China textile sector targeted in chemical clean-up

CHINA: Textile sector targeted in chemical clean-up plan

By Leonie Barrie | 12 March 2013

China's textile sector is one of seven industries being targeted by efforts to prevent and control chemical pollution in the country by 2015.

The five-year chemical management plan issued last month by the Ministry of Environment will see the government come up with phase-out, restriction and elimination lists by 2015.

58 chemicals are for the first time included on the priority risk prevention and control "blacklist", including endocrine disruptors such as DEHP, BPA and Nonylphenol (NP).

Environmental pressure group Greenpeace has described the move as a "breakthrough", and says it indicates that China's chemical management has shifted from pollution control to elimination.

"China has been the world's largest chemical producer since 2010," says Yixiu Wu, toxic campaigner for Greenpeace East Asia.

"The Plan indicates that the massive pollution found across the country, caused by large-scale chemical production and the release of hazardous chemicals, urgently needs to be tackled.

"It's our hope that this announcement is quickly implemented and enforced - about half of China's rivers are not suitable for domestic use, and around 20% are deemed useless even for industrial purposes."

Wu adds that the blacklist for priority actions "sends a clear message to industry that these hazardous chemicals, which are banned in various other parts world, will have no place in the future of China."

Greenpeace has long documented the role of the textile industry in hazardous water pollution, with its global Detox campaign leading a number of fashion brands and retailers to pledge to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals throughout their products and supply chains by 2020.

Another directive issued by China's state council calls for the creation of a 'circular economy' that systematically reuses waste materials and reduces pollution. The policy is part of the country's 12th five-year plan, covering 2011 to 2015.

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Sectors: Apparel, Fibres & fabrics, Manufacturing, Social & environmental responsibility, Sourcing