Sixteen of 27 children’s clothing samples obtained from eight global fashion brands has been found to contain at least one type of hazardous chemical residue, Greenpeace Taiwan said yesterday.
As part of its worldwide detox campaign, the environmental NGO Greenpeace has in recent years published several reports on the toxicity test results of clothing, hoping to pressure global fashion brands to take the lead in cutting out the use of toxic substances in their manufacturing process, as well as to take responsibility for their wastewater discharges.
Greenpeace Taiwan yesterday released its latest test results on 27 children clothing produced by fashion brands Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton (LV), Hermes, Marc Jacobs, Trussardi and Versace.
It said 16 clothing samples were found to contain at least one type of toxic chemical substance — such as nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE), phthalates, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) or antimony.
The items included a Dior children’s shirt, bought in Taiwan and made in Morocco, which was found to contain a NPE level of 460 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg).
A pair of ballet shoes from LV, bought in Switzerland and made in Italy, was found to have an NPE level as high as 760mg/kg.
Seven of the 12 samples found with NPE were produced in Italy, it said, adding that among the tested samples from the eight brands, Trussardi — with three samples — was the only brand which was not found to have toxic chemical residue in its products.
Since it launched its detox campaign, 19 brands and one supplier have promised to make efforts to stop the use of toxic chemicals in their clothing production process, the organization said.
Greenpeace added that it urges other big brands to be socially and environmentally responsible.
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