Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products

Page created by Erin Cohen
CONTINUE READING
Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Dirty Laundry 2:
Hung Out to Dry
Unravelling the toxic trail
from pipes to products
Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Contents
Executive Summary	                                                                                5           For more information contact:
                                                                                                               enquiries@greenpeace.org

Section 1 : Methodology and results	                                                            11            Acknowledgements:
                                                                                                               We would like to thank the following
                                                                                                               people who contributed to the creation
                                                                                                               of this report. If we have forgotten
Section 2: Discussion of results in relation to                                                                anyone, they know that that our
the stances of major clothing brands                                                            17            gratitude is also extended to them:
                                                                                                               Kristin Casper, Jamie Choi,
                                                                                                               Tommy Crawford, Steve Erwood,
                                                                                                               Marietta Harjono, Martin Hojsík,
Section 3: Conclusions and recommendations                                                      21            Li Yifang, Sara del Rio,
                                                                                                               Tony Sadownichik, Melissa Shinn,
                                                                                                               Ilze Smit, Dave Walsh
Appendix 1                                                                                      24            Creative Direction & Design by:
Appendix 2                                                                                      26            Arc Communications

Appendix 3   Front cover image and product                                                      29
              shots, pages 14-15:
References30 © Alex Stoneman / Greenpeace
		            Back cover image:
              © Rachel Corner / Greenpeace
.
                                                                                                               JN 387
                                                                                                               Published by
                                                                                                               Greenpeace International
                                                                                                               Ottho Heldringstraat 5
                                                                                                               1066 AZ Amsterdam
                                                                                                               The Netherlands
                                                                                                               Tel: +31 20 7182000
                                                                                                               greenpeace.org

Terminology used in this report
Bioaccumulation: the mechanism by which chemicals                                Persistence: the property of a chemical whereby it does not
accumulate in living organisms and get passed along the                          degrade in the environment, or degrades very slowly.
food chain.                                                                      Plastisol: A suspension of plastic particles, commonly
Hormone disruptors: chemicals known to interfere                                 PVC or EVA, in a plasticiser. Used as ink for screen-printing
with hormone systems of organisms. For nonylphenol,                              images and logos onto textiles.
the most widely recognised hazard is the ability to mimic                        Surfactants: chemicals used to lower the surface tension of
natural oestrogen hormones. This can lead to altered                             liquids. They include wetting agents, detergents, emulsifiers,
sexual development in some organisms, most notably the                           foaming agents and dispersants used in a variety of industrial
feminisation of fish.                                                            and consumer applications including textile manufacture.

Note to the reader
Throughout this report we refer to the terms ‘Global North’ and ‘Global South’ to describe two distinct groups of countries.
The term ‘Global South’ is used to describe developing and emerging countries, including those facing the challenges of
often rapid industrial development or industrial restructuring, such as Russia. Most of the Global South is located in South and
Central America, Asia and Africa. The term ‘Global North’ is used for developed countries, predominantly located in North
America and Europe, with high human development, according to the United Nations Human Development Index.* Most, but
not all, of these countries are located in the northern hemisphere.
* United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2005). Human Development Report 2005. International cooperation at a crossroads. Aid, trade and security in an
unequal world. Available at: http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR05_complete.pdf
Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace      Dirty Laundry 2:

                                                                                                                              © ALEX STONEMAN / Greenpeace
International   Hung Out to Dry
                Unravelling the toxic
                trail from pipes to
                products

                                       Who will rise to
                                         the challenge
                                        and champion
                                   a toxic-free future?

                                        Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   3
Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
4   Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace             Dirty Laundry 2:                    Executive

© ALEX STONEMAN / Greenpeace
                               International          Hung Out to Dry                     Summary
                                                      Unravelling the toxic
                                                      trail from pipes to
                                                      products

                               Executive
                               Summary

                               Detox our clothing,                                        Greenpeace purchased the articles tested from companies’
                                                                                          flagship stores and from other stores authorised to sell
                               detox our water                                            the branded products. The stores were located across 18
                                                                                          countries from both the Global North and Global South,
                               Research commissioned by Greenpeace
                                                                                          and articles were purchased during April and May 2011.3
                               International has revealed that clothing and               Product labels show that the articles were manufactured
                               certain fabric-based shoes sold internationally            in 13 different countries, while three items are of unknown
                               by major clothing brands are manufactured                  manufacturing origin.4 The clothing sampled was made
                               using nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). NPEs                 from both natural and synthetic fabrics, and included items
                               – which are used as surfactants in textile                 designed for men, women and children. A variety of items
                                                                                          – including shirts, jackets, trousers, underwear and fabric-
                               production - subsequently break down to
                                                                                          based shoes – were tested.
                               form toxic nonylphenol (NP). Nonylphenol is a
                                                                                         Greenpeace submitted all 78 articles of clothing for
                               persistent chemical with hormone-disrupting
                                                                                         analysis by a leading independent laboratory, which
                               properties that builds up in the food chain, and          examined them for the presence of NPEs. Where
                               is hazardous even at very low levels.                     released untreated, NPEs break down in rivers to form
                               The investigation involved the analysis of 78 articles of the persistent, toxic and hormone disrupting NP. Even
                               sports and recreational clothing and shoes bearing the    where wastewater treatment facilities are present, they are
                               logos of 15 leading clothing brands. The 15 brands were:  unable to fully breakdown NPEs, and instead only partially
                               Abercombie & Fitch, Adidas, Calvin Klein , Converse, GAP, degrade them – often even speeding up their conversion
                                                                          2

                               G-Star RAW, H&M, Kappa, Lacoste, Li Ning, Nike, Puma, into the toxic NP.
                               Ralph Lauren, Uniqlo and Youngor.                         Detection of NPEs in fabrics is therefore an indicator
                                                                                          that NPEs were used during production, resulting
                                                                                          in increased levels of nonylphenol reaching the
                                                                                          environment; such as in waterways or rivers.

