Greenpeace: Inditex, Benetton and H&M lead 2020 Detox program

By

Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Jul 6, 2016

Greenpeace International revealed - via its latest report - fashion firms Inditex, H&M and Benetton are the top ranking companies for cleaning up supply chains by 2020.

Dubbed the Detox Catwalk, the report assesses how effectively 19 of the world's major fashion and apparel brands are ridding their supply chains of toxic chemicals. While H&M, Benetton and Inditex - which operates Zara - are on track to cleaner operations, lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret, apparel retailer Esprit and sports brands Nike and LiNing are failing to take appropriate action, said the environmental agency.

“We applaud H&M, Zara and Benetton for leading the way and setting a new standard in toxic free fashion,” said Kirsten Brodde, Head of the Detox My Fashion campaign at Greenpeace Germany. “These companies prove that cleaning up the fashion industry is possible – both for large and medium-sized companies.”

The Detox Catwalk looks at how companies are eliminating known hazardous chemicals from their products and manufacturing processes, disclosing pollution information and publishing suppliers’ lists.

“Our assessment shows that the textile industry as a whole is not doing enough to go toxic-free. 16 out of the 19 brands assessed are stumbling over transparency issues or failing to eliminate toxic chemicals; with only three years left they must speed up now if they’re to meet their 2020 deadlines,” said Brodde.

While Victoria’s Secret, Esprit, Nike and LiNing scored the lowest, another 12 Detox committed brands find themselves in the middle range for cleanliness. These include adidas, Burberry, Levi’s, Primark and Puma, which are not banning all hazardous chemicals and rely on the flawed chemical list from the industry group Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC). This list is missing important substances like PFCs and solvents like Dimethylformamide (DMF), said Greenpeace in a statement.

The agency said companies like C&A, Fast Retailing, G-Star, Mango, and Miroglio scored higher in the same category than the aforementioned, either for better chemicals management or greater supply chain transparency.

“A major step forward this year is that committed companies are truly lifting the veil on their supply chains. Companies are publishing complete suppliers’ lists, which shows a trend for long-term relationships with suppliers networks, built on mutual trust.  That is crucial for implementing the Detox programme,” said Brodde.

The Greenpeace Detox campaign demands fashion brands commit to zero discharge of all hazardous chemicals by 2020 and requires their suppliers to disclose the releases of toxic chemicals from their facilities to communities at the site of the water pollution.