Connections to multinational and domestic brands The international clothing brands Adidas, Bauer Hockey, Calvin Klein, Converse, Cortefiel, H&M, Lacoste, Nike, Phillips Van Heusen Corporation (PVH Corp) and Puma confirmed to Greenpeace that they have an ongoing or recent business relationship with the Youngor Group (including subsidiaries) based in Ningbo, China. The Youngor Textile Complex also supplies the company’s own brand, Youngor. Our analysis found that this very same complex was discharging toxic chemicals into the Fenghua River on the sampling dates between June 2010 and March 2011. When confirming their commercial relationship with the Youngor Group, Bauer Hockey, Converse, Cortefiel, H&M, Nike and Puma informed Greenpeace that they make no use of the wet processes of the Youngor Group for the production of their garments. However, none of the brands found to have commercial links with these two facilities have in place comprehensive chemicals management policies that would allow them to have a complete overview of the hazardous chemicals used and released across their entire supply chain, and to act on this information. Many of these companies have made public statements about the need to avoid environmental pollution. According to their respective websites, these companies seem to be concerned about water quality. However, this investigation found that toxic chemicals are being released into surrounding water and local river systems by their supplier.
become a “Our strategy is to mpany by: zero-emissions co ronmental • Embedding envi erything best practice in ev we do ronmental • Maximising envi efficiency gains harnessing • Supporting and ion for a our people’s pass greener planet” 10 Adidas website
Although the Converse website does not refer to the environment or sustainability, the Converse brand is owned by Nike and is covered by the same corporate responsibility report. Likewise, the Calvin Klein brand is owned by Phillips-Van Heusen and is covered by the same environmental statement. The Bauer website does not mention the environment or sustainability. (See Appendix 1 for details of all the above companies and their responses to the evidence presented in this report.) 38
Dirty Laundry: Unravelling the corporate connections to toxic water pollution in China