                                                                                           Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   5
Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Key findings                                                                              It is also important to note that the non-detection of
                                                                                          NPEs does not rule out NPEs being used in the production
Of the 78 articles analysed, 52 (two-thirds) tested                                       of a garment, as the finished clothing may have undergone
positive for the presence of NPEs above the limit of                                      thorough washing prior to retailing. This may have washed
detection of 1 milligram NPEs/kilogram material (mg/                                      out all residues of NPEs from the fabric prior to sale.
kg). (For more detailed results please refer to the Results                               Such washing would only have further contributed to
section on page 11). NPEs were detected in clothing sold                                  inputs of NPEs/NP into the environment during the
by 14 out of the 15 brands tested, in clothing from 17 out of                             manufacturing stage.
18 of the countries where the items were purchased, and
in 12 out of 13 of the countries where the products tested                                                     Number                Number
originated from.                                                                              Brand
                                                                                                              of samples          tested positive
The companies whose products tested positive for NPEs
include the major international brands: Abercombie &                                                               3                     3
Fitch, Adidas, Calvin Klein, Converse, G-Star RAW, H&M,
Kappa, Lacoste, Li Ning, Nike, Puma, Ralph Lauren, Uniqlo
                                                                                                                   9                     4
and Youngor.

Hung out to dry                                                                                                    4                     3

The results of the research clearly demonstrate
that NPEs have been used at some stage in the                                                                      6                     5
manufacturing processes of clothing bearing the
brands of a number of major international clothing                                                                 5                     3
companies. These include items bearing the logos of
Adidas and 13 of the other 14 brands examined as part of
this investigation.                                                                                                2                     0

This analysis also confirms that the use of hazardous
chemicals in textile production is not limited to clothing                                                         6                     4
products manufactured in China; it is in fact the case
for major-brand articles manufactured in a number of                                                               5                     4
countries. The results demonstrate that this is a global
issue tying major clothing brands to toxic pollution released
                                                                                                                   4                     1
by multiple facilities and suppliers and found in multiple
clothing items.
                                                                                                                   4                     4
Furthermore, major clothing brands are making their
consumers unwitting contributors to increasing
levels of hazardous nonylphenol in the environment                                                                 10                    5
and water bodies of countries where the products
are purchased, as the washing of these clothing items
                                                                                                                   9                     7
can release residual levels of NPEs contained within the
apparel into sewage systems. Although the level of NPEs
in any given article of clothing is small, the sheer volume of                                                     4                     3
clothing being sold and subsequently washed means that
the total quantities being released may be substantial.
                                                                                                                   4                     3
The global nature of clothing production and trade also
means that articles containing residual levels of NPEs are
                                                                                                                   3                     3
being imported into countries, such as members of the EU,
where the use of these chemicals in clothing manufacture
has effectively been banned.5                                                                total                 78                   52

6   Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace                  Dirty Laundry 2:        Executive
International               Hung Out to Dry         Summary
                            Unravelling the toxic
                            trail from pipes to
                            products

   Clothing and the
   global toxic cycle                                                                      4) Global exports deliver
                                                                                           clothing containing residual
                                                                                           levels of NPEs to markets
                                                                                           even where these chemicals
                                                                                           are banned in clothing
                                                                                           manufacture.
     1) Formulations
     containing
     nonylphenol
     ethoxylates (NPEs)
     and other chemicals
     are delivered to textile                                                                              5) Washing
     manufacturers for use                                                                                 releases NPEs
     as surfactants.                                                                                       to water treatment
                                                                                                           facilities.

                                                                                                           6) Water treatment
                                                                                                           is generally
                                                                                                           ineffective in
    2) Lax regulation permits                                                                              dealing with NPEs,
    wastewater discharges                                                                                  essentially only
    of NPEs which break                                                                                    speeding up their
    down into persistent,                                                                                  breakdown
    bioaccumulative and                                                                                    to toxic NPs.
    hormone-disrupting
    nonylphenols (NPs)
    in rivers.
                                                                                                    7) Hormone-disrupting
                                                                                                    NPs end up in aquatic
                                                                                                    systems even in
     3) NPs                                                                                         countries where use of
     accumulate in                                                                                  the parent compounds
     sediments and                                                                                  (NPEs) is banned.
     can build up in
     the food chain,
     such as in fish.

                                          “The problem and the
                                   solution are not only a cause
                                     for local concern. This is a
                                             truly global issue.”

