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What is the problem?

The fashion industry is a highly polluting industry. Experts estimate that over 8,000 chemicals are used by the textile industry, and there isn’t enough transparency about what chemicals are being used by specific companies or in specific garments.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 20% of industrial water pollution comes from the textile manufacturing industry. Wastewater containing the chemicals and dyes used in manufacturing textiles end up in local water sources; in some manufacturing countries, local water sources are so polluted by chemicals that they can no longer sustain wildlife. In some places, locals can tell what is the ‘It’ color of the year based on what color the local river source is.

Meanwhile, workers are exposed to toxic chemicals while bleaching, dyeing, and applying finishing treatments to textiles that will become clothes.

Chemicals in clothing not only affect workers, communities, and environments in manufacturing countries, residual chemicals can also affect consumer health as well.

Why the Toxic Textiles campaign?

The Toxic Textiles campaign is putting the spotlight on major American apparel companies to get them to come clean about what chemicals they’re using and how they plan on cleaning up their supply chain. We believe that clean clothes should be available to all consumers – not just consumers who can afford to buy clothing at a premium price point.

Safer alternatives and better wastewater management technology are already available – but companies and factories have little incentive to use them when they can hide the toxins lurking in their clothes. Meanwhile, there are industry initiatives that are already helping companies adopt chemical management policies. We need more companies to take part in these initiatives.

Why disclosure?

Thousands of chemicals and dyes are used to turn raw materials into our clothes. There currently isn’t enough transparency or understanding of all of the different chemicals and chemical formulations that are being used, nor their impacts on human and environmental health. Regulation like Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) in the European Union is designed to help identify more of the chemicals and chemical formulations that are being used by the industry. We need similar disclosure here in the US, but since our national government is failing to protect workers and the public, we need to demand transparency directly from companies.