Dirty Fashion: on track for transformation

The report evaluates the global viscose industry's transition to sustainable production, highlighting a divide between 'front-runner' brands adopting closed-loop standards and 'laggards'—including several luxury and low-cost retailers—who lack transparency. It specifically analyzes the commitments of major producers Lenzing and Aditya Birla Group, and the emerging Collaboration for Sustainable Development of Viscose in China, while arguing that current certifications like the EU Ecolabel and OEKO-TEX STeP are insufficient compared to EU Best Available Techniques (BAT) standards.

• Viscose production relies on highly toxic chemicals, most notably carbon disulphide (CS2), which is an endocrine-disruptor linked to kidney disease, heart attack, stroke, and insanity in workers, as well as hydrogen sulphide (H2S), a toxic gas causing neurobehavioural changes.
• The Changing Markets Foundation's Roadmap for responsible viscose manufacturing defines closed-loop production as a system ensuring emission controls and chemical recovery rates aligned with EU Best Available Techniques (BAT).
• A group of 'front-runner' brands, including Inditex, ASOS, H&M, Tesco, Marks & Spencer (M&S), Esprit, and C&A, have pledged to integrate the Roadmap into their policies and drive supplier transitions to closed-loop production by 2023-25.
• Several luxury brands (Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Burberry) and low-cost retailers (Asda, Lidl, Boohoo, Missguided) are identified as 'laggards' due to a lack of transparency, failure to respond to inquiries, or absence of viscose production policies.
• Lenzing and Aditya Birla Group (ABG), the world's two largest producers, have committed to meeting EU Ecolabel requirements by 2022, but the report argues this is insufficient as the EU Ecolabel does not set limits on emissions to water.
• Lenzing's South Pacific Viscose (SPV) plant in Indonesia does not yet meet EU BAT or EU Ecolabel requirements for sulphur to air, or COD and sulphate to water, though the company plans to invest over €100 million by 2022 in sustainable technology.
• Aditya Birla Group (ABG) has an 'aspirational' target for EU BAT compliance and plans to invest US$ 170 million over four years to implement EU BAT technologies across seven plants in India, Indonesia, China, and Thailand.
• China's ten largest viscose producers formed the Collaboration for Sustainable Development of Viscose (CV) to develop a three-year roadmap, but the report notes that most currently listed guiding standards do not address environmental performance during fibre production.
• The OEKO-TEX STeP certification is criticized for failing to address viscose-specific impacts, specifically by allowing the use of carbon disulphide (CS2) and using wastewater limit values that are less ambitious than EU BAT for viscose.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2018). Dirty Fashion: on track for transformation. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Dirty_Fashion_on_track_for_transformation.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Dirty Fashion: on track for transformation. 2018. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Dirty_Fashion_on_track_for_transformation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Dirty Fashion: on track for transformation |date=July 2018 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Dirty_Fashion_on_track_for_transformation.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2018dirty, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Dirty Fashion: on track for transformation}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Dirty_Fashion_on_track_for_transformation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }