MNN - Mother Nature Network

Almost one year ago, green parenting groups led by Lori Alper of Groovy Green Livin started a petition on Change.org asking Tide to remove a carcinogen from Tide Free & Gentle formula.

 

Today — after gathering more than 78,000 signatures — Tide is listening. Procter & Gamble, the parent company of Tide, recently agreed to phase out the carcinogen by September 2013.

 

It all started when the eco-group Women's Voices for the Earth released a report noting that Tide's Free & Gentle laundry detergent — a product marketed to parents of newborns and children with allergies and sensitive skin — contained the carcinogen 1,4 dioxane. What really bothered many parents was that 1,4-dioxane doesn't appear on the product label or on the product website, so consumers had no way of knowing it was even in the product.  

 

In addition to the petition, the California nonprofit As You Sow filed a lawsuit against Procter & Gamble for violating Proposition 65, the California law governing toxic chemical exposure in consumer products.

 

Procter & Gamble listened, and is moving fast to make some changes. The company agreed in a California court to reformulate its detergents to reduce levels of 1,4 dioxane to below 25 parts per million. According to the agreement, Tide Free & Gentle will be reformulated by September 2013.

 

"I want to thank everyone who signed my petition and sent a message to Procter & Gamble," says Alper. "I am so happy to be a part of the movement to keep our families safe. I can't wait to see what we do next."

 

Congrats and big thanks to Lori for taking a stand on this important issue.