Think you can’t tell a Fortune 500 company what to do?
Think again.
When Women’s Voices for the Earth released a report noting that Tide detergent contained chemicals that could actually be harmful to kids, millions of consumers were outraged. They were buying the Procter & Gamble (P&G) product to keep their children clean and safe. Yet according to the report, Tide actually contained the cancer-causing chemicals 1,4- dioxane at levels safety experts considered threatening.
Mom blogger and consumer activist Lori Alper sprang into action by launching a petition drive on Change.org. urging the company to ditch the dangerous compounds.
Today – 78,000 signatures later – Tide capitulated. In response to consumer demand and a lawsuit filed in California by As You Sow, P&G agreed to phase out the carcinogens by September 2013.
“When I started
my petition on Change.org, I knew that Procter & Gamble listened to
consumer feedback, and I was hopeful we could get this dangerous chemical out
of our laundry,” said Alper. “I can’t wait to see what we can do
next.”
