ACC to build closer ties with big box retailers

04 December 2007 00:14  [Source: ICIS news]

NEW YORK (ICIS news)--The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is seeking to build closer relationships with consumer retailers, CEO Jack Gerard said on Monday.

“We are aggressively working on building relationships with big box retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target,” Gerard said in a meeting with the trade press. “Their changes in policy can often have a greater impact than government legislation.”

The ACC will initially hire two or three full-time positions to focus on B2B relationships with retailers next year.

“The board in October approved additional staffing to work with and aggressively educate retailers,” said Gerard. “We want to ensure that retailers make decisions based on science and risk rather than hysteria. We will do whatever it takes to be successful.”

The retail part of the ACC’s overall advocacy will be an equal partner with its efforts on the Federal, State and international levels, he noted.

“Most trade groups are reactionary, but we want to move quickly and get in front of these issues,” said Gerard.

Wal-Mart has planned to target “20 chemicals of concern” for elimination from its products.

“We don’t know what those 20 chemicals will be, but we are in dialogue with Wal-Mart,” said Gerard. “Wal-Mart has now taken a step back to look at the science behind these claims. We’ve improved the relationship already and are working with them.”

By: Joseph Chang
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