Change is most difficult but also most effective when it happens at the root of a problem. This is why we are now working with Italy’s Prato region to Detox the companies that supply renowned fashion brands, including Gucci, Prada and Armani.
Cerboni Gianluca (Manager) Carlesi Laura (Commercial Director) (Filati Biagioli Modesto Spa). © Andrea Guermani / Greenpeace
As of today, 20 companies in the Prato textile district, the oldest in Italy, have joined the Greenpeace Detox campaign. They have already made great strides to remove hazardous chemicals from their factories and they are eager to make more.
Together we are shaping a future supply chain that will eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals such as persistent and bioaccumulative PFCs, brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, organotin compounds, and amines associated with azo dyes which can have negative effects on human reproductive systems and cause cancer.
The Confindustria Toscana Nord, representing the largest textile district in Europe, has assured us that they are very serious in making this positive change. They are investing finances and resources to track progress, ensure transparency, and reform action plans to fully detox their products. These actions will be felt throughout supply chains around the globe and will work their way into brands that have been unable or unwilling to enlist their suppliers in the past.
Roberta Pecci (legal representative) Pecci Filati Spa. © Andrea Guermani / Greenpeace
We are impressed with the determination and focus of the companies who have joined and are eager to see who will follow their lead. The level of commitment being shown by Prato means that future industry commitments will be measured against this new gold standard.
Marco Benesperi – Filati Bemiva Spa and Cromos Srl. © Andrea Guermani / Greenpeace
What excuse can fashion brands like Gucci, Prada, or Armani now use when it comes to Detox?
Their own suppliers in Prato are showing a level of ambition that they weren’t stylish enough to achieve.
We hope to see more companies, inspired by Prato, join the campaign and pledge to Detox by 2020. We also hope to see more people follow their conscience and demand chemical free fashion. Above all, we hope to see our air and rivers become cleaner through Detox. Today’s news strengthens that hope.
As companies and supply chains take action to Detox, find out what you can do as a Detox consumer!
Chiara Campione is with the #DetoxOutdoor campaign at Greenpeace Italy
Global fast fashion brands are churning out more clothes than the planet can handle.