Connect with us

Fashion

Fashion giants linked to deforestation in Brazil DW 04/11/2024

Fashion giants linked to deforestation in Brazil DW 04/11/2024

 


Before they reach the The windows of fashion giants like Zara and H&M, cotton pants, shorts, shirts and socks leave behind a trail of deforestation, land grabbing and human rights violations in Brazil.
Even though many of them carry the label of sustainable production, a year-long investigation carried out by the UK-based NGO Earthsight detailed the link between the cultures of Brazil, the world's fourth largest cotton producer, and European brands. Earthsight analyzed satellite images, shipping records, public records and visited growing regions to track the journey taken by 816,000 tons of cotton.

According to the report, this raw material was produced specifically for eight Asian companies which, between 2014 and 2023, manufactured approximately 250 million retail items. Many of them, according to the survey, supplied brands such as H&M and Zara, among others.

“It’s shocking to see these connections between very recognizable global brands who apparently aren’t doing enough to control these supply chains. To know where the cotton comes from and what kind of impact it’s causing,” Rubens Carvalho, responsible for deforestation. search at Earthsight, told DW.

How quickly fashion is killing the planet

To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider switching to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

The problem lies at the source: Cotton for export is mainly produced in the western part of the Brazilian state of Bahia, a region immersed in a tropical and extremely biodiverse savannah called the Cerrado.

The vegetation in the The Cerrado is often razed illegally to make room for crops and culture. Deforestation there has doubled over the past five years, according to the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research.

Deforestation and land grabbing

Among the cases analyzed in the report is the SLC Agricola group, which claims being responsible for 11% of Brazil's cotton exports. The Earthsight report estimates that over the past 12 years, Cerrado land equivalent to 40,000 football fields has been destroyed on SLC farms.

And meIn 2020, the company, which also grows soy, was named the largest deforester in the biome, according to US think tank Chain Reaction Research.

In 2021, SLC is committed to a zero deforestation policy with its suppliers. A year later, a report by the nonprofit consultancy Aidenvironment found that 1,365 hectares of the Cerrado had been razed to cotton-growing properties. And almost half of this sum was in the legal reserve.

When asked about these allegations, the group told DW that “all conversions of SLC's native vegetation have occurred within the limits established by law.”

A.Regarding Aidenvironment's accusation, the company said the destruction was caused by “a natural fire and not by the opening of new production areas.”

Another group analyzed in detail is Horita, which Earthsight has accused of violent land conflicts with traditional indigenous communities. The Horita Group did not respond to DW's request for comment.

Cotton bound to European brands

In his investigation, Earthsight traced and tracked the route of 816,000 tonnes of cotton exports from SLC Agricola and the Horita Group between 2014 and 2023. The main destinations were China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey, Bangladesh and the Pakistan. Trackable data has led to eight clothing manufacturers in Asia.

All the identified intermediaries (PT Kahatex in Indonesia; Noam Group and Jamuna Group in Bangladesh; Nisha, Interloop, YBG, Sapphire, Mtmt, in Pakistan) supply retail products to brands like Zara and H&M, according to the NGO.

“Cotton we linked to land rights and environmental abuses in Bahia is Better Cotton certified. The program clearly failed to prevent this cotton from reaching affected consumers,” the Earthsight report said.

LaunchCreated in 2009 by the fashion industry and organizations such as WWF, Better Cotton created a label to certify the safe origin of the raw material. According to the initiative, there are 370 certified farms in Brazil in partnership with the country's Cotton Producers Association, Abrapa.

Better Cotton, based in Switzerland told DW that it had just completed a thorough third-party audit of affected farms and needed time to analyze the results and implement changes if necessary.

“The issues raised [by the report] demonstrate the urgent need for government support to address the issues highlighted and ensure fair and effective implementation of the rule of law,” the initiative’s email said.

Can we really recycle our old clothes?

To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider switching to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

More control of supply chains is necessary

H&M told DW that “the findings of the report are very concerning”, adding that it takes the matter very seriously.

“We are in close dialogue with Better Cotton to monitor the results of the survey and the next steps that will be taken to strengthen and revise its standards,” the retailer said in an email.

Zara told DW that it also takes the accusations against Better Cotton “extremely seriously” and is demanding that the certification body share the results of its investigation as quickly as possible.

On April 10, Inditex, owner of Zara, demanded more transparency from Better Cotton after it was announced that the report would be published the following day.

Inditex sent a letter to the initiative dated April 8, requesting clarification on the certification process. Inditex does not purchase cotton directly from suppliers, but the companies that produce it are audited by certification bodies such as Better Cotton.

For Rubens Carvalho According to Earthsight, holding Europeans to account is part of the solution to ending deforestation and rights abuses in raw material production centers like Brazil.

“Cotton is still poorly regulated on European markets. They must regulate its consumption and dissociate it from negative environmental and human impacts.” he said. “They need serious regulations that punish non-compliance. This increases the pressure on producers. »

Ghana has become the dumping ground for fast fashion

To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider switching to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

This article was originally written in Portuguese.

Sources:

Aidenvironment Real-Time Deforestation Monitoring (RDM) Report – November 2022
https://aidenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/LIFE_RDM_Report_7_Nov_2022.pdf

Fashion Crimes, Earthsight – April 11, 2024
https://www.earthsight.org.uk/fashion-crimes

Sources

1/ https://Google.com/

2/ https://www.dw.com/en/fashion-giants-linked-to-deforestation-in-brazil/a-68793047

The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos

ExBUlletin

to request, modification Contact us at Here or [email protected]