                                                    Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   7
Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
The need for leadership                                                                   Signs of progress
Irrespective of statements about corporate responsibility,                                The findings from this analysis build on two earlier studies
the results presented in this study indicate that major                                   published by Greenpeace. The report Swimming in
clothing brands do not currently have adequate policies,                                  Chemicals found that nonylphenol (as well as PFOS, and
practices or control over their production processes                                      other perfluorinated chemicals) were present in fish from
to prevent their supply chains from using and releasing                                   the Yangtze River Delta.6 A more recent study, detailed
hazardous chemicals into the environment, nor to                                          in the Dirty Laundry report, found hazardous chemicals
prevent them from leaving residues of these chemicals in                                  in samples of wastewater discharges from two Chinese
their products.                                                                           textile processing facilities, the Youngor Textile City
                                                                                          Complex and the Well Dyeing Factory Limited.7 These
The research highlights that the use of hazardous
                                                                                          facilities have links to a number of major international and
chemicals by the textile industry is a widespread
                                                                                          national clothing brands including Adidas, Nike, Puma and
and pervasive problem which international clothing
                                                                                          the Chinese company Li Ning.
brands are currently not addressing adequately.
                                                                                          Following the release of Dirty Laundry in July 2011, the
As brand owners, they are in the best position to
                                                                                          international sport lifestyle company Puma committed
influence the environmental impacts of production
                                                                                          to the elimination of all releases of hazardous chemicals
by working together with their suppliers to eliminate
                                                                                          throughout its supply chain by 2020, along with an action
the releases of all hazardous chemicals from the
                                                                                          plan detailing how it would deliver on this commitment
production process and their products. These brands
                                                                                          to be made publicly available within the following
need to take responsibility for the use and release of
                                                                                          eight weeks8. Nike’s subsequent commitment to zero
persistent, hormone-disrupting chemicals into our critical
                                                                                          discharge by 2020 not only adds a commitment to action
and life-sustaining waterways, in both textile-producing
                                                                                          on disclosing its hazardous chemical discharges to the
countries and in the countries where their products are
                                                                                          public but also offers to share its tools with the whole
ultimately sold.
                                                                                          apparel sector, seeking to catalyse a sectoral shift, and
Major brands have a special responsibility to ensure that                                 also supports the goal of systemic societal change.9
their overall environmental policies and performance                                      Greenpeace is calling on all the other brands
are consistent with the brand values they espouse.                                        to eliminate releases of hazardous chemicals
This is something they are currently failing to achieve.                                  throughout their supply chains and from their
A commitment to zero discharge of hazardous                                               products and to convert their words into concrete
chemicals and greater transparency throughout the                                         actions that help bring about a toxic-free world.
supply chain – along with a plan on how to achieve
this – is urgently needed in order to prevent the
further accumulation of hazardous substances in the
aquatic environment, and the resulting build-up in
people and wildlife.

8   Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace      Dirty Laundry 2:        Executive
International   Hung Out to Dry         Summary
                Unravelling the toxic
                trail from pipes to
                products

                                                                                                                                  © WILL ROSE / Greenpeace

                                        Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   9
Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry - Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
01
10   Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace               Dirty Laundry 2:                     Section

© ALEX STONEMAN / Greenpeace
                               International            Hung Out to Dry                      one
                                                        Unravelling the toxic
                                                        trail from pipes to
                                                        products

                               Methodology
                               and results
                                                                                                                                                                          1
                               Scope and extent of                                           While still in the store, purchased articles were immediately
                                                                                             sealed in individual clean polyethylene bags.
                               the research
                                                                                             Transport
                               The analysis of clothing and certain fabric-based
                               shoes focused on the quantification of NPE                    Sealed bags containing the articles were sent to the
                                                                                             Greenpeace Research Laboratories, at the University of
                               concentrations in the products. This does not
                                                                                             Exeter in the UK, from where they were dispatched for
                               rule out the possibility that other toxic chemicals           analysis.
                               were used in the production process, or that
                               traces of other pollutants were present in some               Analysis
                               of the tested articles.                                       Analysis of clothing was commissioned and organised
                                                                                             by the Greenpeace Research Laboratories and was
                               This research is believed to be the most                      conducted by an independent accredited laboratory.
                               extensive analysis of its kind to have been
                                                                                             For the majority of articles, a section of fabric that did not
                               conducted to date as far as products sold
                                                                                             bear any printing was removed and extracted.
                               by major clothing brands are concerned,
                               and certainly with respect to the coverage of                 From a small number of articles bearing a plastisol print of
                                                                                             an image, logo or text on the surface, the section on which
                               countries of manufacture and sale.
                                                                                             this item was printed was removed and extracted.

                               Protocol for purchase,                                        Samples were extracted with an acetonitrile-water mixture
                                                                                             in the ratio 70:30 and then analysed with reversed-
                               transport and analysis                                        phase HPLC liquid chromatography along with Applied
                                                                                             Biosystems’ API 4000 tandem mass spectrometry
                               Purchase
                                                                                             (LC-MS/MS).
                               Greenpeace purchased the articles of clothing that we
                               tested from companies’ flagship stores and other stores   .
                               authorised to sell the branded products, in 18 countries.
                               In order to ensure that the branded products purchased
                               and tested were legitimate branded products, Greenpeace
                               undertook a number of measures:

                               • All branded products were purchased from retailers who
                                 have represented themselves as legitimate distributors of
                                 the respective branded products named in this report.

                               • Greenpeace requested confirmation from each of the
                                 respective brands named in this report as to whether
                                 the branded product tested was purchased via a
                                 legitimate distributor. All stores have been confirmed
                                 as legitimate distributors for the branded products that
                                 we purchased10, with the exception of two stores from
                                 Kappa11 and one from Puma12.

