The businesses in the west ought to care a lot more about the impact they have on the other part of the world. Consumers should care as well about what goes on in China. If the toxins are disrupting the earth in China and impacting humans, what impact are they having on consumers who wear their products? Cleaning this up is a win for everyone.
A Chinese conglomerate supplying Nike, Adidas, Puma and other leading brands has discharged hormone-disrupting chemicals and other toxins into the country's major water systems, according to a new Greenpeace investigation that raises questions about corporate responsibility for the firms they do business with.
The environmental pressure group has also linked hazardous textile plants in the Yangtze and Pearl river deltas to Lacoste, H&M and half a dozen other international fashion brands despite many of those companies' claims to set high environmental standards in their supply chains.
The allegations follow a series of high-profile pollution scandals at Chinese firms that provide materials for multinational corporations. Chinese environmental activists say these cases highlight the hypocrisy of western outsourcers who promise high safety standards for rich consumers at home even as they trade with firms that benefit from lax environmental regulations overseas.
