Toxic Threads: The Big Fashion Stitch-Up - Executive Summary - How big brands are making consumers unwitting accomplices in the toxic water cycle

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by aboduw

Greenpeace International commissioned an investigation into hazardous chemicals used in high-street fashion production, expanding its Detox Campaign work that linked textile manufacturing to water pollution. In April 2012, 141 clothing items were purchased from authorised retailers across 29 countries, produced in at least 18 countries. Testing identified NPEs in 89 garments and high toxic phthalates in four garments, alongside cancer-causing amines from azo dyes in two. The report concludes that releases from NPEs, phthalates, or azo dyes are unacceptable, highlighting transparency and regulatory urgency.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages56

Reading Time2 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Key findings

Section 1: Introduction

Section 2: Methodology and results

Section 3: Fast fashion: more fashion, more toxics

Section 4: Conclusions and recommendations

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Endnotes

Toxic Threads: Toxic ThreadS The Big Fashion Stitch-Up How big brands are making consumers unwitting accomplicesin the toxic water cycle Contents executive Summary 3 Section 1: introduction 9 Section 2: Methodology and results 13 Section 3: Fast fashion: more fashion, more toxics 31 Section 4: conclusions and recommendations 39 Appendix 1 42 Appendix 2 46 Appendix 3 48 Endnotes 52 acknowledgements: We would like to thank the following people who contributed to the creation of this report. If we have forgotten anyone, they know that our gratitude is also extended to them. Kevin Brigden, Kristin Casper, Madeleine Cobbing, Tommy Crawford, Alexandra Dawe, Steve Erwood, Marietta Harjono, Martin Hojsik, Yifang Li, Tristan Tremschnig, Ieva Vilimaviciute, Yuntao Wang, Matthias Wüthrich Creative Direction by: Tommy Crawford Design, Art Direction and Crime Scene concept by: Toby Cotton @ Arc Communications Front and back cover images © Lance Lee/Greenpeace Toxic Threads: The Big Fashion Stitch-Up JN 429a Published October 2012 by Greenpeace international Ottho Heldringstraat 5, 1066 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands [greenpeace.org](greenpeace.org) Terminology used in this report Bioaccumulation: The mechanism by which chemicals accumulate in living organisms and get passed along the food chain. hormone disruptors: Chemicals known to interfere with hormone systems of organisms. For nonylphenol, the most widely recognised hazard is the ability to mimic natural oestrogen hormones. This can lead to altered sexual development in some organisms, most notably the feminisation of fish* . Persistence: The property of a chemical whereby it does not degrade in the environment, or degrades very slowly. Plastisol: A suspension of plastic particles, commonly PVC or EVA, in a plasticiser. Used as ink for screen-printing images and logos onto textiles. Surfactants: Chemicals used to lower the surface tension of liquids. They include wetting agents, detergents, emulsifiers, foaming agents and dispersants used in a variety of industrial and consumer applications including textile manufacture. *Jobling S, Reynolds T, White R, Parker MG & Sumpter JP (1995). A variety of environmentally persistent chemicals, including some phthalate plasticisers, are weakly estrogenic. Environmental Health Perspectives 103(6): 582-587; Jobling S, Sheahan D, Osborne JA, Matthiessen P & Sumpter JP (1996). Inhibition of testicular growth in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to estrogenic alkylphenolic chemicals. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15(2): 194-202 Note to the reader Global North and Global South Throughout this report we refer to the terms “Global North” and “Global South” to describe two distinct groups of countries. The term “Global South” is used to describe developing and emerging countries, including those facing the challenges of often-rapid industrial development or industrial restructuring, such as Russia. Most of the Global South is located in South and Central America, Asia and Africa. The term “Global North” is used for developed countries, predominantly located in North America and Europe, with high human development, according to the UN Human Development Index.* Most, but not all, of these countries are located in the northern hemisphere. * United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2005). Human Development Report 2005. International cooperation at a crossroads. Aid, trade and security in an unequal world. Available at: [http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR05_complete.pdf](http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR05_complete.pdf) executive summary executive Summary Greenpeace International has commissioned a new investigation that delves even further into the hazardous chemicals used in the production of high street fashion. Spurred on by the success of Greenpeace’s Detox Campaign, which exposed the links between textile manufacturing facilities using toxic chemica

FAQs

What investigation does the report describe?

It documents an expanded Greenpeace investigation into hazardous chemicals used in producing high-street fashion and the links to water pollution.

How were clothing samples selected and tested?

In April 2012, 141 clothing items were purchased from authorised retailers across 29 countries and regions, and key chemical substances were tested in the garments.

What key toxic chemicals were found in the clothing?

The report reports NPEs in 89 garments, high toxic phthalates in four garments, and cancer-causing amines from certain azo dyes in two garments.

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by aboduw