How polluting are H & M's cotton clothes? The ranking of the best and worst companies

Organic and sustainable cotton, the fashion multinationals do not keep their promises and do not live up to expectations. A new report has drawn up the ranking of the best and worst companies from this point of view.

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and sustainable, the fashion multinationals do not keep their promises and do not live up to expectations. A new report has drawn up the ranking of the best and worst companies from this point of view. One cannot be enough for H&M ecological cotton line to achieve true sustainability, especially when conventional cotton production processes still require polluting substances.

Not to mention the environmental damage caused by the accumulation of waste related to disposable fashion. Unfortunately, conventional cotton production is based on a high use of pesticides, herbicides and water resources. Furthermore, there is the problem of soil erosion and the accumulation of harmful chemicals in the environment.

However, there are alternatives, which are represented by the organic, sustainable and fair trade cotton. This type of cotton is produced with respect for the planet in mind, but the major fashion companies are doing little to encourage the use of ecological fabrics and raw materials in their production chain.

The latest study conducted by Rank at Brand took into consideration 37 fashion and textile companies and assessed their behaviors and regulations regarding the procurement and use of cotton on the basis of publicly available information. Each company was assigned a score from 0 to 19,5.

Having sustainable cotton available has become much easier than in the past and there are no more excuses for companies: they can really decide to offer their consumers more responsible products.

Read also: ORGANIC COTTON: ALL ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS IN A STUDY

According to the survey results, the company that is doing best in terms of choosing ecological and sustainable cotton is IKEA. They got worse results H&M, Adidas, Nike and M&S, but all companies should really improve and do more.

Read also: ORGANIC COTTON: NEIL YOUNG ASKS TO BOYCOTT COTTON GROWN WITH PESTICIDES

For example, according to Rank a Brand, H&M should before it can define itself as an ecological company definitely improve their production processes, beyond the fact that it already uses organic cotton in its 'organic cotton' line. In fact, the origin of raw materials is only one of the components of a company's sustainability. According to the WWF, they are needed 20 thousand liters of water to produce 1 kg of cotton, the necessary equivalent for a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

Among the multinationals that have obtained the worst results as regards the choice of cotton and the support for its more ecological cultivation we find GAP, Walmart e Ralph Lauren. The Rank a Brand authors hope that the publication of this ranking will push more and more companies to improve and prefer organic cotton. Only in this way can the fashion sector be revolutionized, that is, starting from one of the most used materials.

According to Keith Tyrell, Director of PAN UK: “Conventional cotton production often has a serious social and environmental impact based on the excessive use of water and pesticides. The growth of the sustainable cotton market is our best chance to protect the health of workers and clean up this sector ”.

Finally, we must not forget the scourge of the exploitation of child labor in cotton fields in Uzbekistan and in Burkina Faso which for years has been denounced by associations for the defense of workers' rights. Another aspect that aggravates the damage of conventional cotton production and which could be overcome thanks to fair trade cotton.

Download here report the Rank a Brand on organic cotton.

Marta Albè