                                                                                             Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   11
Nonylphenol (NP) and                                      Products tested, listed by brand
Nonylphenol ethoxylates
(NPEs)                                                      Brand
                                                                            Number
                                                                           of samples
                                                                                                Number
                                                                                             tested positive
Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs): NPEs are a
group of man-made chemicals that do not occur
                                                                                3                   3
in nature other than as a result of human activity.
These compounds belong to a broader group of
chemicals known as alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs),                              9                   4
chemicals most widely used as surfactants, including
in formulations used by textile manufacturers. Once                             4                   3
released to wastewater treatment plants, or directly
into the environment, NPEs degrade to nonylphenol.13
Due to concerns about their hazardous properties,                               6                   5
there have been restrictions on the use of NPEs in
some regions for almost 20 years.14                                             5                   3
Nonylphenol (NP): NP is manufactured for a
variety of specialised industrialised uses, including                           2                   0
the manufacture of NPEs. Following use, NPEs
can break back down into the NP from which they
were produced.15 NP is known to be persistent,                                  6                   4
bioaccumulative and toxic, and is able to act as a
hormone disruptor.16 NP is known to accumulate                                  5                   4
in the tissues of fish and other organisms, and
to magnify (be found at ever increasing levels)
through the food chain.17 NP has also recently                                  4                   1
been detected in human tissue.18
                                                                                4                   4
In some regions, the manufacture, use and release of
NP and NPEs have been regulated for many years.
For example, NP and NPEs were included on the first                            10                   5
list of chemicals for priority action towards achieving
the OSPAR Convention target of ending discharges,
                                                                                9                   7
emissions and losses of all hazardous substances
to the marine environment of the north-east Atlantic
by 2020.19 NP has also been included as a ‘priority                             4                   3
hazardous substance’ under the EU Water Framework
Directive.20 Furthermore, within the EU, since January
                                                                                4                   3
2005 products containing greater than 0.1% of NP
or NPEs may no longer be placed on the market,
with some minor exceptions principally for closed-                              3                   3
loop industrial systems.21 However, the restriction on
treated textile products imported from outside the EU
                                                           total               78                  52
has yet to be developed. Elsewhere, NP and NPEs
have very recently been included on the list of toxic
chemicals severely restricted for import and export in
China, which means that their import or export across
China’s borders now requires prior permission, though
their manufacture, use and release are not currently
regulated in China.22
Greenpeace            Dirty Laundry 2:                     Section
International         Hung Out to Dry                      one
                      Unravelling the toxic
                      trail from pipes to
                      products

Products tested, listed by the countries in which
                                                           Results and interpretation
they were purchased                                        Regarding the 78 articles analysed:

Country of              Number              Number         • 52 (two-thirds) tested positive for the presence of NPEs
Purchase               of samples        tested positive     above the limit of detection of 1 milligram NPE/kilogram
                                                             material (mg/kg);
Argentina                   4                   4
                                                           • Levels of NPEs in plain fabric ranged from just above the limit
                                                             of detection up to 1100 mg/kg. One plastisol printed image
Austria                     4                   2
                                                             sample was found to contain NPEs at 27000 mg/kg.
China                       10                  7          • Clothing from all brands but one (GAP, two samples)
                                                             contained NPEs above the detection limit;
Czech Republic              4                   1
                                                           • Clothing from 12 of the 13 countries of manufacture
Denmark                     3                   2            contained NPEs above the detection limit (the exception
                                                             being Tunisia, one sample);
Finland                     1                   1
                                                           • Clothing purchased in 17 out of the 18 countries
Germany                     7                   4            contained NPEs above the detection limit (the exception
                                                             being Sweden, two samples).
Italy                       4                   3
                                                           A summary of results is presented in the adjacent tables.
Japan                       5                   3

Netherlands                 5                   3
                                                           Levels of NPEs
                                                           The presence of NPEs in a product indicates it
Norway                      2                   2          was used during the manufacture of the product.
                                                           However, the level of NPEs in the articles is not
Philippines                 4                   2          indicative of the amount of NPEs used during
                                                           manufacture. It is possible that NPEs are washed out
Russia                      4                   4          from materials during manufacture, resulting in a low level
                                                           of NPEs in the final product. Therefore, a finished article
Spain                       4                   3          found to contain a low level of NPEs could have been
                                                           manufactured using far more NPEs than a finished article
Sweden                      2                   0          that was found to contain a higher level.

Switzerland                 6                   5          This study cannot indicate the extent to which NPEs are
                                                           used in the manufacture of articles for each brand as a
Thailand                    4                   4          whole. Similarly, no estimate can be made of the extent
                                                           to which NPEs are used in textile manufacture in each
UK                          5                   2          producing country as a whole. Nonetheless, the results
                                                           clearly indicate that the use of NPEs is widespread
total                       78                 52
                                                           throughout the international textile industry and
                                                           during the production of items for a host of major
                                                           international clothing brands.

                                                           More detailed results showing the variety of articles
                                                           analysed are contained in Appendix 1.

                                                           Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   13
Implications for wearers
The levels of NPEs detected in all articles are not known
to constitute any direct health risk to the wearers of the
clothing (for more information about NPEs and NP please
see page 13).

Some of the branded products analysed for this report.

