VF responds to EPA allegations
VF, the parent company of The North Face, has hit back against allegations that the brand was making unsubstantiated claims about some of its products. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which raised the complaint, believes The North Face made unsubstantiated public health claims regarding unregistered products and their ability to control germs and pathogens.
The agency said that the sale and distribution of unregistered pesticides through The North Face violates the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Products that kill or repel bacteria or germs are considered pesticides, and must be registered with the EPA prior to distribution or sale. The agency will not register a pesticide until it has been tested to show that it will not pose an unreasonable risk when used according to the directions. "The EPA takes very seriously its responsibility to enforce against companies that sell products with unsubstantiated antimicrobial properties," said Katherine Taylor, associate director of the Communities and Ecosystems Division in EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. "Unverified public health claims can lead people to believe they are protected from disease-causing organisms when, in fact, they may not be."
VF Outdoor said the EPA had "not made any claims that The North Face products are unsafe or contain any unsafe substances" and said that it had immediately removed hang tags stating its original claims when the allegations were made.
Responding to the EPA allegations in a statement, president, VF Outdoor Americas, Steve Rendle, said: "VF Outdoor, Inc. is dedicated to manufacturing and distributing high quality The North Face products that are safe for our consumers. We also have a strong commitment to protecting our natural world today and for future generations. The EPA's recent claims against The North Face products are based solely on descriptive statements online and on hang tags respecting sales of certain styles of footwear that occurred between January 2008 and March 2008.
“The EPA has not made any claims that The North Face products are unsafe or contain any unsafe substances. Although we dispute their assertions, when we were contacted by EPA regarding their concerns in March 2008, we immediately stopped making the claims they found objectionable, removed them from hang tags and our website, and revised the product packaging accordingly."
The allegations affect more than 70 shoe styles incorporating AgION silver-treated footbeds.
