Toxic Chemicals in Crib Mattresses: Market Opportunity to Shift to Safer Products

American Sustainable Business Council: Market Demand for Safer Products Creates Economic Growth

NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The information released in The Mattress Matters: Protecting Babies from Toxic Chemicals While They Sleep by Clean and Healthy New York and the American Sustainable Business Council is an indicator of the high number of products containing toxic ingredients. This data also supports evidence for consumer demand for less toxic products.

Lack of product availability is a significant opportunity for businesses. "Company innovation as well as good regulations can help spur innovation by requiring companies to meet a growing market demand for safer products. This will not only increase businesses' profitability and help to create jobs, but also contribute to healthier society and a strong economy," says David Levine, cofounder, American Sustainable Business Council. "More and more consumers want to make sure they are spending their money with companies that  make safer products."

Naturepedic, featured in the report is an Ohio based company making certified organic non-toxic mattresses -- starting just a few years ago with the founder and his two sons – now has 40 employees, and its products are in hundreds of stores nationwide. At a time when jobs need to be created to get the economy back on track this business provides some instructive lessons.

Barry Cik, Naturepedic founder, says, "Years ago, the most prevalent attitude was that if a product was on the shelf, it was presumed to be safe because if it wasn't safe, the government wouldn't allow it to be sold.  Today, people are realizing that this simply is not the case."

Seventh Generation is another pioneering company that stepped into this void with their non-toxic cleaning and other home supplies. Seventh Generation's co-founder, Jeffrey Hollender, notes, "We are allowing companies to make us sick, and then paying the healthcare industry a premium to try and undue the damage.  That paradigm is not economically viable or sustainable."

In the words of Ally LaTourelle, VP Government Affairs at the green chemical company BioAmber, "Consumers should have the power to choose and to do so they must know what's in the products they buy and how safe they are. Credible federal regulation like the Safe Chemicals Act is needed to restore consumer confidence and increase transparency across the industry."

More about American Sustainable Business Council:  www.asbcouncil.org

SOURCE American Sustainable Business Council