Pier 1 Imports Inc. and its manufacturer Scent Shop Inc. pay $138,000 fine

Pier 1 Imports Inc. and its manufacturer Scent Shop Inc. pay
$138,000 fine

Companies violate Air Resources Board air quality regulations for
consumer products

SACRAMENTO — Housewares retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc. and perfume
maker Scent Shop Inc. have paid a penalty of $138,000 for
violating consumer products regulations that protect air quality,
the California Air Resources Board announced today.

Pier 1 Imports and Scent Shop agreed to pay the penalty as part
of a settlement to resolve allegations by the Air Resources Board
that a liquid air freshener sold at Pier 1 retail outlets in
California violated the state’s consumer products regulations.

The products — known as ‘reed diffusers’ — were manufactured by
Scent Shop, a Garland, Texas-based company, and sold under the
Pier 1 brand name between 2009 and 2011.

Testing revealed that the products exceeded an 18 percent by
weight volatile organic compound (VOC) limit set under Air
Resources Board regulations for liquid air fresheners. Such
compounds are regulated by the Air Resources Board because they
react with other pollutants under sunlight to form ground-level
ozone, a key ingredient in smog.

“Many common household products, such as air fresheners and
cosmetics, contain compounds that contribute to unhealthy smog.
It’s important that retailers only stock and sell products that
adhere to ARB regulations limiting the amount of these
compounds,” said James Ryden, ARB’s Enforcement Division Chief.

In addition to the reed diffuser air fresheners manufactured by
Scent Shop, other air fresheners and a fabric protectant
manufactured abroad and imported by Pier 1 also were found to be
out of compliance with air quality regulations. The imported
products were also sold under the Pier 1 brand name.

In all, the Air Resources Board estimated that direct sales of
the non-compliant products to consumers in California by Pier 1
resulted in 7 tons of excess emissions of the smog-forming
compounds.

As part of the settlement, Pier 1 agreed it would not sell,
supply or offer for sale for use in California any consumer
product in violation of the state’s consumer products regulations
as part of an effort to reduce air pollution and smog.

Consumer products — chemically formulated products such as
detergents, garden products and cosmetics — are a significant
source of VOCs. ARB investigators regularly purchase samples of
regulated consumer products from stores across the state. They
then inspect them for compliance with registration and dating
requirements and send the products to the laboratory for
testing.

For more information about the Consumer Products Program, go to
http://www.arb.ca.gov/consprod/consprod.htm.