The campaign also launched a petition, which has attracted 20,000 signatures so far, to support an open letter to the EU's largest retail chains urging them to stop selling these unsafe products and asking producers to offer chlorine-free alternatives. It also seeks to raise consumer awareness of the issue.
Ingredients used in personal care produts have been under fire lately. The state of New York recently became the first U.S. state to require ingredient labeling in feminine hygiene products. Meanwhile, the French government has asked diaper manufacturers to review their produciton processes and impose stronger controls on raw materials. This followed a report published by the French Agency for Food, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety (Anses), which showed alarming levels of dioxins in these products, fuelling concern that they represent a public health risk.
The nonwovens industry has responded by publicizing the results of independent studies by authorities in Belgium, France, South Korea, Sweden and Switzerland that found that feminine hygiene items and baby diapers are safe.