7/28/2009
SEARS HOLDINGS AND THE WERCS ANNOUNCE COLLABORATION
Relationship Advances Sears’ Management of Chemical-Based Consumer Products
Albany, NY (July 28, 2009) The Wercs, Ltd., a global leader in chemical compliance, assessment, and hazard communication software and services announces that Sears Holdings has selected to implement the WERCSmart program.
The WERCSmart program ensures that retailers have the critical information about chemical-containing products they merchandise before products are available for sale to consumers on store shelves.
A spokesman for Sears Holdings stated, "Our company is continuously looking for ways to improve safety and minimize our impact on the environment. Our relationship with The Wercs is another example of this commitment. Through this partnership, we feel strongly that we will gain an improved understanding of the chemical makeup of the consumer products sold in our stores."
Through the WERCSmart program, Sears Holdings will be able to readily distinguish each of the different categories of hazardous materials that require special handling and disposal at their stores and distribution centers. Examples of products that can contain hazardous ingredients include, but are not limited to: aerosols, fragrances, paints and pesticides. When products become damaged, defective, or obsolete and can no longer be used, it is critical that products are handled and disposed in an environmentally sound manner. The WERCSmart program will help supplement Sears Holdings current disposal practices to ensure that proper, environmentally friendly product disposal occurs at Sears and Kmart facilities.
Our partnership with Sears Holdings is an additional step toward an efficient industrywide solution that solves the challenge of satisfying growing compliance and sustainability demands for retailers, stated Lou DeSorbo, president of The Wercs. Our approach takes advantage of economies of scale and offers efficiencies and cost savings to the entire supply chain.