Greenpeace- one of the leading non-governmental organizations in China pushing for an end to the poisoning of country's water and illegal e-waste trade - has recently published a report examining two textile industry towns in Guangdong province. The report reveals some shocking facts about the level of pollution caused by textile factories located in these major production centers. The study has shown behind-the-scenes look at how clothing is produced in these factories. The report says that these scenes "may make you think twice before queuing up for buying these clothes". The summary of this report is reproduced below through the courtesy of Greenpeace.
From April to October, we visited Xintang, the "Jeans Capital of the World," and Gurao, a manufacturing town 80% of whose economy is devoted to bras, underwear, and other clothing articles.
Bluejeans are much dirtier than you might ever guess. That cool distressed denim wash is the result of a several chemical-intensive washes. Fabric printing and dyeing involves such heavy metals as cadmium, lead and mercury - not stuff that you want to be getting near your bare skin!
Greenpeace testing found five heavy metals (cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead, and copper)in 17 out of 21 water and sediment samples taken from throughout Xintang and Gurao. In one samples, cadmium exceeded China's national limits by 128 times!
Originally published in New Cloth Market, March-2011.
Comments