A while back we did a post about a warning label spotted on a pair of trousers by a fast fashion retailer. The label highlighted to consumers that the dye used for that garment may have transferred onto light-coloured materials. In that post we also wondered if that dye may have been toxic for the wearer.
Yet in some countries we seem to have reached a new level of "label consciousness" when it comes to warnings. Yesterday Twitter user @Aziaani posted pictures of the label she spotted on her Fashion Nova's Water Sports neon green bikini ($34.99).
The label stated: "This product can expose you to Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, lead and cadmium, which are known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm. For more information visit www.p65Warnings.ca.gov". The Twitter user wondered if other consumers were aware of it.
Popular brand Los Angeles-based Fashion Nova is actually not the only one bearing such a label in California. There are indeed other clothes brands, but also coffee chains and furniture stores that have got to put similar labels on their products in accordance with what is stated by the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, also known as Proposition 65.
Requiring businesses with 10 or more employees and with a physical presence in California to provide warnings to Californian consumers about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm, the Proposition allows people to make their decisions about these products. On its site consumers are provided with information on chemicals, products and locations often associated with Proposition 65 warnings. At the time of writing, Prop 65 requires warning labels for around 900 chemicals and the list of chemicals is updated at least once a year.
There are similar warnings to the one on the Fashion Nova bikini even on coffee sold in California: Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle ruled indeed in March 2018 that coffee sellers in California need to post cancer warnings in accordance with Prop 65 since, during the roasting process, acrylamide, a chemical known as carcinogen, is produced (studies have actually proved the benefits of coffee, while big companies stated the level of the chemical in coffee isn't harmful).
So Fashion Nova, better known for plagiarizing some of its products from more famous brands, was actually complying with the law when it came to the incriminated bikini (now out of stock). Some consumers got worried, but experts highlighted the label is similar to the adverts found on cigarette packets and is supposed to educate consumers while highlighting potential dangers.
Yet the negative attention the bikini attracted on social media is good since it makes us sit and ponder about other issues. First of all, it would be interesting to see if the retailer uses such labels also on products sold outside California. Would indeed a retailer reveal the presence of potentially dangerous materials in its products if it weren't obliged to do so?
Apart from that the reactions on Twitter were interesting as some consumers wondered if clothes can cause cancer (well, risks associated with wearing clothing that contains these harmful ingredients is unknown, but manufacturers and companies should definitely be able to explain us more about possible risks), showing that we are maybe still very ignorant about our clothes, especially when it comes to fibres and dyes (quite often getting proper and technical information about them may be hard: in a previous post we highlighted how the Italian tax police discovered some faux cashmere products in Turin, but they had them analysed by a specialized laboratory to be really sure about the fibres contained in the garments).
For consumers beginning to read the labels to check at least what our garments are made of, what they contain and where the final product is actually made, is already a starting point. Demanding clarifications to manufacturers maybe using social media is another great idea, but it would be even better if companies would invest their money in experimenting more with materials that are not derived from carcinogens.
There are a lot of researchers all over the world working on innovative materials (engineers at the University of California, Irvine, are developing for example conductive materials inspired by cephalopods that are capable of regulating how much heat is trapped or released), collaborating with them or even investing in their work would be a good idea for fashion companies as it would help them developing great products and win consumer support.
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