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Category Archives: pop culture
Toxic Fashion …
Clothes rack (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sometime around the 21st of November in 2012, Greenpeace discovered and exposed Zara as one of maybe many companies using manufacturers that have toxic chemicals in their clothing…
On the 29th of November, a statement of commitment from Zara’s manufacturing company to toxic-free fashion ~~ below
Achieving the Zero Discharge
Inditex‘s commitment, in connection with the use of chemical substances in the manufacturing process of its products, is reflected in its chemical policy, which establishes restrictions and prohibitions in the use of these substances.
So far, this policy has been developed and periodically updated in conformity with the most demanding international legislation and in collaboration with the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). The policy regulates not only those “substances whose use is legally limited” and which, if present in the product above certain levels, could be hazardous for human health, such as: Formaldehyde, Arylamines, Phenols (PCP, TeCP), Cadmium, Lead, Chromium (VI), Nickel, Allergenic Dyes, among others; additionally, it limits the use of certain parameters not contemplated by the effective legislation, such as: Organochlorinated Compounds and Isocyanates. In order to guarantee the compliance of said policy by Inditex’s suppliers, Inditex carries out audits and regular inspections of the production processes and continuous reviews of the products.
INDITEX Commitment to Zero Discharge
27th November 2012
In line with Inditex’s long-term sustainability program Inditex recognizes the urgent need for eliminating industrial releases of all hazardous chemicals (1). According to its approach based on prevention (2) and the Precautionary Principle (3) Inditex is committed to zero discharges (4) of all hazardous chemicals from the whole lifecycle and all production procedures that are associated with the making and using of all products Inditex sells (5) by 01 January 2020. Inditex recognises that to achieve this goal, mechanisms for disclosure and transparency about the hazardous chemicals used in its global supply chain are important and necessary, in line with the ‘Right to Know principle’ (6). In line with this principle Inditex will increase the public availability and transparency of its restricted substance list and audit process and will set up public disclosure of discharges of hazardous chemicals in its supply chain.
Inditex also commits to support systemic (i.e. wider societal and policy) change to achieve zero discharge of hazardous chemicals (associated with supply chain and the lifecycles of products) within one generation (7) or less. This commitment includes sustained investment in moving industry, government, science and technology to deliver on systemic change and to affect system change across the industry towards this goal.
The 2020 goal also demands the collective action of industry, as well as engagement of regulators and other stakeholders. To this end, Inditex will work with other companies in the apparel sector and other brands it could sell, as well as material suppliers, the broader chemical industry, NGOs and other stakeholders to achieve this goal.
Inditex understands the scope of the commitment to be a long term vision – with short term practice to be defined by the following individual action plan:
Individual action plan.
1. Supply-chain disclosure.
In line with Inditex’s commitment to the public’s ‘right to know’ the chemical substances used within its global supply-chain and the products it sells, Inditex will be taking the following actions:
1. publish its updated ‘Restricted Substances List’ and audit processes by the end of April 2013, and annually thereafter.
2. begin public disclosure of discharges of hazardous chemicals in its supply chain via individual facility level disclosure of chemical use and discharges data, to be achieved via an incremental process, beginning with the following actions:
i) by no later than end of March 2013 public disclosure of at least 10 Chinese supplier facilities, plus at least 10 additional facilities in other parts of the “global south” (i.e. 20 facilities in total);
ii) by no later than December 2013, at least another 30 Chinese supplier facilities (in addition to the facilities in i) above), plus at least another50 additional facilities in other parts of the “global south” (in addition to the facilities in i) above, i.e. 100 facilities in total;
using a credible public online platform, with full facility transparency (i.e. location and individual data of facilities) and covering at least the hazardous chemicals within the 11 priority groups of chemicals (8)
2. APEO elimination policy.
Inditex recognises the intrinsic hazardousness of all APEOs, and therefore acknowledges it is a priority to eliminate their use across its global supply chain. There are multiple supply-chain pathways for potential APEO contamination (including chemical formulations). Inditex will enhance both training and auditing of its supply-chain in conjunction with other global brands, as well as ensuring its suppliers have the latest information on APEOs, highlighting where there is a risk that APEOs may enter into the undocumented contamination of chemical supplier formulations.
In addition to these actions, Inditex will enforce its APEO ban with the following actions:
i. initiate an investigation into the current compliance to this requirement, reporting the findings to the public and simultaneously strengthening its supplier legal agreement language to ensure only APEO-free chemical formulations are utilized by the end of April 2013,
ii. work with its supply chain and other global industry leaders, to ensure the most current technological limits of detection are reflected via the lowest detectable limits within its testing regimes.
