 |
Three-Year Strategic Plan: 2013- 2015
WVE firmly believes that the world we envision will come about because women are leaders in creating the policies this world needs to exist. As such, WVE aims to:
- Provide women with scientific information and the advocacy tools they need to call for change;
- Promote women’s voices in the media and among policymakers; and
- Build community among women and organizations to create the environments needed to achieve broad-scale social change.
It is our vision that, because of this work, tens of thousands of women become advocates, calling on companies to make safer products and calling on government to ensure products are safe before they are allowed on the market. Women’s Voices for the Earth has identified sound science, corporate accountability, policy advocacy, women as leaders, and movement building as our core goals.
Programs
1. Safe Cleaning Products Initiative
Vision of Success: Because of WVE’s work, all cleaning product companies start to disclose their ingredients on the product label. Additionally, several major manufacturers commit to removing all carcinogens, mutagens, and reproductive toxins from their products, paving the way for a complete industry overhaul and successful regulatory changes. As a result, millions of household consumers and cleaning workers are no longer exposed to a multitude of chemicals that could harm their health.
2. Secret Scents Campaign
Vision of Success: WVE has played a significant role in creating the new paradigm where fragrance manufacturers no longer enjoy blanket confidential business information claims for all fragrance ingredients. Hazardous fragrance ingredients and allergens are now listed on the labels of cleaning products and cosmetics and are examined by federal regulatory agencies. As a result of increased disclosure efforts, companies have started reformulating their products to avoid disclosing any potentially harmful ingredients, replacing them with safe alternatives. Women can more readily enjoy safe fragranced products as the manufacturing of and marketplace for these products has increased.
3. Safe and Healthy Salons
Vision of Success: The serious health problems faced by salon workers, which were once low priority for federal agencies and policy makers, is now a prominent topic among the public and policymakers. Key agencies regulating salon products and workplace safety, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, are using existing statutory authority to limit the use of dangerous salon products, thereby resulting in improved health outcomes for salon workers and patrons alike. Salon workers themselves have played an integral role in achieving these successes through civic participation and advocacy.
4. Safe Feminine Care Products
Vision of Success: WVE’s work has significantly raised awareness on the taboo issue of toxic chemicals in feminine care products. This topic is now on the agendas of major corporations, important federal agencies like the FDA and the Office of Women’s Health, among reproductive and environmental health and justice advocates, and in the public eye. As a result, women are seeking out safer alternatives and corporations are responding by reformulating with safe ingredients. Importantly, this campaign has also engaged younger women just as they began to develop brand identities, resulting in a new generation of women’s health advocates demanding safer products.
Download the Roadmap to a Toxic Free Future to see more.