           ABERCROMBIE & FITCH                                           ADIDAS             NIKE        UNIQLO
                tx11074                                                  tx11005           tx11027      TX11065

                     H&M                                                  PUMA            CONVERSE      LI NING
                    TX11078                                              tx11015           TX11033      tx11018

                                                                         LACOSTE           G-STAR
                                                                          tx11056          TX11061

                 CALVIN KLEIN                                           YOUNGOR          CALVIN KLEIN    KAPPA
                   tx11049                                               tx11039           tx11050      TX11053

14 Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace          Dirty Laundry 2:        Section
               International       Hung Out to Dry         one
                                   Unravelling the toxic
                                   trail from pipes to
                                   products

   H&M                               LI NING               CALVIN KLEIN                                            YOUNGOR
  TX11072                            tx11021                 tx11048                                                tx11038

  G-STAR                              NIKE                     KAPPA                                            RALPH LAUREN
  TX11064                            tx11028                  TX11055                                              tx11043

                                      PUMA                    ADIDAS
                                     tx11010                  tx11008

RALPH LAUREN                   ABERCROMBIE & FITCH          CONVERSE                                                UNIQLO
   tx11045                          tx11073                  TX11036                                                TX11068

                                                           Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   15
© ALEX STONEMAN / Greenpeace

     02
16                             Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace               Dirty Laundry 2:                       Section
International            Hung Out to Dry                        two
                         Unravelling the toxic
                         trail from pipes to
                         products

Discussion of results in
relation to the stances of
                                                                                                                                             2
major clothing brands
Many of the major clothing brands whose                         Given recognition of the need for cessation of releases of
products were tested in this analysis have                      NP in the EU, and the different restrictions a number of
                                                                countries have imposed on NP and NPEs, it is surprising
public policies restricting the presence of
                                                                that none of the brands mentioned in this report require
some hazardous substances in their products.                    their suppliers to eliminate the use of these chemicals in
Regarding pollution arising from their supply                   production. This is despite many of the brands having
chain, these policies are often limited to only                 recognised the hazards of NPEs/NP, and other dangerous
ensuring that suppliers comply with local                       chemicals, and placing restrictions on their presence in
standards – most of which rarely consider the                   their products.
discharge of the hazardous and persistent                       The most effective way to ensure that no hazardous
chemicals highlighted in this report.                           chemicals are present in clothing products,
                                                                while also ensuring there are no releases during
Several brands mentioned in this report regulate the            manufacture, is to require the elimination of the use
presence of NPEs/NP and other chemicals in their                of hazardous chemicals in production.
products, though so far, only two have committed to
require the elimination of their releases throughout their     It is clear that leading clothing brands have not yet
supply chain and products.23, 24                               made sufficient efforts to eliminate the use and release
                                                               of hazardous chemicals during production or to ensure
At present, none of the brands have established                that these chemicals are not present in products sold to
mechanisms for accountability that would require their         the consumer. While some brands are now beginning
suppliers to publicly disclose their use or discharge of       to engage and show leadership on this issue, most of
hazardous substances. This study provides an opportunity them still lack even a commitment to zero discharge
for the brands to be transparent and publicly reveal where of hazardous chemicals and the accompanying
the products tested have been manufactured and where           implementation plan and clear timelines for elimination.
NPEs and NP have been used and released in their supply Given the urgency of the situation, the risk these hazardous
chains. Greenpeace is calling on the brands to work with       chemicals pose and the responsibility these global brands
all their suppliers, to disclose and eliminate all releases of have towards their customers and the environment – it is
hazardous chemicals.                                           clear that this needs to change.
One example where the need for elimination and
substitution of hazardous chemicals has been recognised
is by the EU in its chemical management law REACH.25
This constitutes the best system currently in force to
protect the environment and human health against the
various adverse effects resulting from the use of hazardous
chemicals. Yet it is partly due to the fact that REACH has
not been fully implemented, and that it is yet to fully cover
imported products, that there are still loopholes that allow
NP to be released into environment in the EU, for example
via imported items containing residues of NPEs, such
as clothing.

                                                                Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   17
:
                                                                                                                  Lacoste states
                                                                                                                                    not have

                                                                                                                  “
                                                                                      Abercrombie
                                                                                      & Fitch states:             Lacoste does CSR
                                                                                                                                   f
                                                                                                                  a statement o orts

                                                                             “
                                                                                                                                  p p
 Adidas states
               :                                                                      Sustainability is a          policy but su        rvation
                                                                                                                                o n se
                is to become                                                          global initiative that we    crocodile c
                                                                                                                                    ng for over

“
 Our strategy                                                                                                      projects: “Usi odile as
                 ons company                                                          feel strongly about at
 a zero-emissi                                                                        Abercrombie & Fitch
                                                                                                                                     c
                                                                                                                   78 years a cro OSTE
                                                                                                                                L A  C
  by:                                                                                 and we stand by our           a logo, the
                  environmenta
                                    l                                                                                                  supports
  - Embedding in everything                                                           continued commitment          brand actively d by
                                                                                                                                    cte
     best practice                                                                    to environmental              projects sele guard or
                                                                                                                                 sa  fe
     we do                                                                            sustainability and             the GEF to          species
                                                                                                                                rt a in
                   environmenta
                                      l                                               compliance efforts.            protect ce
                                                                                                                                     alligators,

                                                                                                              ”
   - Maximising                                                                                                       of crocodile,
                     ins                                                                                                              vials now
      efficiency ga                                                                   Abercrombie & Fitch27
                                                                                                                      caiman or ga nction
                                       g
                   and harnessin                                                                                                       xti
                                                                                                                      in danger of e would
    - Supporting           io n fo r  a                                                                                             lo ss
      our people’s
                      pass                                                                                            and whose
                                                                                                                                       e biological