3. Perfluorocarbon (PFC) elimination policy.
In application of the precautionary principle, and recognizing that enough scientific evidence is available pointing towards a recognizable hazard posed by PFCs, Inditex commits to impose a ban on PFOS, PFOA, their salts and derivatives, and telomeric alcohols by January 2013. This prohibition includes the manufacturing of any products Inditex sells.
With respect to the use of PFCs, Inditex agrees to the following actions:
i. Inditex commits to eliminate C8, C7, C6 PFC based substances in manufacturing, and in any of the products it sells no later than the end of 2013.
ii. Inditex commits to work with suitable technical / scientific partners and stakeholders to find safer, non-fluorinated alternatives in the shortest timespan possible, with the goal of substituting all perfluorocarbon compounds with suitable, non-hazardous, non-fluorinated alternatives.
iii. The timelines for the elimination of all remaining PFCs will be as follows: elimination of 50% of all remaining PFCs (from the base of PFCs used as of 2012) used by January 2015; and the total elimination of all PFC use in manufacturing and in products by the end of 2015.
The elimination of all PFC use by the products it sells will be supported by:
i. A review of all products it produces to ensure there are no PFCs in the products we sell,
ii. a rigorous system of control to ensure that no traces of PFCs find their way into its supply chain in line with the above.
4. Targets for other hazardous chemicals.
Inditex commits to regularly review the science of the chemicals used in the textiles/apparel industry and periodically update its chemical policy, at least annually, to further restrict or ban chemicals, as new evidence on their impact becomes available.
In this context, its recognizes the need to not only report to the public the evidence of elimination of the 11 groups of hazardous chemicals identified as a priority but also set clear intermediate progress targets on the elimination of hazardous chemicals (beyond these 11 priority chemical groups) and the introduction of non-hazardous chemicals by 2015 on the road to elimination by 01 January 2020.
Inditex will also ensure that it is part of an industry wide approach to ensure the use of chemicals in the products its sells and that is managed responsibly and in line with the above commitment, and in particular the intrinsic hazards approach. In line with this, Inditex commits to reinforce the work of the sectoral chemical inventory and hazardous substance black list, aiming to establish this inventory, and the black list, based on an intrinsically hazardous screening methodology, by no later than December 2013.
The individual actions covered above will be reassessed by Inditex at regular intervals – at least annually.
5. Further Actions.
Within 8 weeks of the public release of this commitment, Inditex will publish further actions for its Individual Action Plan:
Including a number of substitution case studies (e.g. where in the past, or currently, Inditex has substituted any of the 11 groups of hazardous chemicals as per below (8), with others non-hazardous chemicals) via a credible format (e.g. ‘Subsport system’).
Download – Further actions included in the Individual Action Plan (updated as of 1st February 2013)
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(1) All hazardous chemicals means all those that show intrinsically hazardous properties: persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT); very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB); carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic for reproduction (CMR); endocrine disruptors (ED), or other properties of equivalent concern, (not just those that have been regulated or restricted in other regions). This will require establishing – ideally with other industry actors – a corresponding list of the hazardous chemicals concerned that will be regularly reviewed.
(2) This means solutions are focused on elimination of use at source, not on end-of-pipe or risk management. This requires either substitution with non-hazardous chemicals or where necessary finding non- chemical alternative solutions, such as re-evaluating product design or the functional need for chemicals.
(3) This means taking preventive action before waiting for conclusive scientific proof regarding cause and effect between the substance (or activity) and the damage. It is based on the assumption that some hazardous substances cannot be rendered harmless by the receiving environment (i.e. there are no ‘environmentally acceptable’/’safe’ use or discharge levels) and that prevention of potentially serious or irreversible damage is required, even in the absence of full scientific certainty. The process of applying the Precautionary Principle must involve an examination of the full range of alternatives, including, where necessary, substitution through the development of sustainable alternatives where they do not already exist. The Precautionary Principle is applied across all products sold by Inditex (and any entities directed by, or licenced by the Inditex “Group” of entities).
(4) Zero discharge means elimination of all releases, via all pathways of release, i.e. discharges, emissions and losses, from its supply chain and its products. “Elimination” or “zero” means ‘not detectable, to the limits of current technology’, and only naturally occurring background levels are acceptable.
(5) This means the commitment applies to the environmental practices of the entire company (group, and all entities it directs or licences) and for all products sold by Inditex or any of its subsidiaries. This includes all its suppliers or facilities horizontally across all owned brands and licensed companies as well as vertically down its supply chain.
