The Danish subsidiary of retail group Coop has decided to discontinue all purchases of cosmetic and personal care products containing fluorinated substances.
Fluorinated compounds also known as PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and can be found in toothpastes because of their effectiveness in the prevention of dental cavities. The concentration of fluorinated compounds in cosmetics is strictly regulated by the European regulation but these precautions are considered insufficient by the Danish distributor.
“Research shows that these substances can negatively affect our health and the environment. They are also extremely slowly degraded and therefore accumulate in the environment. We should not be using these fluorine substances in everyday products when it is fully possible to produce quality products without,” states Quality Manager Malene Teller Blume, Coop Denmark.
Consequently, Coop informed all its suppliers that all purchases of cosmetic products containing fluorinated substances will be discontinued with immediate effect, even those from international brands. As a result, all these products are phased out by September 9th 2019.
Coop is one of Denmark’s largest retailers. Coop Denmark operate the retail chains Kvickly, SuperBrugsen, Dagli’Brugsen, the webshop coop.dk and the subsidiaries fakta A/S and Irma A/S. Together with the co-operative societies Coop have an annual turnover of approximately DKK 50 billion and 1,050 stores all over Denmark.
