Concerns are being raised about the impact on workers in Turkey from chemicals used in the denim bleaching process.
According to a report released this week by Clean Clothes Campaign, workers spraying potassium permanganate to bleach denim have reported skin and respiratory problems.
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The research is based on interviews a sample of workers from across eight Turkish factories supplying international brands and is thought to be the first conducted into the impacts of potassium permanganate on workers in Turkey.
Potassium permanganate is used to create fades in denim. It is classified as “dangerous” by the European Chemical Agency and is said to affect the lungs if inhaled repeatedly, resulting in symptoms similar to bronchitis and pneumonia. Animal testing has also shown that repeated exposure to the substance causes possible toxicity to reproduction or development.
The report says the chemical, which is used in 90% of products with a bleached denim look sold across UK high streets, is commonly applied to jeans and jackets by workers with spray guns, often in confined workshop spaces and without appropriate protective equipment.
10 years ago Turkey banned sandblasting, a technique used to bleach denim, as the spraying of sand – which results in the worn out, whitened look – after workers were found to be inhaling the airborne sand particles, and the silica inside the articles could cause the terminal illness silicosis.
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By GlobalDataThe denim workers also reported long hours, with a standard 12-hour day, six days a week. Most workers said they didn’t receive overtime until they had clocked up 72 hours of work – although local labour law says this should be paid after 45 hours. Workers reported monthly wages of TRL2000-3000 (US$351-528), which is about a third of the value of a living wage needed to support a family in Turkey.
Turkey is one of the biggest manufacturers of denim in the world. In the last five months of 2017, denim fabric exports were $154.5m, rising to $156.1m in the same period of 2018. Exports of jeans, meanwhile, reached $654m in the last five months of 2017, climbing to $880m year-on-year in 2018.
“This worrying report indicates the need for further investigation,” says Anna Bryher, advocacy director, at Labour Behind the Label.
“Workers were shown to have lost their lives in the Turkish denim industry through dust inhalation 10 years ago. To replace this process with a deadly chemical and continue the risk of thousands of workers inhaling toxic substances seems incomprehensible. Regulation and action are needed to protect the people who make our clothes.”
