indigofan

Thanks to David who posted me a link to this CNN article & video report by Emily Chang. The article details the extent of pollution being created in Guangzhou China, the primary denim production location in the world.

“… blue-jean clad consumers everywhere probably don’t realize the process by which denim is made may be poisoning China’s water supply.”

It’s easy for us outside of China to think “Hey it’s some other country – they need to look after their own environment.”, but I know that I wouldn’t want to drink that water or eat a fish from that river.

There’s a good chance that your China Made denim comes from this area.  Remember that most brands are manufacturing in China nowdays, not just the low-end brands.

Brands like GAP and Levis have “Corporate Codes of Conduct” which detail factory standards for both Worker Conditions and the Environment. And I believe that these two brands conduct annual audits/inspections of the factories where their goods are made.

Levis
http://levistrauss.com/sustainability

GAP
http://www.gapinc.com/socialresponsibility/

Let me know if you are aware of other brands which also do this.  There should be an international standard with clear labeling on all garments.

You can download the Greenpeace report “Poisoning the Pearl” from their web site here:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/publications/reports/poisoning-the-pearl/