It looks like the business world is finally waking up to the opportunity that lies in green and chemical conscious parents. This article in the Washington Post describes the growing movement of parents (driven partially by blogs) that are opting to buy more expensive, safer gear for their kids, and how the market is reacting.
Check it out here.
This is all well and good, but what about the folks who can't shell out the extra bucks for an organic mattress without flame retardants, or the sippy cups and bottles without BPA, or the wood toys made without lead made in the USA? Why should their children be exposed to more chemicals simply because of their parents' financial situation? While I am glad that more ethical, green companies are popping up to fill this niche, I also worry we are creating another division in our society, and this one having a negative consequence on many of our nation's kids.
I'm waiting, waiting for the new safety standards for toys and baby products to come from the CPSC and Congress for all manufacturers to follow. Or, maybe when we have a new president we can move towards a precautionary principle when dealing with chemicals and children, like the European Union. Meanwhile, the grand chemical experiment continues and the divide grows.
Monday, March 3, 2008
The Green and Chemically Conscious Parent Market--
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6 comments:
You said: "What about the folks who can't shell out the extra bucks for an organic mattress without flame retardants, or the sippy cups and bottles without BPA, or the wood toys made without lead made in the USA? Why should their children be exposed to more chemicals simply because of their parents' financial situation? While I am glad that more ethical, green companies are popping up to fill this niche, I also worry we are creating another division in our society, and this one having a negative consequence on many of our nation's kids."
Bravo! I wish more people were saying that.
Thank you Amanda!
If you are going to spend any money on an organic mattress go to www.naturepedic.com. They are the only company that actually makes a practical mattress. Most of the other organic mattresses are not waterproof and have latex and wool which are allergenic. Naturepedic makes both waterproof and non-waterproof mattresses using non-toxic materials and uses only U.S. grown organic cotton so you know what you're getting. They are also the only one that has actually done 3rd party testing to verify that their products do not offgass and are better than the vinyl mattresses you can buy at Babies R Us.
Lisa, thanks for that helpful information! When I was looking into organic mattresses I also found some that were not waterproof and felt that didn't make sense for babies and toddlers. Vinyl is such a toxic plastic, I am glad there is another alternative. Thanks again for sharing this information with Non-Toxic Kid's readers.
A lot of prices in the BPA-free market should come down as these companies compete with one another and as they expand production. One of the key variables the article mentions is the high cost of PES plastic - you will start seeing more polypropylene bottles from these companies soon to compete with the big brands and there is nothing wrong with that, but also as their PES lines catch on someone is going to buck the trend and lower their price as the price of the plastic starts coming down. One thing we wish that article had mentioned is that there are some very cheap BPA-free options out there as well from the big companies, although they tend to be their "basic" bottles and lack the anti-colic systems of their premium lines.
Appreciate you commenting on this issue.
Thanks, Jeremiah-- it will be good when some of these prices on BPA free plastics start coming down a bit. I have noticed some of that already. That might be a good post-- BPA free and affordable options for parents. I know I shelled out a good deal for my Born Free Sippy Cups. I also liked the company's mission. Thanks again for your thoughts!
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