Dressed to Kill : Fashion brands’ hidden links to Russian oil in a time of war

The Changing Markets Foundation found that 78% of 50 investigated fashion brands are linked to Reliance Industries or Hengli Group, both of which source Russian oil for polyester production. This occurs despite many brands suspending operations in Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The report also highlights a lack of supply chain transparency and the risk of brands sourcing polyester from coal and fracked gas.

• The investigation linked 39 out of 50 (78%) of the investigated brands and parent companies directly or indirectly to the supply chains of Reliance Industries and Hengli Group, both of which use Russian oil to produce polyester.
• Reliance Industries significantly increased its imports of Russian oil following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine; the monthly average landed import value rose from €67.4 million ($65 million) between August 2021 and February 2022 to €663.5 million ($640 million) per month from April 2022 onwards.
• Over 25 of the 39 brands linked to Russian oil through polyester suppliers had publicly suspended their operations in Russia, yet they continue to contribute to the Russian economy via these synthetic supply chains. This group includes brands such as Esprit, New Look, and Next.
• Hengli Group is investing $20 billion in a project to produce polyester from coal in Shaanxi province, expected to be operational by the end of 2025, putting over 30 investigated brands at risk of selling coal-based polyester.
• There is a severe lack of transparency in synthetic supply chains; 26 out of 31 brands (84%) that responded to a questionnaire provided scant details on their synthetic suppliers, and only 4 out of 31 shared their synthetic supplier lists.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2022). Dressed to Kill : Fashion brands’ hidden links to Russian oil in a time of war. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Dressed-to-Kill_ExecSum_EN-1.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Dressed to Kill : Fashion brands’ hidden links to Russian oil in a time of war. 2022. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Dressed-to-Kill_ExecSum_EN-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Dressed to Kill : Fashion brands’ hidden links to Russian oil in a time of war |date=November 2022 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Dressed-to-Kill_ExecSum_EN-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2022dressed, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Dressed to Kill : Fashion brands’ hidden links to Russian oil in a time of war}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Dressed-to-Kill_ExecSum_EN-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }