Tell Ross and Burlington: Stop Exposing Your Customers and Workers to Toxic Lead
Barbara Rentler, CEO at Ross and Michael O’Sullivan, CEO at Burlington
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Since 2009, our testing repeatedly found high levels of lead in leather and faux leather fashion accessories such as handbags, wallets, shoes, and belts sold at off-price retailers. In 2022 alone, more than 1 in 4 of the fashion accessories we purchased from Ross and Burlington contained high levels of lead.
Exposure to lead can cause cancer, reproductive issues, and neurological harm. There is no safe level of lead exposure.
Ross and Burlington cater to lower-income consumers, and most of their California storefronts are located in communities already facing environmental, health, and other socioeconomic pressures. Affordability should never come at the expense of people’s health.
Will you help us tell Ross and Burlington to remove toxic chemicals from their supply chains?
Together, let’s tell Ross and Burlington to commit to basic product safety standards to ensure that what they’re selling does not contain toxic chemicals that can harm our health.
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To:
Barbara Rentler, CEO at Ross and Michael O’Sullivan, CEO at Burlington
From:
[Your Name]
The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) published a groundbreaking report, following 13 years of investigation into the persistent problem of off-price retailers Ross and Burlington’s sale of fashion accessories containing toxic lead.
Since 2009, CEH's testing repeatedly found high levels of lead in leather and faux leather fashion accessories such as handbags, wallets, shoes, and belts sold at off-price retailers. In 2022 alone, more than 1 in 4 of the fashion accessories CEH purchased from Ross and Burlington contained high levels of lead.
Exposure to lead can cause cancer, reproductive issues, and neurological harm. There is no safe level of lead exposure.
Ross and Burlington cater to lower-income consumers, and most of your California storefronts are located in communities already facing environmental, health, and other socioeconomic pressures. Affordability should never come at the expense of people’s health.
I'm joining CEH in asking you to take action. The time is now to commit to basic product safety standards to ensure that what you’re selling does not contain toxic chemicals that can harm people's health.