14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago, the environmentalists working with Greenpeace pointed the finger at Zara and argued that, according to several tests they had carried out, some of the clothing items marketed by this retailer were contaminated with toxic chemicals that harmed both public health and the natural world.
Given the fact that, for the time being at least, Zara is considered to be the world's largest clothing retailer, there are few who can be surprised at the news that ordinary folks worldwide decided to lend Greenpeace a helping hand with their “Detox Fashion” campaign.
Thus, Zara's Facebook page has pretty much been flooded with messages demanding that the company rethink its working agenda and its impact on the environment.
Moreover, as many as 700 greenheads and Greenpeace members took to visiting several of Zara's stores and proved that they were anything but shy when it came to promoting a more environmentally-friendly fashion industry.
Lastly, Zara's headquarters in Hong Kong, Budapest, Geneva, Hamburg and Madrid witnessed groups of activists hanging banners on them. The banners read as follows: “Zara, Detox Your Fashion!”
Faced with ever more intense public pressure, clothing retailer Zara was left with no choice but agree to pay closer attention to how and where the clothing items it sold in stores worldwide were manufactured.
“Zara has now committed to eliminate all discharge of hazardous chemicals from its supply chain and products by 2020. And they're going to get rid of some of the worst chemicals, such as PFCs, even sooner. As a significant user of PFCs, Zara's commitment to eliminate this chemical group by the end of 2015 is a breakthrough,” reads the official website for Greenpeace.
Furthermore, “Zara says that by the end of 2013 at least 100 of its suppliers in the Global South (including at least 40 in China) will publicly disclose data about their releases of hazardous chemicals into the environment.”
Other brands that are to also say “yes” to “fashion without pollution” are Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterqüe.
You can check out Greenpeace's video for the “Detox Fashion” campaign here.