(6) Right to Know is defined as practices that allow members of the public access to environmental information – in this case specifically about the uses and discharges of chemicals based on reported quantities of releases of hazardous chemicals to the environment, chemical-by-chemical, facility-by-facility, at least year-by-year.
(7) One generation is generally regarded as 20-25 years.
(8) the 11 priority hazardous chemical groups are : 1. Alkylphenols 2. Phthalates 3.Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants 4. Azo dyes 5. Organotin compounds 6. Perfluorinated chemicals 7. Chlorobenzenes 8. Chlorinated solvents 9. Chlorophenols 10. Short chain chlorinated paraffins 11. Heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury and chromium (VI).
Stay tuned in to see if they are able to succeed … Be a Seed for Change
For that Teacher who is not afraid of BioColor
BioColor® is coming of age as the teachers’ favorite all-in-one-paint!
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and for a chance to WIN … click on the link below
Why the Founder of Mother’s Day Turned Against It : by Sarah Pruitt
Beginning in the 1850s, Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia started Mothers’ Day Work Clubs in order to teach women proper child-care techniques and sanitation methods. In the years following the Civil War, these same clubs became a unifying force for a country ripped apart by conflict. In 1868, Jarvis and other women organized a Mothers Friendship Day, when mothers gathered with former soldiers of both the Union and Confederacy to promote reconciliation. After Ann Reeves Jarvis died in 1905, it was her daughter Anna Jarvis who would work tirelessly to make Mother’s Day a national holiday.
Anna Jarvis, who had no children of her own, conceived of Mother’s Day as an occasion for honoring the sacrifices individual mothers made for their children.
In May 1908, she organized the first official Mother’s Day events at a church in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia, as well as at a Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia, where she lived at the time. Jarvis then began writing letters to newspapers and politicians pushing for the adoption of Mother’s Day as an official holiday. By 1912, many other churches, towns and states were holding Mother’s Day celebrations, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association. Her hard-fought campaign paid off in 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
Jarvis’ conceived of of Mother’s Day as an intimate occasion—a son or daughter honoring the mother they knew and loved—and not a celebration of all mothers. For this reason, she always stressed the singular “Mother’s” rather than the plural. She soon grew disillusioned, as Mother’s Day almost immediately became centered on the buying and giving of printed cards, flowers, candies and other gifts. Seeking to regain control of the holiday she founded, Jarvis began openly campaigning against those who profited from Mother’s Day, including confectioners, florists and other retailers. She launched numerous lawsuits against groups using the name Mother’s Day, and eventually spent much of her sizeable inheritance on legal fees.
In 1925, when an organization called the American War Mothers used Mother’s Day as an occasion for fundraising and selling carnations, Jarvis crashed their convention in Philadelphia and was arrested for disturbing the peace. Later, she even attacked First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for using Mother’s Day as an occasion to raise money for charity. By the 1940s, Jarvis had disowned the holiday altogether, and even actively lobbied the government to see it removed from the calendar. Her efforts were to no avail, however, as Mother’s Day had taken on a life of its own as a commercial goldmine. Largely destitute, and unable to profit from the massively successful holiday she founded, Jarvis died in 1948 in Philadelphia’s Marshall Square Sanitarium.
The sad history of Mother’s Day founder Anna Jarvis has done nothing to slow down the popularity—and commercialism—of the holiday. According to an annual spending survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend an average of $168.94 on Mother’s Day in 2013, a whopping 11 percent increase from 2012. In total, Mother’s Day spending is expected to reach $20.7 billion this year. In addition to the more traditional gifts (ranging from cards, flowers and candy to clothing and jewelry), the survey showed that an unprecedented 14.1 percent of gift-givers plan to buy their moms high-tech gadgets like smartphones and tablets.
Frost flowers: beauty in the far north
by Lynda V. Mapes
Jeff Bowman had never heard of frost flowers when he decided to study them to earn his PhD in oceanography at the University of Washington. But, as it turned out, they are a ubiquitous, spectacular marvel at both poles, forming whenever the conditions are just right, with superchilled air hitting newly formed sea ice. The result is salt crystals in the seawater forming structures in the frozen sea water, atop the sea ice: frost flowers. Acres and acres of them.
Photo by Matthias Wietz
Jeff Bowman was on an icebreaker in 2009 near the North Pole when his research team encountered miles and miles of new ice, covered with these frost flowers, each about one to two inches tall. The ice appears black to the eye, enhancing the visual effect. While it looks like rippled open water, the newly-formed sea ice is about three inches thick.
