Your Jeans Might Be Killing People
The corporate main focus on the overuse of water is not the ideal way to tackle water pollution that harms millions around the world.
Daniel Juskowiak,
December 1st, 2019
No matter how much the fashion industry as a whole may plead its innocence in its role of pollution on a global scale, the reality is that they leave one of the biggest footprints out of any industry, and one of those, is the issue of water pollution. It is the single most damaging problem caused by denim manufacturing and is an issue that remains unattended by the main corporations and large manufacturers…
Apart from the “CEO’s” and the “big boys” that avoid tackling the issue, it is very common for the average consumer to be unaware of the problem that they also contribute to on a daily basis. And let’s be honest, most people wouldn’t and don’t want to be bothered by the environmental consequences of their jeans, everyone is just looking for a durable, affordable, and comfortable pair of pants. But with the continuous studies and research being conducted that report on how the world is practically going to shit (in every aspect), one can hope that more people would realize what is happening on the other side of the planet. Thousands of local communities in Asia, and Africa are hugely affected by water pollution that they would be considered uninhabitable elsewhere in the world — like Xintang, China..; with so many harmful chemicals contaminating bodies of water that people rely on and air that is heavily concentrated with toxic particles, people’s life spans are cut much shorter than they should be, this has been proven by ‘Greenpeace’.
The Deadly Chemicals That Design Your Jeans…
It seems like every new trend that becomes demanded by consumers requires a new harmful chemical too; so at what cost are you staying up to date or relevant in the fashion world? It is clear that distressed denim has become a staple in most peoples closet and its not going anywhere for a longtime — that means a lot more chemical use. It has been discovered that throughout the manufacturing process of jeans over five dangerous chemicals are constantly used — this list includes like lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and copper. All which are considered essential to finish a pair of jeans.
What most people don’t understand is that these manufacturing plants are directly connected to main water sources that are used for every other aspect of life too; agriculture, home plumbing, and massive ecosystems. Thus, when something goes wrong in the plants, which is quite often, it means that there is a high chance of those chemicals leeching into the rivers, lakes, creeks, and even oceans. It doesn’t take much explanation to understand what happens next; sick people, sick animals, and ruined crops.
What’s even more concerning is that in a recent research project conducted by ‘Greenpeace’ in Xintang, China, they were able to find a chemical known as ‘manganese’ (used to create color distortions) which is linked to brain and organ damage even when consumed in small amounts — just great isn’t it? With all this information available with simple Google searches wouldn’t more people care? No, because the mass media doesn’t talk about it or the big guys cover it all up… An easy way to put it is that money comes first, the lives of innocent and hard-working people come second to major denim manufacturers.
Luckily, in a situation like this we have a company known as ‘Jeanologia’ that develops denim finishing machines which only operate with laser technology to complete a certain design, totally avoiding the use of chemicals and only use a cups worth of water. This instantly eliminates the danger to people, agriculture, and whole ecosystems. This is a clear win-win situation for the environment, companies, consumers, and workers. There have only been a few major corps that have invested in this technology, like Levi’s, Zara, etc.
The Environmental Cost of Poor Labour Conditions…
With technological leaders like ‘Jeanologia’ taking the charge for a better planet; they are also helping with the betterment of working conditions around the globe. Just like the use of chemicals; the conditions which workers are left to work in greatly affect the quality of water and living conditions in the surrounding areas of the manufacturing plants. Many corporations remain distant from their labour processes as they outsource their work, thus, not knowing what goes on behind the finished pair of jeans. I find this to be a big problem… How can someone own a company that produces a consumer need/want but have no clue what happens before the sale of the product? That makes absolutely no sense to me.
We are now at point in time where chemical leakage through manufacturing failure is nearly impossible to detect as there are no systems established to detect what flows through the water, it’s kind of like a big brita filter is missing. Also, the lack of overhead supervision in these facilities doesn’t help spot potential spillages that may happen. And none of this can be blamed on the workers as this is a job they must due to barely get by in life, and to support their families… Most of the time the employees are rarely given protective wear to prevent dangerous health problems like respiratory sensitization, and even skin cancers from the interaction of exposed chemicals, and poorly stored dyes.
Imagine having to work in a toxic environment for 10+ hours a day, and then proceed to go home to just as toxic a place, and again come back to work the next day. There is simply no escape from this life.
And it’s not just places in Asia, and Africa that encounter these issues. ‘Greenpeace’ was able to conduct research into a manufacturing company known as ‘Lavamex’; this company is known to operate in horrible working conditions and is directly related to a chemical spill that happened in the Santiago River in Mexico. They have a reputation to successfully avoid media interaction worldwide, and usually just make the headlines in the Lerma-Chapala region of Mexico. They have been reported to house workers during their contract on manufacturing property to avoid word spreading of the terrible working conditions, and lack of professional leadership. I personally think if a company really cared about their products, and overall image, they would also care about the basic ethical practices that should be in place as well, but again, this is just not the case for most.
Apart From The Negativity
Clearly this piece of writing really only focuses on the negatives of water pollution caused by the denim industry, as it should though… But, due to the denim segment being placed at the forefront of a need for change in the whole of the fashion industry there surely has been good to come out of this. Like listed before, companies like Levi’s and Zara have set a better standard for the rest to follow, with the better/safer use of technology (i.e. Jeanologia) and stricter labour laws. This is an example of companies that have realized what kind of negative footprint they have already caused, and are trying to avoid further damage.
As a collective, the major corporations should take it upon themselves to set an example for smaller brands to stand against harmful chemical use, and poor labour conditions, because as of now, the current efforts (simple overuse of water) are simply not enough; communities continue to suffer terribly while the pockets of CEO’s are filled. No one is safe from water pollution, even the countries on the other side of the planet — water has no borders… The corporate main focus on the overuse of water is simply not enough of an effort to limit the negative impact they continue to create around the globe.
