Lumber Liquidators is cleaning up its reputation after a scandal broke earlier this year when the company was caught red-handed selling flooring with dangerous levels of toxins.
Flooring expose on ’60 Minutes’ rocked the company
Back in March, Lumber Liquidators was taken to task on 60 Minutes for buying laminate flooring from several Chinese factories that contained close to 20 times the amount of formaldehyde allowable by law. A known carcinogen, formaldehyde is present in glues used in the manufacturing of flooring.
The 60 Minutes piece featured hidden video of three Chinese factory managers fessing up to the unacceptable levels of formaldehyde in laminate flooring made for Lumber Liquidators. One manager also admitted to falsely labeling the flooring as CARB (California Air Resources Board) Phase 2 Compliant — meaning it follows strict standards for formaldehyde emissions in wood flooring, even though it didn’t!
The company took a hit on reputation in the wake of the scandal, and CEO Robert Lynch abruptly resigned after the expose aired.
Now Lumber Liquidators is reforming its practices and has become the first major retailer to take proactive measures to limit dangerous toxins in your flooring. In conjunction with the the ‘Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families’ coalition, the company has agreed to the following:
- No more reprocessed vinyl plastic in vinyl flooring
- Lead content of less than 100 parts per million (PPM) in flooring
- Suppliers must eliminate the use of ortho-phthalates in all vinyl flooring sold to the company
‘Lumber Liquidators is committed to setting the highest standards for the sourcing of flooring products,’ said Jill Witter, Chief Compliance and Legal Officer of Lumber Liquidators. ‘We are pleased to work with ‘Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families’ on this initiative, as part of our ongoing efforts to lead the industry forward with responsible sourcing practices.’
Lumber Liquidators has also agreed to be monitored by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to make sure they’re honoring their commitment.
Read more: Lumber Liquidators allegedly sold flooring with too much formaldehyde
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