14 DAY TRIAL // Greenpeace's campaign against Burberry worked like a charm, and the luxury brand agreed to rid both its clothes and its supply chain of toxic compounds. Probably because the success of this endeavor has given them a boost in confidence, activists working with said organization are now going after Versace.
What they are asking is that the fashion brand should come clean about how its business agenda is guilty of endangering both the environment and public health.
Besides, the environmentalists would very much like it if Versace were to start taking steps towards embracing toxic-free fashion.
In a press release posted on its website just yesterday, Greenpeace details that, in order to raise awareness of the need to promote eco-friendly fashion, some of its activists recently unveiled a huge banner in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan.
The banner, visible in the picture next to this article, was put on public display just in time for the latest Milan Fashion Week.
According to Greenpeace, its purpose was that of drawing attention to the fact that, as glamorous as they might seem, several fashion brands are still far from also being environmentally and people-friendly.
“Milan Fashion Week is a circus of beauty and style – the stage on which the fashion world brings its dreams to life,” Greenpeace writes on its website.
“This year, however, Greenpeace Italy opened proceedings with drama of a different kind: climbers unveiled a 100 square meters banner in the iconic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, exposing the toxic nightmare behind the dreams luxury brands like Versace sell us,” it adds.
What's interesting is that, shortly after this banner was unveiled, Versace contacted Greenpeace and said that they “operate in compliance with current laws regarding textile products.”
What's more, the fashion brand promised that it would “continue to search for raw materials and eco-sustainable technology solutions, with even stricter requirements than those set out under the current laws, renewing its commitment to the sustainability of the planet.”
Greenpeace was not in the least pleased with Versace's reply. The organization stresses that simply abiding by legal requirements concerning environmental protection is not enough, and urges that the fashion brand stop using toxic chemicals to make clothes that are later sold to unsuspecting people.
“Versace needs to push the limits and prove to the rest of the world that high fashion doesn’t have to cost the earth,” Greenpeace says. Furthermore, “Versace, it's time to join the sector's real leaders – Valentino and Burberry – and commit to toxic-free fashion.”