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The report finds that the fashion industry remains heavily dependent on fossil-fuel-based synthetic fibres, with 67% of analysed products containing synthetics. It highlights a systemic lack of transparency and the use of 'downcycling' PET bottles as a false solution to circularity. The research exposes rampant greenwashing, with 59% of sustainability claims flouting UK CMA guidelines, and notes a critical industry blind spot regarding microplastic pollution, particularly in children's clothing.

The report finds a systemic collapse of water resource regulation in Mpumalanga's coal mining sector. It details how the Department of Water & Sanitation (DWS) fails to issue timely licences, monitor compliance, or enforce penalties. Mining companies are found to unilaterally deviate from licence conditions and ignore pollution prevention, while independent auditors provide misleading 'compliant' ratings based on visual inspections rather than scientific data. This regulatory failure has led to severe water quality degradation in the Olifants River Catchment, including acid mine drainage and the contamination of groundwater and surface water.

An analysis of 16 Texas coal-fired power plants reveals that 100% of those with available records are leaking unsafe levels of contaminants, such as arsenic, boron, cobalt, and lithium, into groundwater. The report argues that both the 2015 federal Coal Ash Rule and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's proposed state program are inadequately protective, particularly regarding the use of contaminated background wells and the practice of 'closure in place' for ponds in contact with groundwater. It highlights the San Miguel Electric Plant as the most contaminated site and provides specific evidence of regulatory violations by operators including NRG and CPS Energy.

The review concludes that the specialist reports for the Yzermyn underground coal mine are insufficient, failing to identify all environmental impacts and the interconnection between hydrogeology, hydrology, and wetlands. Consequently, the issued IWUL lacks sufficient conditions to mitigate impacts to an acceptable standard. Key failures include a low-confidence groundwater model (Class 1) that cannot quantify seasonal variations, a lack of field-based wetland delineation for the underground mining area, and the absence of a post-closure water treatment cost analysis. The report highlights that mine dewatering will likely cause significant drawdown in shallow and deep aquifers, potentially drying up high-value wetlands and springs, while post-closure acid mine drainage (AMD) and contaminant plumes remain unsimulated and unquantified.