From: Coolearth
Global sportswear brands such as Adidas and Reebok are traditionally associated with fashionable athleticism but many of these well-known labels are actually indirectly contributing to the deforestation of acres of some of the world's most endangered rainforests.
Adidas
Many of these sportswear giants are heavily reliant on leather for the manufacturing of their much sought-after footwear - leather originating from cattle reared in logged regions of the Amazon rainforest.According to a recent study by Greenpeace, the cattle industry accounts for around 13 per cent of all deforestation around the world every year.
Nowhere is the cattle industry more thriving than in the Amazon. Cattle herding in the industry increased by more than ten per cent between 1995 and 2006, with the states of Mato Grosso and Para alone accounting for nearly two-thirds of the herds in the local region.
Greenpeace's Slaughtering the Amazon report, which was released last month, is the result of an extensive investigation and uncovers a complex chain that begins with the logging of trees in the Amazon rainforest and ends up on high streets across the globe and in the retail outlets of the world's most well-known brands.
The report revealed that manufacturers producing trainers for Adidas, Reebok, Nike and Timberland are being supplied by leather finishers that are direct customers of Bertin - one of the biggest cattle firms in Brazil accused of contributing to the illegal deforestation of Amazon rainforest cover.
Almost 80 per cent of the land deforested in the Amazon between 1996 and 2006 is being used for cattle pasture by firms including Bertin.
Greenpeace's investigations found out that the Tong Hong Group is one of Bertin's major customers via the tanneries KZ Hong in China and Tong Hong in Vietnam. KZ Hong says it supplies Clarks, Adidas, Reebok and Timberland manufacturer ShingTak Footwear and Reebok safety shoe supplier Shenzhen Sheng Feng Footwear.
Meanwhile in Vietnam, Tong Hong supplies leather to Nike manufacturers Chang Sin, Dona Pacific and Tae Kwang.
Amid the growing trend of firms making a concerted effort to promote corporate social responsibility and improve their green credentials, Nike recently stepped forward and announced a ban on leather sourced from the Amazon region from being used in the manufacturing of its goods.
The company said that as well as implementing a blanket hands-off policy on leather linked to deforestation, it supports the establishment of a certification system for all industries associated in the Brazilian meat and leather supply chain.
"Nike Inc shares the widely-held view that climate change is a serious issue requiring immediate and meaningful action across government, industry, consumers and society," the firm said.
"Nike has made cutting greenhouse gas emissions across our operations, incorporating sustainability into the design of our products and reducing our overall environmental footprint a cornerstone of our sustainability efforts."
The company expressed its commitment to taking deforestation in the Amazon basin more seriously, saying it appreciates "how important rainforests are to the health of the planet and the implications deforestation has on climate change and global warming".
Nike's decision to take a stand against the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is a direct result of increased media coverage about the hidden ways in which the world's rainforests are being destroyed by high-profile consumer goods companies.
As the complicity of global brands in deforestation becomes increasingly highlighted in the media, multinational firms will have little choice but to become more sensitive to the environmental cost of their operations.