Greenpeace ranking reveals fashion companies’ action on toxic pollution

“The fashion companies that have committed to detox over the past four years of campaigning represent approximately 10% of the global apparel and footwear market. We believe this momentum is creating a new standard in sustainable fashion: opening up secretive supply chains and finally showing that beautiful clothes can be made without pollution,” said Yixiu Wu, Detox Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia.

The Detox Catwalk assesses how committed companies have performed against key criteria, including how they are working to eliminate known hazardous chemicals from their products and manufacturing processes, and what steps they are taking towards having their suppliers’ publicly disclose pollution information [3].

The international community has recognized the significance and importance of a pollution disclosure policy as a tool for environmental regulation and management. In China, almost half of the surface water is not potable and 64% of underground drinking water reserves in major cities are seriously polluted. The country’s textile industry alone is responsible for 10% of the country’s industrial wastewater emission.

Similarly in the Philippines, 58% of groundwater is contaminated [4] and 21% of water pollution is caused by the textile industry in 2005 [5],  Greenpeace believes it is time to enact a pollution disclosure policy by way of a Pollution Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) which does not only benefit the public but the government and industry as well.

“Through PRTR, government regulators will able to obtain necessary information to effectively monitor industries and businesses which may cause harm to the environment, while businesses are made more accountable for the pollution caused by their activities,” said Abigail Aguilar, Detox Campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines. “More importantly, the public will gain access to relevant data and information about harmful chemicals and substances present in our water bodies, this allows them to be better informed and to participate in the environmental decision making process.”

This year’s Detox Catwalk shows that 16 fashion companies have started eliminating some of the most widely used toxic chemicals, including hormone disruptors such as nonylphenols, phthalates, and PFCs. Greenpeace said these companies have also started releasing the pollution data of their suppliers to an independent online platform, all of which is ground-breaking, and leaves companies like Nike far behind.

This corporate action has sparked a policy change in manufacturing countries such as China, Indonesia and the European Union.

The Greenpeace Detox campaign demands fashion brands to commit to zero discharge of all hazardous chemicals by 2020 and require their suppliers to disclose the releases of toxic chemicals from their facilities to communities at the site of the water pollution.

Notes to Editor:

1. The full ranking of companies is here: http://greenpeace.org/detoxcatwalk
2. The 18 Detox-committed companies assessed via the Catwalk, as “leaders and greenwashers”, represent approximately 10% of the estimated US$1.7 trillion global annual (2013) apparel and footwear market. https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-philippines-stateless/2019/05/46e32b88-46e32b88-key-highlights-apparel-footwear-2014.pdf
3. Greenpeace East Asia today released a documentary reporting the effect the Detox campaign has had on the full textile supply chain and local communities: “Detox: How Fashion Is Cleaning Up Its Act” [INSERT URL]
4. http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/philippines/water-pollution
5. http://www.wepa-db.net/policies/state/philippines/overview.htm

For more information:

Abigail Aguilar
Detox Campaigner, Greenpeace Philippines
Mobile: 0917-8106693
Email: [email protected]

Therese Salvador
Media Campaigner, Greenpeace Philippines
Mobile: 0917-8228734
Email: [email protected]