FASHION REVOLUTION | FASHION TRANSPARENCY INDEX 2021
SPOTLIGHT ISSUES
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Photo copyright: Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace
VIEWPOINT: WHY MORE TRANSPARENCY ON THE USE OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS IN CLOTHING IS ESSENTIAL
VIOLA WOHLGEMUTH CONSUMPTION AND TOXICS CAMPAIGNER AT GREENPEACE GERMANY
Greenpeace welcomes the new Transparency Index from Fashion Revolution. It shows that Detoxing fashion is spreading beyond those brands that committed to zero discharges of hazardous chemicals during Greenpeace’s Detox My Fashion campaign, which saw 80 companies (30 fashion brands and 50 suppliers) committing to Detox, following its launch in 2011. The textiles industry is well known as a major user of hazardous chemicals (1) and industrial polluter of freshwater worldwide (2), among other things. For many years local communities have witnessed multicoloured rivers, as a result of effluent from the dyeing and processing of clothes
for global and local clothing brands. It is encouraging that more brands are taking responsibility for this problem. The Detox My Fashion campaign shifted the focus of the industry away from hazardous chemicals in the final product, towards the bigger problem of use and discharge of hazardous chemicals in the supply chain.
and consumers from finding out where hazardous chemicals are being discharged and what progress has been made to eliminate this problem. Also of concern is that not many brands publish water footprint reports for suppliers and fibre production, despite the high number of brands with a policy on this. Action on the environmental impacts at supply chain facilities needs to be holistic - starting with thorough chemical management and applying this approach to water and resource consumption, atmospheric emissions, energy consumption, and the release of greenhouse gases.
The Index shows that this trend is increasing, with 64 brands (26%) saying that they are using a Manufacturing Restricted Substances List, which focuses on eliminating hazardous chemicals used by supply chain factories. The number of brands making time-bound commitments to reduce their use of hazardous chemicals, as well as reporting on progress towards these targets, has also increased. There is no shortage of professional expertise to support brands in improving To add credibility to these claims, reports the environmental impact of their supply of progress need to be verified by the chains - from the ZDHC to OEKO-TEX® publication of data on the discharge of and bluesign®. And, of course, fast hazardous chemicals into wastewater - at fashion puts pressure on suppliers to the moment only 36 brands (14%) say they speed up and cut corners, so slowing are reporting their suppliers’ wastewater down the over-production of fashion is data. This lack of transparency prevents critical for reducing all the impacts of local communities, public interest groups fashion, both environmental and social.
This lack of transparency prevents local communities, public interest groups and consumers from finding out where hazardous chemicals are being discharged and what progress has been made to eliminate this problem.
1. UNEP (2013), Global Chemicals Outlook - Towards Sound Management of Chemicals, p.14; https:// www.unenvironment.org/resources/report/ globalchemicals-outlook-towards-soundmanagement-chemicals 2. Business for Social Responsibility (2008) Water management in China’s apparel and textile factories, p.2. www.bsr.org/en/our-insights/ report-view/watermanagement-in-chinasapparel-and-textile-factories
