Clean Clothes Campaign calls on fashion companies to ban sandblasting
On 13 February 2011 Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) launched Stop the Killer Jeans! campaign, calling on leading fashion manufacturers and retailers to ban sandblasting - a technique for producing denim garments with an artificially worn look. CCC alleges that the large amounts of silica dust produced in the process can lead to silicosis, a potentially lethal pulmonary disease. In its campaign CCC singled out Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli and Just Group as the brands refusing to ban sandblasting. On 10 August 2011 the Guardian published an article Dolce & Gabbana in dock over 'killer jeans' by John Hooper, which described the efforts undertaken by CCC to pressure fashion manufacturers to ban sandblasting. The article accused Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Roberto Cavalli of not willing to engage with CCC. [also refers to Adolfo Dominquez, Benetton, Bestseller, Burberry (part of GUS), Carrera Jeans, Charles Vögele, Diesel, Esprit, Gucci (part of PPR), IC, Inditex, Holy Fashion Group, New Yorker, Mango, Metro, New Look, Pepe Jeans, Replay, Orsay, Street One, Versace, VF, S.Oliver, Prada, Primark (part of Associated British Foods). Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Dolce & Gabbana to respond but it declined to do so. We are still waiting for a response from Roberto Cavalli. Includes responses from Giorgio Armani and Just Group]