The team disembarked to collect samples of some of the flowers, which, it turned out, are teaming with bacteria. They also had surprising chemical properties, including very high levels of mercury, and formaldehyde, Bowman said.
His research team is still trying to understand just what these frost flowers are up to, chemically and biologically. But one thing that seems certain is whatever these flowers are, there are going to be many more of them as the area of perennial sea ice in the arctic shrinks. That means new sea ice forming on open water, blooming with frost flowers.
For more on Bowman’s research, here is a link to his blog.
Happy Cinco de Mayo
Happy Cinco de Mayo
The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be. Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15th of September, 1810. And it took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico.
So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why would Americans savor this day as well?
Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5 1862. For more info: history.com
Spring Allergies Got You Down? Tips to Cope
By Lisa D. Ellis
Reviewed by QualityHealth’s Medical Advisory Board
The arrival of spring may warm your spirits, but if you suffer from seasonal allergies, it can also put a damper on your well-being. With milder temperatures comes periods of turbulent weather-rain, thunderstorms, and heavy winds-which can ignite uncomfortable allergy symptoms. Here, tips on how to keep your symptoms to a minimum during spring-and every other season, too.
Is Rain a Trigger?
Sure, rain may worsen your allergy symptoms, but only in certain circumstances. Most of the time, rain is good for allergies because it helps wash away pollen and mold spores. However, for those who are sensitive to rye grass pollen, rain may actually heighten symptoms. This is because raindrops break up the larger pollen grains and then release the tiny particles into the air. These particles are tiny enough to enter the nose and lungs, thereby setting off the immune system.
The Thunderstorm Connection
The onset of allergies can begin before a thunderstorm even begins. In the earliest stage of the turbulence, updrafts of air can increase the number of mold spores in the air.
Additionally, wind with or without rain can certainly worsen allergies as well. The gusts lift up grass pollen grains and cause them to spread into tiny particles that can set off nasal and respiratory symptoms.
Prevention Matters
Since you can’t change the weather or bypass the volatile spring season, the best way to manage your allergy symptoms is to minimize your exposure to triggers. Pay attention to the weather forecast and follow the daily pollen and mold counts, which you can typically find in your local newspaper and radio stations, as well as on the website of the American Academy of Allergies, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). Try to stay indoors as much as you can during periods of high allergen counts and inclement weather.
If you must go outside when your seasonal triggers are prevalent, be sure to take a hot shower afterwards and wash your clothes to remove pollen grains that cling to your hair and body. If you have any pets, you should also bathe them often in the spring, since their fur can trap a host of allergens that get stirred up in the air.
Treating the Symptoms
It’s also important to follow a strategic allergy treatment plan. You can talk to your allergist about the best allergy control medications to take for your specific situation. If your seasonal allergies don’t respond to over-the-counter or prescription medicines, it may be time to consider immunization therapy to help desensitize you to your triggers.
The Best New Spas of 2013
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Beyond Sandy – An Immigrant Story
Date: Friday, March 8, 2013 (Rescheduled from February 8)
Time: 4:30 pm
As you are well aware, Hurricane Sandy impacted the lives of people who live and work in cities, towns and neighborhoods across the Tri-state area. Sadly, many of these teachers – a group of educators recruited from the Caribbean to work in NYC public schools – saw their property, memories and hopes washed away by the storm.
The Association of International Educators (AIE) was formed in 2009 to address the needs of the aforementioned group of Caribbean educators. Over a decade ago, when NYC’s Department of Education (DOE) was desperately in need of quality educators, the DOE went to the Caribbean to recruit teachers. These teachers came to New York City to teach based on the promise that they would receive a pathway to citizenship for themselves and their families. For many of these teachers, the promises made to them by the DOE have since been broken– some are now out of status and others have yet to receive their green cards. Over the last two years, the AIE and The Black Institute have been aggressively advocating for these teachers’ right to stay in the country that they were recruited into. Eight hundred of the 1000 teachers that were recruited through the DOE’s international teacher program in 2001 emigrated from the Caribbean. Many of these teachers live in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Please join The Black Institute and the Association of International Educators for a Benefit Dinner in support of the of New York Based Caribbean teachers devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
Date: Friday, March 8, 2013 (Rescheduled from February 8)
Time: 4:30 pm
Location: Albert Shanker Hall; 52 Broadway, 2nd Floor, Manhattan
Click here to come to Benefit Dinner or make a donation.
Also read, Beyond Sandy – An Immigrant Story.
The Black Institute
