HOW TO FACE THE PROBLEM OF TEXTILE INDUSTRY POLLUTION
In 2011 Greenpeace published two reports, one investigating the discharge of hazardous substances from textiles manufacturing in China linked to major clothing and sportswear companies (Dirty Laundry), and another detailing the presence of NPEs, nonylphenol ethoxylates, in clothing and footwear of 15 leading brands (Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry). With the publication of these reports Greenpeace challenged global brands to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals from their supply chains and products by 2020.
The Detox Campaign, as it is now known, targets especially at Chinese manufacturers, nearly 50,000 textile factories. It has been prompting the government to face up to the problem. “China is moving towards legislation where each company is responsible for its wastewater,” said Ulrike Kallee. “Awareness is now very high.”
The man-made chemical by-products of textile industry are shown to have
long-term effects on the environment and potentially devastating impacts on human and animal lives. Furthermore, when testing clothing from 15 corporate brands, Greenpeace found out that chemicals used in textile production process continue to be released when contaminated clothing is washed by consumers across the world. These tests demonstrate the truly global danger posed by these toxic chemicals as they are released into rivers and water sources from the point of production to the consumer.
Greenpeace’s Detox Campaign helps create a greener economy by challenging major global brands to eliminate hazardous chemicals from their textile production processes. Detox Campaign has already successfully demonstrated the power of grassroots activism and social media in pressuring corporations to clean up their production practices. Only months into the Detox Campaign, major retailers H&M, Puma, Adidas and Nike had committed to eliminate discharges of hazardous chemicals across their supply chains by 2020; most recently, Marks & Spencer has joined the group. In addition to putting corporations under pressure to adopt greener production practices, Greenpeace has been pursueing legislative changes within textile industries in several Asian countries and the European Union in order to protect rivers, communities and ecosystems they support.
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