As Canadian retailers like Forzani and Canadian Tire moved to yank BPA bottles from their shelves, Nalgene said it will phase out production of such products over the next few months Friday. Nalgene said it will wind down production of its Outdoor line of polycarbonate containers that use the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA).
A spokesperson for REI told The BOSS Report that: “REI is in the process of removing all water bottles made with BPA from its store shelves. These bottles will also no longer be sold on REI.com or REI-OUTLET.com. When the process is complete, we will offer only water bottles that have been be made without BPA.”
The announcements coincided with an announcement by the Canadian health ministry that it would begin a 60-days public comment period Saturday on whether to ban the importation, sale and advertising of polycarbonate baby bottles containing bisphenol-A.
Many Canadian retailers are not waiting for the results. On Tuesday, Forzani said it was pulling BPA containers from its shelves in response to consumer concerns over health risks associated with BPA. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.s Canadian unit, Hudsons Bay Co. and the Canadian Tire Group followed two days later by saying they were pulling BPA bottles from their shelves. Forzani said it would refund purchases of the bottle for customers with receipts.
Vancouver-based Mountain Equipment Co-op became the first major Canadian retailer to pull polycarbonate containers from its store shelves in December. Lululemon Athletica Inc., also Vancouver-based, announced plans later the same month to stop selling plastic water bottles that contain bisphenol A.
