Nike is to launch an action plan to eliminate hazardous chemicals from its supply chain after a Greenpeace campaign accused the sports brand of having links to a Chinese manufacturer leaking toxic chemicals into water supplies.
The sports giant confirmed this week that it will accelerate the phasing out of high-priority hazardous chemicals, launching an action plan to phase out their use in the next eight weeks.
It also invited other sports brands to help it develop a cross-industry strategy to clean up the sector’s supply chain.
The news came after Greenpeace launched a major campaign in July urging leading clothing brands to “detox” their supply chains after finding that Chinese factories linked to Nike, Adidas and Puma were discharging hazardous and persistent chemicals that contain hormone-disrupting properties.
Greenpeace welcomed the move by Nike and urged Adidas to follow suit.
The NGO is hoping to stir up rivalry between the two brands, having already held a protest during Wednesday’s night’s FC Barcelona versus Real Madrid football match in Barcelona.
In the match, FC Barcelona was sponsored by Nike and Real Madrid was sponsored by Adidas. Activists and local artists projected messages saying “water pollution is not fair play” for the 100,000 fans at the Camp Nou stadium, before kick-off and after the final whistle.
Commenting on the fact that Barcelona then beat Real Madrid 3-2, Martin Hojsik, coordinator of the Toxic Water campaign at Greenpeace International, said Nike had “one up” on Adidas.
“Not only has Nike triumphed over Adidas’ team in Barcelona, it’s giving Adidas a good thrashing in the Greenpeace ‘detox’ challenge, by committing to cut hazardous chemicals discharges from its global supply chain,” he said.
“But the losers shouldn’t throw in the towel – Adidas must kick-off its comeback by not only committing to zero discharge, but also by showing initiative and developing a new culture of transparency throughout the clothing industry about the hazardous chemicals currently released during manufacture,” he added.
In response to the call, Adidas reiterated a previous commitment to work with the rest of the sector to meet Greenpeace’s challenge.
“We support in principle Greenpeace’s aspiration for a world that is free of hazardous chemicals,” a spokeswoman said.
“However, while we are committed to being an integral part of working on this solution, we have to acknowledge that the management of chemicals in multi-tiered supply chains is a complex challenge, requiring many actors to play a role in achieving this goal.”
(Source: www.businessgreen.com )