Fashion Brands Accused Of Sourcing Polyester Made From Russian Oil

Sustainability Fashion Brands Accused Of Sourcing Polyester Made From Russian Oil Olivia Pinnock Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I cover fashion in Europe, often with a focus on sustainability Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Nov 4, 2022, 01:56pm EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A protester campaigns against apparel made from fossil fuels (Photo credit: Wiktor .

. . [+] Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images) Future Publishing via Getty Images A new report has accused several American and European fashion chains, including Esprit, New Look and Next, of inadvertently funding Russia’s war on Ukraine for using polyester derived from Russian oil.

The Changing Markets Foundation, a non-governmental organization that aims to expose irresponsible corporate practices and promote a more sustainable economy, has released the Dressed To Kill report which links labels to Indian polyester producer Reliance which sources from Russia. While the US, EU and United Kingdom have placed sanctions on Russia, Indian businesses are still free to trade with the country. The report found that Reliance has increased the amount of oil it buys from Russia 12-fold since the escalation of the war in February 2022 from £59m per month to £721m per month by July, making Russia its biggest oil supplier.

British department store Next announced this year that it would cease its retail operations in Russia because of the war. New Look, also based in the UK, and Esprit, founded in California, both pulled out of the country in 2014, when Russia first invaded Eastern Ukraine. MORE FOR YOU The Inside Story Of Papa John’s Toxic Culture Starting A Business Is Not Like Working For One.

Midterms 2022: What’s At Stake For Women The report states that Esprit, New Look and Next source directly from Reliance, while other fashion brands are also implicated for sourcing from manufacturers that procure polyester from the company. Asos, Marks & Spencer, Adidas, Mango, Zalando and Target are among those found to indirectly source from Reliance. The report also exposes brands working with Chinese polyester producer Hengli which it says has increased its purchasing of Russian oil this year.

Esprit, Next and New Look are said to source directly from Hengli alongside Dutch jeans brand G-Star Raw and Italian apparel chain United Colors of Benetton. However, when contacted for comment G-Star Raw said that there had been a misunderstanding between them and Changing Markets Foundation. Hengli is an indirect supplier of G-Star Raw through one of their mill partners, Jacobros International, and that G-Star Raw only used recycled polyester from them.

Suzanne de Jong, corporate communications direct of G-Star Raw, said: “Jacobros is GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified and sourced only recycled polyester for G-Star from Hengli, meaning only waste material was used. We will also notify Changing Markets about these misinterpretations. “Because we are a denim brand we use very little polyester overall.

In 2021, the total recycled polyester share of all materials we used was 7%. The total virgin polyester share was 1%. Needless to say, we do not support or accept the use of Russian oil in our products.

” Esprit, New Look, Next and United Colors of Benetton were also contacted for comment. George Harding-Rolls, campaign manager at Changing Markets Foundations, said: “Fast fashion is founded on cheap fossil-fuel derived materials fuelling plastic pollution and the climate crisis. Now for the first time we see another human cost of this dependence.

Buying synthetic clothing made from Russian oil is bolstering their economy during the heinous invasion of Ukraine. At a time where the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance, I would urge these brands: stop using tainted polyester to help cut Putin’s purse strings. ” Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn .

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