According to the latest research, fast fashion brands and various design houses be destructive contributors to the environment—this study, published by the Stand. Earth here on Monday identifies the many brands that are at high risk of contributing to the huge scale deforestation in the Amazon rainforest due to their ties to leather suppliers and tanneries.
Government statistics show that 16.5 million acres of forests have been destroyed in Brazil's Amazon rainforest biome over the last decade (2011-2020). As the largest beef/leather company in Brazil, JBS is credited with deforestation in the Amazon.
The report stated that "All companies sourcing directly from JBS or indirectly from JBS via leather processors are therefore linked to deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. Furthermore, these studies also show that while JBS is the largest leather exporter and the most implicated in deforestation, this problem is endemic to the entire Brazilian leather industry — not just JBS. This includes other tannery companies like Minerva and Fuga Couros",
Additionally, the actual data uncovered the concealed supply chains linking 100 shoe and fashion brands to deforestation of Amazon rainforests, including multiple and direct connections to deforestation leather, where the risk is highest in the former. These include Nike, Puma, H&M, Zara, Adidas, Reebok, Coach, LVMH, Prada, Guess, Calvin Klein, and Decathlon, Ted Baker, Georgio Armani, Charles & Keith and Maison Margiela. However, it noted that while no single connection proves that anyone brand uses deforestation leather, it shows that many brands are at a very high risk of destroying the Amazon rainforest.
Meanwhile, Several brands included in the survey recently announced policies against finding leather from deforestation, including Nike, Adidas, LVMH, and Puma, which are directly contradicted by the findings. However, some do not have relevant policies at all. LVMH, for example, one of the brands contributing to Amazon's destruction, vowed earlier this year to protect this ecologically tense region along with UNESCO.