In the latest report, the researchers simulated a standard household laundry environment and tested the washing effect of 14 samples including Adidas, Nike, Li Ning, and H&M. The inspection results show that the pollution caused by the textile industry is not limited to the production sites, but also extends pollution to the consumer sites, resulting in a global recycling chain of toxic and hazardous substances.
Greenpeace's findings show that many of the toxic and harmful substances NPE (nonyl phenol ethoxylate) remaining on domestic and international branded apparel products are released during the washing process and then discharged into rivers, lakes and oceans. , and converted into a more toxic, interfering with the endocrine system chemicals NP (nonyl phenol). NP is very toxic to aquatic organisms, and very low concentrations can cause fish to die. At the same time, it can also interfere with biological reproductive development.
The report also mentioned that according to H&M's current 100ppm NPE ceiling calculation, H&M sells 15 to 20 tons of NPE in textile products sold to countries around the world every year. The situation with other brands may also be similar.
Zhang Kai, director of the Greenpeace Pollution and Prevention Program, said that NP is recognized worldwide as an environmental hormone. Once it is discharged into the environment, it will exist in the environment for a long time, and it can enter the food chain and be amplified step by step through the food chain. People at the highest end of the food chain are like a gluttonous snake, and NPs eventually pass through the food to the human body.
Li Pei, director of the Greenpeace Pollution Prevention and Control Program, wrote on March 20th that there are 70 kinds of internationally recognized environmental hormones such as NP. China’s policy on these toxic and harmful substances is basically blank, lagging behind at least one of the developed countries. ten years.
Li Fang told 21st Century Net that as of March 23, six companies except Hummer, Nike, Adidas, Li Ning, H&M, and C&A have publicly pledged to implement the “Joint Roadmap for Zero Emissions of Toxic and Hazardous Substances†to eliminate supply. Apart from all the poisonous and harmful substances on the chain, no other apparel manufacturer has yet found a similar commitment.
In the 21st Century Network, it was discovered that Hummer had published the joint response letter of six companies on its official website on March 19. It also announced the sustainable development report of Yonma over the years. 21st Century Network called the relevant person in charge of Li Ning Company to try to understand the current progress, but the phone has not been answered.
In addition to being widely used in the textile industry, many household and commercial cleaning items, including detergents, shampoos, shower gels, and surface cleaners, contain NPE. The EU has promulgated the "Regulations on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals" in 2005, which restricts the use of NPE and NP in the textile manufacturing industry. However, there are no relevant restrictive regulations on the detergent industry.
Li Yi pointed out to 21st Century Network that Greenpeace’s current NPE survey is mainly concentrated in the textile field, and does not rule out the future investigation of the detergent industry.
At the beginning of 2011, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the General Administration of Customs released the “China's Catalogue of Toxic Chemicals for Strict Restrictions on Imports and Exports†for the first time listing nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (NPE) as prohibited substances. . However, China has not made corresponding provisions for the NPE content of domestic products.
Environmentalists call for the Chinese government to issue relevant laws and regulations as soon as possible, and related production companies should also strengthen self-regulation. Environmentalists are concerned that garment suppliers will reduce the NPE content of finished products through multiple washings rather than eliminating NPE from the source, ultimately increasing the pollution of toxic and hazardous substances in the production areas of clothing.
Recently, Greenpeace released the third "fashion virus report." Six companies, including Puma, Nike, Adidas, Li Ning, H&M, and C&A, have made commitments to implement the Joint Roadmap for Zero Emissions of Toxic and Harmful Substances. Responsible person of Greenpeace stated that the NPE investigation does not rule out the future development of the detergent industry.
June 04, 2019