The fashion industry has made progress toward purging its supply chain of hazardous chemicals. Brands are taking responsibility for the whole production, the whole supply chain, instead of just focusing on the finished products.

Greenpeace has signed on 80 apparel companies to detox by 2020, including sportswear brands such as Puma, Nike and Adidas, fast-fashion giants including Primark and H&M, as well as outdoor brands, suppliers and denim brands including Levi’s and G-Star Raw.

Detox implies ending the use of hazardous chemicals in the fashion supply chain and products. Almost all detox-committed brands have moved towards greater transparency by implementing regular water-waste testing and disclosing the results. In addition, 72 per cent of brands either already publish or have committed to publishing an extended list of suppliers to include wet processing suppliers (typically washing and dying) lower down the supply chain.

However, the luxury sector is unwilling to commit to detoxing. Only two luxury houses, Burberry and Valentino, are among the detox-committed brands. Suppliers have also helped reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in the luxury sector, even if high-end brands haven’t committed to the campaign. Zara-owner Inditex committed to detoxing in 2012. Making corporations legally responsible for their supply chains wherever they produce in the world is a way forward.