A new Greenpeace Germany report shows the progress of global clothing brands and suppliers in detoxing from hazardous chemicals, as well as identifying future challenges for all stakeholders.
Seven years after Greenpeace started the Detox My Fashion campaign, asking fashion companies to stop polluting waterways with hazardous chemicals from clothing production, all 80 companies that took the pledge to phase out these chemicals from their production-line by 2020 have achieved significant progress.
For the first time maps the major steps all companies have made together across all sectors, including fashion, sportswear and luxury retailers, outdoor brands and suppliers. Together, these companies represent 15 % of global clothing production.
The report addresses major joint challenges and maps out next steps to achieve a hazardous-free future for fashion.
Download the report:
- Destination Zero – Seven Years of Detoxing the Clothing Industry
- Destination Zero – Annexes: this document includes further details on Figure 1, the elements of Detox (Annex 1), and reproduces the responses from all of the Detox Committed brands and companies to Greenpeace’s survey about their progress on the hazardous chemicals aspect of their commitment (Annex 2).
Discussion
The United Nations can make a board for regulating the fashion industry prevent green wash in fast Fashion. If there will not regulatory board no one can control the fashion industry to stop polluting our only home earth.
How do more companies / brands get involved with this accountability and transparency initiative and commitment, now and in the future? Can consumers recommend companies to sign this pledge, and put pressure on those companies who are not yet participating? I don't see any action steps along these lines on your website... please consider adding, to further increase the impact of this important initiative. The textile industry is large and includes many industries / markets / companies / brands.
Thanks a lot for the information, it's really helpful
Hi. We are starting out as a responsible producer of outdoor wear but we know there is still more we need to do. How to we become a Detox Committed company?
As you didn't get an official reply from GreenPeace, I wanted to offer this link that may be helpful to you: Oeko-Tex Detox to Zero https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/our-standards/detox-to-zero-by-oeko-tex Get assessed! Take responsibility: apply to OEKO-TEX® and gradually implement the requirements of the Greenpeace DETOX Campaign together with you and your suppliers. Also, if you look at the Annexes of the Destination Zero report, you will see specific companies who are Detox Committed companies in your sector (e.g. outdoor wear). You can then communicate / collaborate with them directly about the Detox Commitments. https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-international-stateless/2018/07/Destination-Zero-Annexes.pdf
Also, this may help as well: https://www.roadmaptozero.com/about Become a contributor with this initiative / coalition.
Since you have received no official reply yet from Greenpeace, let me offer this link that might be helpful (I have been trying to research this exact quesion myself): https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/our-standards/detox-to-zero-by-oeko-tex. Also, in the Annexes of the Destination Zero report (https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-international-stateless/2018/07/Destination-Zero-Annexes.pdf), you will find details from the Detox Committed companies in your sector (outdoor wear, in your case), and you may learn from them or be able to coordinate with them.
Did the 80 companies achieve their goal of becoming toxic-free? 2020 was the target. In addition, will you be releasing new data related to this initiative? Thanks!
Companies have come a long way. All of the Detox committed brands and companies have delivered on the rigorous management of hazardous chemicals in a complex and global supply chain, and on the public disclosure of supply chain emissions to wastewater - although not all at the same pace as they face different challenges due to their size and specific market. Collectively, they have reached a critical point where there’s no going back, demonstrating the significance and feasibility of the paradigm shift advocated by the campaign. The progress made by individual companies towards the goal of zero discharges of hazardous chemicals by 2020, detailed in the above report Destination Zero, also continues beyond 2020, through company updates and the publication of wastewater data and suppliers lists This significant progress and the contribution of different actors in the sector means that leading companies and several industry stakeholders are taking responsibility for not only securing the 2020 goal but also promoting it to the entire textile sector (for example ZDHC, the group of textiles suppliers in Italy (Detox Consortium (CID)), OEKO-TEX, Bluesign). Greenpeace continues to maintain our role as a watchdog; we are not planning a full review of progress made by Detox Committed companies; it’s the responsibility of Detox committed brands to continue with implementing Detox, collaborate with other Detox committed brands and organisations such as those mentioned above, and to push for best practice to be implemented across the board and the wider textiles industry. Greenpeace is also scrutinising future developments in the textile sector and actively responding to opportunities like the new German Supply Chain law that proposes making companies that produce abroad responsible for human rights violations and environmental offenses. The depth and breadth of the voluntary adoption of the supply chain chemical management and disclosure tools developed as a result of Greenpeace’s Detox Campaign, provides a good case study (English version) for the tools and practices that would be required to implement such a regulation on global extended supply chain producer responsibility.
Is there an update on this campaign? Did the 80 companies meet their goal of going toxic-free by this year?
Hi Natalia - sharing update here: Companies have come a long way. All of the Detox committed brands and companies have delivered on the rigorous management of hazardous chemicals in a complex and global supply chain, and on the public disclosure of supply chain emissions to wastewater - although not all at the same pace as they face different challenges due to their size and specific market. Collectively, they have reached a critical point where there’s no going back, demonstrating the significance and feasibility of the paradigm shift advocated by the campaign. The progress made by individual companies towards the goal of zero discharges of hazardous chemicals by 2020, detailed in the above report Destination Zero, also continues beyond 2020, through company updates and the publication of wastewater data and suppliers lists This significant progress and the contribution of different actors in the sector means that leading companies and several industry stakeholders are taking responsibility for not only securing the 2020 goal but also promoting it to the entire textile sector (for example ZDHC, the group of textiles suppliers in Italy (Detox Consortium (CID)), OEKO-TEX, Bluesign). Greenpeace continues to maintain our role as a watchdog; we are not planning a full review of progress made by Detox Committed companies; it’s the responsibility of Detox committed brands to continue with implementing Detox, collaborate with other Detox committed brands and organisations such as those mentioned above, and to push for best practice to be implemented across the board and the wider textiles industry. Greenpeace is also scrutinising future developments in the textile sector and actively responding to opportunities like the new German Supply Chain law that proposes making companies that produce abroad responsible for human rights violations and environmental offenses. The depth and breadth of the voluntary adoption of the supply chain chemical management and disclosure tools developed as a result of Greenpeace’s Detox Campaign, provides a good case study (English version) for the tools and practices that would be required to implement such a regulation on global extended supply chain producer responsibility.
Hi, I want to know what is difference between Detox and ZDHC. Thanks/Mizan
I agree
Excellent Work by Greenpeace
It's great to see the commitment towards being zero toxic. The challenges will always lie in supply chain adoption. It's time there was also greater focus and recognition of manufacturers doing better than average work ... even in places like Asia where companies like MAS Holdings have committed and continue to innovate solutions to achieve their own zero toxic goals. Deeper thought and more aggressive action is what's necessary for real impact.
This is something we should discuss together
Saving water and avoid pollution of rivers and lakes should be done. But H2O is one of the few elements that can be recycled almost endlessly. The problem is energy because energy is used to recycle and energy is used to make products that are never sold and even destroyed. We always talk about about end-of-life of the products but nobody seems to worry of the huge problems related to the beginning-of-life. We have done research and published our results in the last years and slowly we are starting to get our message across but there is a long way to go. Can Greenpeace help?
The beginning of life concept sounds interesting, we would interested in reading your published research.
this is very good initiatives also we are following ZDHC rules. also tring to meet the standard