Brands across the industrial spectrum are going toxin-free

Over the past few years, pressure from consumers has given birth to a mainstream trend in the food industry to embrace things that are natural and healthy. Now that same aesthetic is filtering across industries to compel brands to reformulate their offerings to make them better for people and the environment. The past few weeks have seen several major examples of "detoxification." Procter & Gamble, makers of Tide detergent agreed to reduce the levels of the chemical 1,4 dioxane in its laundry products. Meanwhile, Burberry and over a dozen other major brands (including Uniqlo, Zara, Levi's and Victoria’s Secret) have committed to detoxing their products, ridding them of things such as nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), which degrade to nonylphenols that are thought to be toxic and hormonally disruptive. It is interesting to see this "natural" trend spread from food to clothes. It is likely that it will become an issue in other parts of our lives as well.