                                                           ”
       greener p la n e t.                                                                                             jeopardise th habitat

                                                                                                                                                  ”
                                                                                                                                       eir
                              te26
                                                                                                                       balance of th
         Adidas websi                                                                                                   areas.
                                                                                                                                   s kit28
                                                                                                                      Lacoste pres

18   Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace             Dirty Laundry 2:                     Section
    International          Hung Out to Dry                      two
                           Unravelling the toxic
                           trail from pipes to
                           products

“
   We recognise that
  our supply chain
  processes impact
  the environment.
  While we do not
  have direct control                              H&M states:

                                              “
  over our suppliers,
 vendors and service                               We apply the
 providers, we [...] seek                          precautionary
                                                                   ur
 to have our suppliers                             principle in o ork
                                                            m e n t w
                                                    environ
 and vendors meet                                              a d o pted a
                                                    and have
 our environmental                                                  approach
requirements with                                   preventative ution of
                                                                      it
respect to wastewate                                 with the subst micals.
                        r                                   o u s c h e
                                                     hazard

                                                                                     ”
treatment, hazardous
                                                                  us
chemicals, air quality                               H&M Conscio

                    ”
                                                                   inability
and recycling.                                       Actions Susta
                                                                 30

Phillips-Van Heusen,                                 Report 2010
owners of the
Calvin Klein brand,
Environmental Statem 29
                     ent

                                                                Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   19
© ALEX STONEMAN / Greenpeace

     03
20 Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace              Dirty Laundry 2:                     Section
International           Hung Out to Dry                      three
                        Unravelling the toxic
                        trail from pipes to
                        products

Conclusions and
recommendations
                                                                                                                                          3
Key conclusions                                              • Major clothing brands are making consumers of their
                                                               clothing unwitting contributors to increasing levels
• The problem of toxic pollution from textile                  of hazardous nonylphenol in the environments of
  manufacturing is pervasive and extensive                     countries where the products are sold, including
  across producer countries. The textile industry              where the parent groups of chemicals (the NPEs) have
  is responsible for unknown but potentially                   been banned. This is because washing will release
  significant quantities of hazardous chemicals                residual levels of NPEs in clothing into sewage systems,
  such as nonylphenol accumulating in the aquatic              and ultimately contribute to increasing levels of NP in the
  environment.                                                 environment. Although the level of NPEs in any given
• Irrespective of statements about corporate responsibility,   article of clothing is small, the sheer volume of clothing
  the results presented in this study indicate that major      being sold and subsequently washed means that the
  clothing brands currently do not have adequate               total quantities being released may be substantial.
  policies, practices or control over their supply           • Irrespective of the relatively small number of samples
  chains in respect of the use of hazardous                    included in the analysis, this research highlights that the
  chemicals. They must do more to prevent toxic                use of hazardous chemicals by the textile industry is a
  chemicals from reaching the environment in both              widespread and pervasive problem that the international
  textile-producing countries and countries where              clothing industry is currently not addressing adequately.
  their products are sold. The problem is by no means
  limited to major brands but these companies have           • These findings presented within this study are likely
  significant leverage over their suppliers. Major brands      to be just the tip of the iceberg, with the problems
  also have a special responsibility to ensure that their      associated with the release of hazardous chemicals
  overall environmental policies and performance are           not only limited to NPEs and NPs but a great number
  consistent with the brand values they espouse. This is       of hazardous substances currently used by the textile
  something they are currently failing to achieve.             industry.

                                                             Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   21
Recommendations                                              Above all, these companies need to act as leaders
                                                             and innovators. The problems associated with the use
Toxic pollution has to be dealt with in all countries.       and release of hazardous chemicals within the textile
Hazardous chemicals continue to be used and released,        industry will not be fixed by severing ties with one or two
contaminating our waterways and threatening our              polluting suppliers, or by eliminating one or two hazardous
livelihoods and our future. As influential actors implicated chemicals. The solutions are to be found in working
as part of a broken system, brands have a responsibility     together with suppliers to bring about systematic
to act now.                                                  change in the way brands and businesses create their
Greenpeace is calling on the brands identified in this       products. Such action requires vision, commitment
report to become champions for a toxic-free future by and a desire to improve upon the current approach to
eliminating all releases of hazardous chemicals from chemical management. Every brand and supplier has
their supply chains and their products. Specifically, this the responsibility to know when and where hazardous
entails establishing clear company and supplier policies     chemicals are being used and released up and down their
that commit their entire supply chain to shift from the use  supply chain and to strive to eliminate them.
of hazardous to safer chemicals, accompanied by a plan of It will therefore be through their actions – not their
action containing clear and realistic timelines.             words – that these brands can become genuine
Effective policies to eliminate the use and release of all                                 champions of a toxic-free future and agents of
hazardous chemicals across companies’ entire supply                                        positive change.
chains should be based on a precautionary approach
to chemicals management, and account for the whole
product lifecycle and releases from all pathways.                                          The time to act is now.
To be credible, these policies need to be accompanied                                      www.greenpeace.org/detox
by a plan of implementation, containing clear timelines
and recognising the need for mechanisms for disclosure
and transparent chemicals management, based on the
right-to-know principle31. Steps, such as knowing which
hazardous chemicals their suppliers use and release, being
transparent and accountable by making this data publicly
available, and prioritising the more hazardous chemicals for
immediate elimination are fundamental to demonstrating
real and substantial action in the shift towards championing
a toxic-free future.

