Benetton commits to eliminate toxics from fashion

“Benetton shows its true colours with this commitment to clean up their toxic footprint. The question now is when will the other big Italian fashion houses respond to the demand from their customers and affected communities to create fashion that doesn’t cost the earth?” said Chiara Campione, Campaigner at Greenpeace Italy.

As part of its commitment Benetton Group plans to disclose discharge data from 30 of their global suppliers (including all of their own facilities) by the end of 2013, further accelerating the transparency revolution taking place in the fashion sector inspired by the Detox campaign. This disclosure will empower people living near manufacturing facilities providing information on what is being discharged into their environment.

“Benetton’s commitment joins the ranks of other big brands such as Levi’s, and together they are throwing down the gauntlet to the fashion industry to develop and use non-hazardous chemical alternatives. This is a victory for local communities around the world affected daily by toxic water pollution,” said Campione.

The Benetton Group becomes the thirteenth global corporation to make a credible commitment to clean up its supply chain and products since Greenpeace launched its Detox campaign in 2011, and the ninth to provide a concrete date [end of 2015] by which it will have eliminated all perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). The commitment will apply to all of Benetton’s 6,500 stores and to all of the brands under the Benetton Group, including Sisley and Playlife.

Greenpeace’s Detox campaign demands fashion brands commit to zero discharge of all hazardous chemicals by 2020 and require their suppliers to disclose all releases of toxic chemicals from their facilities to communities at the site of the water pollution.

Greenpeace