The big three international sporting goods companies have gotten on board with a call by Greenpeace in July to eliminate hazardous chemicals from the supply chain. The nongovernmental organization cited Nike, Adidas and Puma among the sporting goods companies using subcontractors in China that were releasing toxic, hormone-disrupting chemicals into the country's rivers. Initially, all three companies had said that they were only using these factories for cutting and sewing, not for processes that required the use of chemicals, but they are now taking action to ensure that the whole supply chain is clean.
Puma was the first to backtrack and address the issue. At the end of July it said it was committed to eliminating the discharges of all hazardous substances from the whole lifecycle and all production processes related to the manufacture and use of its own products by 2020.
In mid-August, the Nike group followed suit with a similar pledge. Finally, after an internet campaign – and Greenpeace operatives putting “Detox” stickers on the windows of its stores – Adidas released its own statement at the end of August.
All three companies vowed to produce a road map toward phasing out hazardous chemicals at all stages of the supply chain; these road maps should be completed by mid-October. Nike said that it would try to accelerate the phase-out of the worst chemicals while getting rid of all of them, and said it would work with other companies, suppliers, the chemical industry and NGOs to this end.
While stating that it is working with 10 key textile mills and dye houses in China that follow some of the strictest standards in the industry, Adidas specifically mentioned nonylphenol ethoxylate as one of its targets for action.
Both Nike and Adidas stressed the need for transparency and cooperation in the management of chemicals.
Adidas said it has been working with other brands to organize a forum in Amsterdam at the end of September to come up with a collective road map. It also called for a global approach to regulation of hazardous chemicals.
Though Greenpeace mentioned other brands, including Lacoste, Li Ning and Calvin Klein, among those using suspect factories in China, it focused on the three major sports brands because of their record of corporate responsibility.
Separately, Adidas has made the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the 12th consecutive time. The DJSI is the world's first global sustainability index group that tracks the performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. In the category for clothing, accessories and footwear, Adidas was rated industry leader in sustainability issues and corporate responsibility for the eighth time. The annual review of the DJSI family analyzes corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, branding, climate change mitigation, supply chain standards and labor practices.
