The Asia headquarters of the international environmental organization Greenpeace announced on its website this year’s latest review of the detoxification progress of fashion brand supply chains.
In recent years, Greenpeace has actively promoted the fashion industry to eliminate the use of harmful substances in products and processes. Therefore, it has launched an online Detox Catwalk - a detoxification platform, which is ranked based on the following 3 key requirements and the commitments of fashion brands:
1. Phase-out progress of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) and phthalates plasticizers - Among the 11 confirmed toxic and harmful chemicals used in the textile industry, APEOs and plasticizers are the most widely used. All brands that have committed to detoxification must eliminate these two toxic substances as soon as possible;
2. Phase-out progress of perfluorinated chemicals PFCs – PFCs are water- and oil-proof chemicals, but they are environmentally persistent and bioaccumulative. Therefore, brands should phase out the use and discharge of PFCs as soon as possible. ;as well as
3. Transparency of production chain information – The public has the right to know what toxic substances are used and discharged by factories during the production process, as well as the exact location of discharge.
Greenpeace conducted a review of the detoxification progress of 18 brands that have committed to detoxification, and divided these brands into "Green Leaders" and "Greenwashers". However, because some brands have not yet made public commitments, Greenpeace has not been able to conduct a detailed assessment of them. For these brands, Greenpeace has given them the collective name of "Green Losers".
– True Green: A brand that sets credible timetables, concrete plans and solid execution directions to lead the industry towards a non-toxic future. The famous True Green brands on this list include – Adidas, Benetton, Burberry, C&A, Esprit , Fast Retailing, G-Star, H&M, Inditex, Levi Strauss, Limited Brands, Mango, M&S, Primark, Puma and Valentino.
– Greenwashing: Brands that have not achieved the hazardous substance management goals promised by the company and failed to fulfill its corporate social responsibilities. Brands included in greenwashing are Nike and LiNing.
– Disdain for Green: Drug-addicted companies that refuse to commit to detoxification, the brands named include – Besteller, Dolce & Gabbana, GAP, Giorgio Armani, Hermes, LMVH Group, Metersbonwe, Only the Brave, PVH, Vancl and Versace .
The link to the official website of Greenpeace Detoxification Platform is as follows:http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/detox/fashion/detox-catwalk/
Although Taiwan's textile industry's own brands have not been named by Greenpeace for improvement, many small and medium-sized enterprises in Taiwan's textile industry are mostly upstream supply chain manufacturers of international brands. It is recommended that our country's small and medium-sized enterprises pay attention to the harmful substances and environmental protection commitments of major international brands. Only by adjusting the hazardous substances management system and environmental protection policy in the factory as early as possible can we quickly integrate with international trends and successfully obtain orders.
Source:Chemical Watch (2015-04-23) (PIDC compilation)
