Greenpeace investigates toxic pollution in China

BEIJING - Greenpeace has launched a new global campaign to stop the widespread and severe water pollution caused by parts of China’s textile industry.

Activists branded the world's largest Adidas store and a nearby Nike store in Beijing with the campaign’s‘Detox’logo, part of a campaign calling for the sportswear giants to remove toxic chemicals from their supply chains and from their products.

The demand comes as the result of a year-long Greenpeace investigation into toxic water pollution in China.

The Greenpeace International "Dirty Laundry" report, launched at press conferences in Beijing and Hong Kong, found hazardous chemicals in samples of wastewater discharges taken at two textile processing facilities, Youngor Textile City Complex and the Well Dyeing Factory Limited in the Yangtze and Pearl river deltas.

According to Greenpeace, both facilities have commercial links to a number of major international and national clothing brands. However, when confirming their commercial relationship with the Youngor Group, several brands including Bauer Hockey, Converse, Cortefiel, H&M, Nike and Puma told Greenpeace that they make no use of the wet processes of the Youngor Group for the production of their garments.

“Greenpeace is challenging the clothing brands named in this report to eliminate releases of hazardous chemicals from their supply chain and products, and we are calling on trendsetting brands that have a major influence on their supply chains, such as Adidas and Nike, to take the lead,”said Yifang Li, Greenpeace East Asia Toxic Campaigner.

“Now we have scientific evidence confirming that hazardous chemicals are being released into China’s rivers to make clothes worn by people around the globe.”

The chemicals found in the sampling carried out by Greenpeace include persistent and bioaccumulative hormone disruptors that pose long-term threats to the environment and to human health. Among the chemicals found in sampling were: alkyphenols (including nonyphenol), perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) and perfluorooctane sulphorate (PFSs).

Greenpeace also said that its solution to this problem is the adoption of comprehensive chemicals management policies, enabling these companies to systematically monitor, reduce and eliminate hazardous chemicals throughout their supply chain.