Archive for the ‘Consumers’ Category
An article in Furniture Today reminds those in the furniture industry the importance of being involved with efforts to reform chemical safety standards.
The reasons for this are twofold. First and foremost, like all other industries involved with CCS, we have a stake in chemical safety in order to protect ourselves, our families, our employees, and our customers. We need the peace of mind knowing that a new law based on the latest research will minimize the threat posed by the chemicals that people in our industry are exposed to on a daily basis. After all, chemicals are used in the production of nearly all office and home furniture, from the butyl acetate-based lacquers and acrylic coatings used to protect wood furniture, to the polyurethane foam used to provide cushioning in chairs.
Secondly, the right approach to chemical safety reform has the potential to strengthen our business. We will have more credibility with customers if they know that we adhere to modern, nationwide safety standards. Moreover, having one set of rules rather than a patchwork of wholly different, or even conflicting, state safety standards—as we have now—will make manufacturing, shipping and sales between states both safer and more cost effective. And if the furniture industry is actively involved in the reform process, we can help to ensure that the new standards are conceived and applied fairly, so that a level playing field is maintained in our very competitive marketplace.
Because of the immense value chemicals play in the production and packaging of furniture, the furniture industry must support reform of TSCA so that all manufacturers are held to the same set of federal regulations in regard to safe chemical usage. If we remain proactive on this issue, we can help inform the process and make certain that the chemicals that we rely on are fairly evaluated based on their proper use and comprehensive testing. We owe as much to the communities we serve.
Posted in Consumers, Jobs, TSCA Reform | No Comments »
(Guest post from Joe Stafford, Vice President of Correlated Products, Inc. Stay tuned for more guest posts from CCS members throughout the country.)
As a Vice President of a chemical distribution and manufacturing business and—more importantly—a father of three children, I agree with much of what is being talked about among CCS members on this blog and elsewhere.
Reform of our chemical safety standards is long overdue; Americans aren’t being protected equally because of wildly different state laws regulating chemicals—a fact that also presents significant obstacles for many businesses like mine that have customers in different states.
For instance, while we’re based in Indiana, we often ship products across America to places like Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Without uniform guidelines, chemical standards in Michigan may become more strict. Yet other states where we have customers could become more lenient, or sometimes control for different safety factors altogether. It seems that every time I have to fill an order out of state, we need to waste countless hours looking up shipping procedures and regulations for its destination.
That’s why it’s not only critical to enact reform now, but also that policymakers involve industry leaders and scientists in putting together new nationwide standards. We need to prioritize child safety and conduct an extensive review of the research about chemicals on the market today. Reforms should absolutely advocate for the testing of chemicals in order of their potential human exposure and should evaluate these chemicals based upon their proper use.
But, as others on this blog have pointed out, it is essential that a new chemical safety law provides enough flexibility for businesses to thrive and create jobs. This is especially true since 21st century innovations and green technologies are likely to be chemical-based.
Posted in Consumers, Jobs, TSCA Reform | No Comments »
Transparency is something that gets a lot of lip service, but the words sometimes outstrip the actions. Which is why I’d like to address something that I know will be talked about regarding CCS. In fact, we’ve already had it thrown at us. The accusation: No one should listen to the Coalition for Chemical Safety because the American Chemistry Council is a member of the organization.
Fair enough.
If that persuades you, thanks for playing. We’ll catch you some other time.
(pause a moment while all those folks click to some other site)
Ok. Now that they’re gone, it’s true. ACC is a member of our organization. So are the Omaha (Nebraska) Fire Department and the Michigan Agribusiness Association, Ross Organic Specialty, Inc. in California and Southland Properties, Inc. in Louisiana.
What I’m unclear on is what it is about those members and more than 140 others that changes a few essential facts:
- Our country is long past due for an overhaul of its chemical safety laws;
- Any such overhaul should put safety first;
- It should also be a law that encourages American industrial innovation; and,
- It should protect American jobs.
If you believe all these things are true irrespective of our quite diverse array of members, then join us. If you think there’s something wrong with those principles, then the names on our membership roster are really quite immaterial.
Posted in Consumers, Innovation, Jobs | 2 Comments »
As the drive to reform the nation’s chemical safety laws begins to pick up steam, we at the Coalition for Chemical Safety are committed to sharing information with our members and advocates at every step; the goal of the CCS blog is to provide another means of staying informed about this crucial issue.
With a number of organizations taking the stand that now is the time to revamp, reform or replace our country’s antiquated system for regulating chemical safety, the time has arrived to possibly get something done. That doesn’t mean everybody agrees on how best to proceed, and at this blog we’ll highlight some of those disagreements as a means of enlightening you.
For us, the prism through which we will view all of the chemical safety reform proposals on the table will not change. Proposals that would protect public safety, promote American chemical innovation and preserve American jobs will get our support. A failure to meet that three-pronged test is a failure to meet our approval.
The Coalition for Chemical Safety and its members across the country look forward to lending our voices to this important debate, and we look forward to you joining us, so come back often and click here to find out how to become a member and get involved today!
Posted in Alternate Energy, Consumers, EPA, Innovation, Jobs, TSCA Modernization, TSCA Reform | No Comments »
