Eco Fashion World

Greenpeace Detox striptease, Bangkok

 

Your clothing might be poisoning our planet's water supply.

Your favorite jeans might be contributing to mutations like fish spontaneously changing gender.

Even my battered old Chuck Taylor's - a once-iconic symbol of counter-culture - probably have some nasty chemicals embedded in their warn-out canvas along with all the spilled beer and mosh pit sweat.

Hopefully not for much longer.

Last month Greenpeace released their report, Dirty Laundry II: Hung Out To Dry. It revealed the presence of nonylphenol ethoxylate in clothing and shoes manufactured by 15 of the world's leading apparel makers including Lacoste, Adidas, Nike, Puma, H&M, Kappa, Abercrombie & Fitch and G-Star Raw, among others.

Nonylphenol ethoxylates (or NPE's) are toxic chemicals that don't break down in nature. Instead, they bioaccumulate, building up in the food chain, increasing in concentration. They have been shown to cause major hormonal imbalances in aquatic life and have even started showing up in human tissue near textile manufacturing plants in developing countries.

The study examined and tested 78 samples of products purchased from 15 leading companies in an accredited and independent lab. Of the 78 samples, two-thirds tested positive for NPE's. The samples were manufactured in 18 different countries, and only one - Tunisia - showed a clean record in all samples.

"Our research shows that global clothing brands are responsible for the discharge of hazardous chemicals into waterways in China and across the world, as part of their manufacturing processes," said Yifang Li, Toxic Water Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia. "People have a right to know about the chemicals that are present in the very fabric of their clothing and the harmful effects these chemicals have when released into the environment."

When the report was first released, many clothing companies were critical.

H&M argued that Greenpeace's testing protocols were inadequate and that they couldn't be trusted to say what the campaigner claimed they did.

The company claimed that the levels Greenpeace's researchers were testing for were so low that they couldn't accurately prove that H&M clothing actually contained any NPE's.

The problem with that argument, according to Greenpeace, is that any trace of NPE in a product means it was in contact with the chemicals at some point during the production cycle.

NPE's are used to lower the surface tension of water during many washing and dyeing processes, and it's possible that they could be washed out during production, making it impossible to know how much was used.

Still, it's the bioaccumulation that causes a problem, and that's also why things need to change. Even though one article of clothing may contain even the slightest amount of NPE's, the sheer volume of clothing produced leads to buildup in the ecosystem. The next time you toss your favorite denim into the washing machine, you might very well be flushing NPE's right into the Pacific.

But all is not lost.

We're all used to hearing horror stories about massive mega-corps and the evil they sow, but in this case it's the mega-corps that are leading the way towards change.

Within weeks of Greenpeace's report, Nike, Adidas, and Puma all agreed to take up the "Detox Challenge". They've committed to eliminating the use of toxic chemicals from their entire production cycles by 2020, and are all in the process of outlining immediate strategies for how they'll do it.

"With the sports brands blazing the trail and publicly committed to driving the industry with them, it is now the turn of other big industry players to up their game," said Li. "Urgent action is needed, and this will only happen with these brands championing a transparency revolution across the sector as they race towards zero."

It seems H&M has heard the call as well. After meeting with Greenpeace Detox representatives, they've also signed on despite their original protest to the report.

"As a leading actor with a well reputed Chemicals Management, H&M has the size and ability to act as a catalyst for change in the industry," the company said in a press release on Sept 17.

It's not just cheap talk either. The company has committed to drafting and publicizing a list of restricted chemicals within eight weeks. It will also be drawing its suppliers and sub-suppliers into the challenge, requiring them to detail the chemicals they use and work with.

"As we always strive to constantly improve in everything we do, we appreciate the dialogue with all our stakeholders to make H&M become even better" said H&M press officer Charlotta Nemlin. "That is also why we engaged with Greenpeace to see how we could further contribute to our shared ambitions. In line with these ambitions, H&M is committed to eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals and hence achieve zero discharge of such substances from the production of our products."

So now what?

For starters, the fashion world will have to make sure these big corporations make good on their promises. More than that, it will be important to follow their lead.

A perfect opportunity for that is just around the corner. Vancouver's Eco Fashion Week is the perfect forum for companies and designers to get onboard with a detoxed industry, and to demand the same from their suppliers.

And if Nike can make my Chucks environmentally friendly, there's no telling how much cleaner the fashion world can get.

EFW writer Jesse Winter is a recovering cross-country ski racer who's since moved on to harder drugs; writing and photography. Media scrums make him nostalgic for mosh pits, and when he has a lot of free time (like, say, a whole glorious hour) he can usually be found hurling himself down a mountain on his bike, brewing yet another ill-advised pot of coffee or updating his perpetually back-logged website.

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