Box 1.2 The dirty secret behind your jeans The manufacture of jeans illustrates some of the most visible and gross pollution caused by China’s textile and clothing industry. The economy of Xintang revolves around the complete production process for jeans: from spinning, dyeing and weaving to cutting, printing, washing, sewing and bleaching. Xintang’s jeans and clothing business began in the 1980s, and since then its output has skyrocketed. Factories are located along the river that flows into the River Dong and further downstream into the Pearl River Delta. The river was once pristine, but has since become a black ditch dividing the village of Xizhou from the industrial zone. The Xizhou villagers say that when the factory discharges are severe, the river water is not merely polluted, but toxic. The smell is putrid and unbearable, and any skin contact results in itching and even septic rashes. Though villagers once fished in the river and drank its water, they now dare to do neither of these things, and must pay for tap water.
“It’s n o want t that we d them o to ma n’t a pro fit. M ke y also has t family o re sewin g jea ly on n a livin s to m g a prod . However ke uctio , the np must be cl rocess ea not p ollute n and t envir onme he nt.”
Lin Z ho Xizho 6 u (pseudo u 6 n
ym),
28
Dirty Laundry: Unravelling the corporate connections to toxic water pollution in China
© LU GUANG / GREENPEACE
image Wastewater discharged from a denim washing factory in Xintang, Zengcheng, where the economy is centred around textile production.