offered by competitors. Johnson & Johnson's agreement to extend the chemical free formula to the global market was done out of necessity.

In response to today's tech savvy consumers who use iphone applications to look up safety ratings for products, many large corporations are finding ways to reduce the use of toxic materials. Businesses that are being good stewards of the environment and market themselves as good stewards will have greater success at obtaining and retaining customers than their competitors.

If your business has made an effort to "go green" but you have not gone through the certification process for the Green Business Program, go to "register on this site" to get started. There is a check list that can be filled out in sections (saving as you go) so you can complete it as you have time. When the check list is complete a representative from the Shoreline Green Business Program will contact you for a site visit. Once certified you can use the Green Business logo on your own promotional material.