Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) should not have been selling items that contain toxic chemicals. However, now that the world’s largest retailer admits it has, the best course of action, it has decided, is to look into the use of the chemicals, and which suppliers use them.

However, Wal-Mart has so far not extended its research on the use of dangerous chemicals to an actual ban of items that include them. It is odd, and not entirely clear why.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced:

Today, Walmart identified the HPCs as propylparaben, butylparaben, nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, triclosan, and toluene. These eight chemicals and chemical classes appear on a number of authoritative lists (e.g. EU REACH Substances of Very High Concern) for their hazardous properties and are worthy of action by Walmart. The revelation of the identities of the chemicals was long-awaited and provides context to the rest of the information Walmart shared today.

The decision has a foundation based on commitments made some time ago.

The EDF also reported:

Broadly speaking, Walmart made three commitments in its 2013 policy:

to increase transparency of product ingredients,
to advance safer formulations of products, and
to attain U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice certification [formerly Design for the Environment] of Walmart private brand products

The policy, which went into effect in January 2014, focuses on formulated household cleaning, personal care, and beauty products, sold at Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club U.S. stores. A few months after releasing the policy, Walmart published a policy implementation guide that gave suppliers greater specificity as to Walmart’s expectations and, importantly, outlined the quantitative metrics Walmart would use to track and report progress.

To some extent, the EDF comments were based on keeping track of the Wal-Mart promise.

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