Kamis, 06 September 2012

H&M Sells Wildlife-Friendly Clothes, Starting January 1st, 2013


Following concerns raised with respect to wildlife wellbeing and public health, the H&M Group decided to give up on using perfluorinated compounds (PFCs).

In case one was wondering, PFCs are the chemical compounds responsible for making clothes both waterproof and stain-resistant, which is why the outfits designed for outdoor wear typically have their fabrics drenched in them.

However, it seems that these chemical compounds have recently been found to negatively impact on the health of animals, and perhaps even on that of humans.

Thus, several tests conducted under laboratory conditions indicated that, when exposed to significant levels of PFCs – which are known to accumulate in the environment – various animals developed health conditions ranging from reproductive dysfunctions to developmental issues.

As Greenpeace explained at one point, these harmful chemical compounds used by the clothing industry typically make their way into natural ecosystems when consumers wash their garments and the waste water is released into the environment.

Environmental Leader reports that, faced with these findings, said Swedish retailer and manufacturer saw it fit to make sure its supply chain no longer resorts to the PFCs in order to make clothes water and stain-proof, and that an environmentally-friendly alternative is used instead.

However, consumers need not worry that H&M's opting for more green-oriented clothes manufacturing process will affect the quality of the garments which will eventually hit the stores.

Quite the contrary: according to the same source, there will hardly be any difference when it comes to the clothes' ability to keep those who wear them warm and dry.

Apparently, this is not the first time when H&M makes considerable efforts to improve on its ecological footprint.

Thus, throughout the past years, the company banned similar chemical compounds from its supply chain, and also managed to significantly cut down on the amounts of water its denim department requires in order to stay afloat.

Via: H&M Sells Wildlife-Friendly Clothes, Starting January 1st, 2013

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