22   Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace      Dirty Laundry 2:        Section
International   Hung Out to Dry         three
                Unravelling the toxic
                trail from pipes to
                products

                                                                                                                                   © WILL ROSE / Greenpeace

                                        Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   23
Appendix 1
78 products tested from 15 brands.
52 items found above detection limit. (NPEs; mg/Kg)

Reference                           NPEs                          Sample                   Country,      City,          Country of    Kind of
                                    (mg/kg)                       Code                     purchase      purchase       manufacture   product

Abercrombie & Fitch                 1100                          TX11073                  Japan         Tokyo          China         Jeans shorts
Abercrombie & Fitch                 39                            TX11074                  Denmark       Copenhagen     China         T-shirt
Abercrombie & Fitch                 18                            TX11075                  UK            London         Cambodia      T-shirt
Adidas                              18                            TX11003                  Thailand      Bangkok        Thailand      Polo shirt
Adidas                              14                            TX11005                  Norway        Oslo           China         Dress
Adidas                              2.0                           TX11008                  Italy         Rome           Thailand      Football shirt
Adidas                              1.1                           TX11077                  Switzerland   Berne          Philippines   Tracksuit trousers
Adidas
Greenpeace         Dirty Laundry 2:                    Appendix
               International      Hung Out to Dry                     one
                                  Unravelling the toxic
                                  trail from pipes to
                                  products

                                                                                                        The articles indicated by this colour bore
                                                                                                        a plastisol print of an image, logo or text.
                                                                                                        For these articles, this was this section
                                                                                                        that was removed and extracted.

Reference      NPEs            Sample                Country,         City,                          Country of                    Kind of
               (mg/kg)         Code                  purchase         purchase                       manufacture                   product

Kappa
Appendix 2
78 products tested from 15 brands manufactured in 13 countries.
52 items found above detection limit. (NPEs; mg/Kg)

Country of                          NPEs                         Brand                 Country of               NPEs      Brand
manufacture                         (mg/kg)                                            manufacture              (mg/kg)

Bangladesh                          41                           G-Star RAW                                     190       Youngor
(8 out of 11)                       13                           G-Star RAW                                     19        Youngor
© ALEX STONEMAN / Greenpeace   Greenpeace      Dirty Laundry 2:        Section
                                                                       Appendix
                               International   Hung Out to Dry         xxx
                                                                       two
                                               Unravelling the toxic
                                               trail from pipes to
                                               products

                                                                       Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   27
© ALEX STONEMAN / Greenpeace

          28                   Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace                Dirty Laundry 2:                 Appendix
                                                                                  Section
                       International             Hung Out to Dry                  three
                                                                                  xxx
                                                 Unravelling the toxic
                                                 trail from pipes to
                                                 products

Appendix 3
78 products tested from 15 brands purchased in 18 countries.
52 items found above detection limit. (NPEs; mg/Kg)

Country of             NPEs               Brand                          Country of                      NPEs                        Brand
purchase               (mg/kg)                                           purchase                        (mg/kg)

Argentina              29                 Calvin Klein
References

1 Jobling S, Reynolds T, White R, Parker MG & Sumpter JP (1995). A                         Environment of the North-East Atlantic, OSPAR Commission, London: 1 p.
variety of environmentally persistent chemicals, including some phthalate                  OSPAR (1998). OSPAR Strategy with Regard to Hazardous Substances,
plasticisers, are weakly estrogenic. Environmental Health Perspectives                     OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the
103(6): 582-587; Jobling S, Sheahan D, Osborne JA, Matthiessen P                           North-East Atlantic, OSPAR 98/14/1 Annex 34: EU (2001). Decision No
& Sumpter JP (1996). Inhibition of testicular growth in rainbow trout                      2455/2001/EC Of The European Parliament And Of The Council Of 20
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to estrogenic alkylphenolic chemicals.                       November 2001 Establishing The List Of Priority Substances In The Field Of
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15(2): 194-202                                      Water Policy And Amending Directive 2000/60/EC, Official Journal L 249 ,
                                                                                           17/09/2002: 27-30
2 All communications concerning Calvin Klein products have been
conducted with Philips van Heusen Corporation, the owners of the Calvin                    15 OSPAR (2004) op cit.
Klein brand. The four Calvin Klein products tested in this report are licensed
by PVH to Warnaco.                                                                         16 Jobling et al (1995) op cit; Jobling et al (1996) op cit.

