Major/popular clothing companys are destroying the Amazon, despite making claims to reach environmental goals.

Question

Major clothing companies that many of us wear everyday are destroying the Amazon Rainforest as we speak. While many of these companies make broken promises to do better when it comes to our environment, they continue to increase their contribution to the destruction of the rainforest.

Answer 1

Comments

This claim should not be considered undoubtedly true. Fast Company is a business magazine that leans left, so its reporting is inherently biased toward left-leaning issues such as climate change. Additionally, the sources used in the article are not well-established institutions. One of the hyper-links leads to a google slideshow while another leads to a website that doesn't even exist. Take this entire article with a grain of salt.

Answer 2

This article is mostly true, but its evidence is poorly linked and slightly sensationalized. The central claim that companies like Nike, Coach, and Gap are damaging the Amazon rainforest through their leather supply chains is supported by the evidence found by nonprofits, Stand.earth and Slow Factory, which did in fact analyze customs data to trace the leather supply chains back to Brazilian cattle ranchers, but the hyperlinks in the article lead to a google doc and a dead link. While the article’s claim certainly holds merits, the way it is framed oversimplifies the complexities within the leather trade with Stand Earth even admitting that,
“Each individual connection is not absolute proof that any one brand uses deforestation leather, it demonstrates that many brands are at very high risk of driving the destruction of the Amazon rainforest,” (Stand.Earth, slide 29).

This important detail was glossed over in the article, making it feel like these companies owned the Brazilian cattle ranches that were contributing to deforestation. There was little mention of the fact that 99% of the worlds leather comes from animals raised for meat. Overall it is certainly important to raise awareness about the lack of responsibility taken by companies like Nike, but not at the cost of misrepresenting data.

Answer 3

Although yes this is true, it isn't true in the way that you are claiming. Major brands like Prada and H&M have been working with tanneries that are linked to raising cattle on deforested Amazon land. The cattle industry is the biggest culprit in the Amazon crisis due to beef and leather goods, and with major brands experiencing a rise in demand for leather accessories, they are increasing their productions. These brands have claimed to end their contribution to the deforestation and only source ethical leather goods, but the Amazon is increasingly being destroyed. Proving these policies that the companies have set up have done little to nothing. So yes, major fashion brands are connected to the forest crisis, but they don't have their companies out there directly committing the acts of deforestation.

https://earth.org/major-fashion-brands-may-be-linked-to-deforestation-of-the-amazon-rainforest/

https://stand.earth/press-releases/major-fashion-brands-pushing-amazon-rainforest-to-irreversible-collapse/