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How long does it take to make consumer goods safer? More than a year ago, Fast Company writer David Case published an air-tight investigation showing that some plastic manufacturers were using the big tobacco playbook, manufacturing doubt about the harmfulness of Bpa, a chemical used to make everything from baby bottles to canned food package liners more shatter proof. High doses of the chemical can leech out and are believed to contribute to a range of developmental, neurological, reproductive, and immune disorders. The message to companies was obvious: Innovate assembly lines or face more brand contamination.

But wait. Some actually listened. This week, as two New York Senators finally call for a ban on Bpa for products marketed to children and pregnant women, a handful of new Bpa-free goods are already available. Yes, some food companies have merely switched from plastic to glass, but baby companies like BornFree, thinkbaby, Green to Grow,...