3 Clothing was purchased in 18 countries: Argentina, Austria, China, the                   17 OSPAR (2004) op cit.
Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands,                  18 Lopez-Espinosa MJ, Freire C, Arrebola JP, Navea N, Taoufiki J,
Norway, the Philippines, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and                  Fernandez MF, Ballesteros O, Prada R & Olea N (2009). Nonylphenol and
the UK.                                                                                    octylphenol in adipose tissue of women in Southern Spain. Chemosphere
4 Clothing was manufactured in 13 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia,                         76(6): 847-852
China, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka,                       19 OSPAR (1998). OSPAR Strategy with Regard to Hazardous Substances,
Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey and Vietnam. Three items of were of an unknown                   OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the
country of manufacture.                                                                    North-East Atlantic, OSPAR 98/14/1 Annex 34
5 EU (2003). Directive 2003/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the                    20 EU (2001) op cit.
Council of 18 June 2003, amending for the 26th time Council Directive
76/769/EEC relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain                    21 EU (2003) op cit.
dangerous substances and preparations (nonylphenol, nonylphenol
ethoxylate and cement), now entry number 46 of annex 17 of COMMISSION                      22 MEP (2011). List of Toxic Chemicals Severely Restricted for Import and
REGULATION (EC) No 552/2009 of 22 June 2009 amending Regulation                            Export in China(2011). Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), The
(EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on                         People’s Republic of China.
the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals                   http://www.crc-mep.org.cn/news/NEWS_DP.aspx?TitID=267&T0=10000
(REACH) as regards Annex XVII. Official Journal L 164. 26.6.2009: 7-31                     &LanguageType=CH&Sub=125

6 Brigden K, Allsop M & Santillo D (2010). Swimming in chemicals.                          23 Following the release of the first Dirty Laundry report in July 2011, the
Greenpeace Research Laboratories, GRL-TN 07/2010 available at http://                      international sportlifestyle company Puma committed to the elimination of all
www.greenpeace.to/publications/swimming-in-chemicals.pdf                                   releases of hazardous chemicals from throughout its supply chain by 2020,
                                                                                           along with an action plan detailing how it would deliver on this commitment
7 Greenpeace International (2011). Dirty Laundry. Unravelling the corporate                to be made publicly available within the following 8 weeks. The commitment
connections to toxic water pollution in China, available at http://www.                    can be viewed at: http://safe.puma.com/us/en/2011/07/puma-is-
greenpeace.org/dirtylaundryreport                                                          committed-to-eliminate-discharges-of-hazardous-chemicals-2/

8 Puma’s commitment is available at http://safe.puma.com/us/en/2011/07/                    24 Nike’s subsequent commitment to zero discharge by 2020 not only adds
puma-is-committed-to-eliminate-discharges-of-hazardous-chemicals-2/                        a commitment to action on disclosing its hazardous chemical discharges
                                                                                           to the public but also offers to share its tools with the whole apparel sector,
9 Nike’s commitment is available at http://www.nikebiz.com/media/                          seeking to catalyse a sectoral shift, and also supports the goal of systemic
pr/2011/08/17_zero_discharge.html                                                          societal change. Nike’s commitment is available at http://www.nikebiz.com/
10 Youngor did not respond to our letter. Greenpeace however, has                          media/pr/2011/08/17_zero_discharge.html
substantial information that the store where we bought the products from is                25 Regulation No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the
an authorised dealer.                                                                      Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation,
11 These two stores are in Bangkok and Vienna. They both represented                       Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
themselves as authorised Kappa retailers. To further ensure we had                         26 https://afcares.anfcorp.com/anf/intranet/site/afcares/sustainability
purchased and tested legitimate Kappa branded products, Greenpeace
made repeated communications to Kappa’s head office in Turin, Italy.                       27 Adidas Group (2011) “Green company”. http://www.adidas-group.com/
However, over several weeks, Kappa neither confirmed nor denied the                        en/sustainability/Environment/green_company/default.aspx
authenticity of these stores with regards to the Kappa branded products.
                                                                                           28 http://www.hm.com/filearea/corporate/fileobjects/pdf/en/CSR_
12 While a trademark dispute, between Puma AG and the Spanish                              REPORT2010_PDF_1302846254219.pdf
distributor Estudio 2000, is under litigation, Puma does not recognise
the Madrid Studio 2000 store, where we purchased the Puma branded                          29 http://www.lacoste.com/library/download/pdf/LACOSTE_presskit_
products we tested, as a legitimate distribution outlet for its products.                  en.pdf
Estudio 2000 claims the products currently sold in this store were                         30 http://www.pvh.com/pdf/environmental_policy.pdf
manufactured by Puma AG.
                                                                                           31 The ‘right to know’, in the context of workplace and community
13 OSPAR (2004). Nonylphenol/nonylphenol ethoxylates, OSPAR Priority                       environmental law, is a term commonly used to refer to the legal principle
Substances Series 2001, updated 2004, OSPAR Convention for the                             (or recognition of this principle) whereby the individual has the right to know
Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, OSPAR                     about the environmental hazards - including chemicals - to which they may
Commission, London, ISBN 0-946956-79-0: 20 pp. http://www.ospar.org/                       be exposed in their daily life. More specifically, community right-to-know
documents/dbase/publications/p00136_BD%20on%20nonylphenol.pdf                              aims to allow members of the public greater access to environmental
14 PARCOM (1992). PARCOM Recommendation 92/8 on nonylphenol-                               information held by companies or public authorities, thereby increasing the
ethoxylates, OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine                             transparency and accountability of both.

30   Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products
Greenpeace      Dirty Laundry 2:

                                                                                                                                       © ALEX STONEMAN / Greenpeace
International   Hung Out to Dry
                Unravelling the toxic
                trail from pipes to
                products

                                                                                                                              ©Greenpeace / xxx

                                        Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry Unravelling the toxic trail from pipes to products   31
Greenpeace International
       Ottho Heldringstraat 5
        1066 AZ Amsterdam
          The Netherlands

  Greenpeace is an independent global
   campaigning organisation that acts
   to change attitudes and behaviour,
to protect and conserve the environment
         and to promote peace.

  greenpeace.org
You can also read