(By GreenBiz) - FALLS CHURCH, USA – Sears Holdings, parent of Kmart and Sear & Roebuck, will follow the lead of other famous brands by phasing out toxic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic in its packaging and products.

Companies such as Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Apple and Target have announced similar measures, in large part due to the national campaign led by the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ). CHEJ has worked with several companies and organizations to outlaw PVC use since 2005.

Sears Holdings said it plans to identify safer and more sustainable PVC alternatives, as well as encourage vendors to reduce or eliminate PVC use and label products as PVC-free.

According to company materials, PVC in use contains more than 3 million tons of lead and could also contain phthalates. PVC is used in a bevy of products, including toys, lunch boxes, jewelry and electronics. About half of all toys tested in a recent study were made from PVC.

“Money talks and I hope that the vinyl companies polluting my community of Mossville, Louisiana, are listening to Sears and Kmart, who will stop selling vinyl products and using vinyl packaging,” Edgar Mouton, Jr., president of Mossville Environmental Action Now, an environmental justice organization, said in a statement.

The community is surrounded by five PVC factories, the largest concentration in the U.S.