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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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[♪♪♪]

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[Mark Angelo]:
My dad, in the late '60s,

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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brought home
a photograph of Earth

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as seen from outer space,

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and I was so impressed by it,

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but one, it made me realize,
in the overall scheme of things,

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that our planet is quite small
and quite finite.

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The other thing
that was very noticeable

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is, I mean,
clearly it's a blue planet,

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but of all the water
on this Earth,

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97% is saline,
it's in the oceans,

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2% is locked up in ice.

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That only leaves us 1%

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that's found
in lakes and rivers,

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and a lot of that water
is not accessible.

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So really,
when you talk about it,

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when you really
you come down to it,

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we have a very small
amount of water,

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and that's got to accommodate,

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<i>ot only the needs
that humans have,</i>

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for drinking water,

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but it's got to accommodate all of those other
needs, agricultural needs, industrial needs,

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so I think we have
to treat water

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in a much more respectful way,

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I think we have to treat rivers
in a much more respectful way,

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than we have in the past.

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[Kumi Naidoo]:
The wars of the future

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Will not be fought about oil.

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The wars of the future is going
to be fought about water.

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[♪♪♪]

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[♪♪♪]

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[Narrator]: China: with more

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than 1.3 billion people, this is
the most populous country on Earth.

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The stress to supply clean water
is almost insurmountable,

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as their rivers
are flowing disaster zones.

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Worldwatch Institute wrote

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that 70% of China's lakes
and rivers are contaminated,

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which leaves little fresh water
for the people who rely on them.

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China has gone through a major transformation.
Once an impoverished farming-reliant country,

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it has now morphed into
"The Factory of the World."

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No other country exports
more goods than China does,

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but that came at a high price.

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The widespread dumping
of toxic chemicals

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has poisoned rivers
and groundwater.

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Environmental issues in China.

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You know, water pollution

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is damaging
the freshwater biodiversity,

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but more than that,

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it's also creating
such a big public health risk.

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You know, potentially now

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we have hundreds of millions
of people

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exposed to water pollution.

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[Narrator]:
Ma Jun is one of China's

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Most prominent
environmental activists.

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He was named

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one of the 100 most influential
persons in the worldby Time magazine.

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Ma's book, titled
"China's Water Crisis,"

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was that country's first book

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focusing on China's
pollution problem.

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So many people
live along the rivers,

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and in those countrysides,
you know,

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when the rivers
got contaminated,

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they would dig a well,

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and then the shell aquifer easily got contaminated,
then we started seeing people getting sick,

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and then the extraordinarily
high rate of cancer

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and other diseases
cropped up, you know,

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cancer villages cropped up
along those rivers.

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And acknowledged as, you know,
having unusually high cancers

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associated
with poor water quality.

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They do have problems
with drinking water supply,

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with blue-green algal toxins,

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so there's a high incidence
of liver cancers

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that are associated with that.

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[Tianjie Ma]: It's always
a disturbing experience

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looking at these pictures,

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so sometimes I choose
not to look at them too often,

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but you have to go there
and you have to document them,

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otherwise these people's voice
doesn't get heard,

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and they need people to be aware

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that the cost of development
that China is suffering from.

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[Bunn]: The approach that's been
taken in China up until now

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Has been, you know,

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firstly focused on development
and the economy, and that's been done
with a full acknowledgment

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of what that will do
to the environment,

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so I think a full understanding

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that the environment
will pay the price of that,

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and now they've reached
the point in that development

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where acknowledging
the social and environmental

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and the health problems
associated with it,

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<i>ow is the time to act.</i>

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[Tianjie]:
Recently we have big cities

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Where their whole
drinking water source

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are being threatened
by pollution.

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You have, in past years,
several cases

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where, like, cities
with several million population

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Because they fear that
their drinking water source

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is being contaminated.

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[Bunn]: They've gone through
a very, very rapid stage

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Of industrialization,

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so, you know,
in the last 40-50 years,

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we've seen massive
industrialization,

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a lot of hydropower development,

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and a lot of industries
developing

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without adequate
pollution control,

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cities that are growing
at an incredible rate,

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so, you know, the number
of cities of millions of people

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has really expanded,

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and so the waterways have taken
the brunt of that development,

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and as you can imagine,

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many of them
are in an appalling state.

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[Narrator]:
In response to widespread

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environmental
and health problems,

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activists in China

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focused their investigations
on water pollution, and discovered
one of the major sources

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led them to the western markets,

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with the fashion industry
as one of the key suspects

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in the destruction
of China's lakes and rivers.

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These activists
have produced campaigns

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to create consumer awareness
on the issue.

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<i>These are toxic substances</i>

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released into our precious lakes
<i>and rivers</i>

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<i>by textile manufacturers,</i>

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<i>just for printing and dyeing
our clothes.</i>

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Fashion is too beautiful to have
<i>anything to do with this mess.</i>

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<i>We're here to challenge it.</i>

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[Narrator]: Dhaka, the largest
city in Bangladesh,

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and one of its dirtiest.

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The toll of becoming

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The world's second-leading
clothing exporter, after China,

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can be seen and smelled

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from the riverbanks
surrounding Dhaka.

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Is one of the most polluted
rivers in the world,

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and the manufacturers
of cheap clothing

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can claim
some of this responsibility.

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The outflow from Bangladesh's
garment and tannery industries

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has contributed heavily

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to what experts describe as
a water pollution catastrophe.

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[Angelo]: Looking at the city,
what I have seen so far,

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it's a sprawling city,

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a huge city
of 15 million people,

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sixth biggest in the world,

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also I can see that pollution
is an issue here.

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It was recently ranked

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as the second worst city
to live in

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from a quality of life
and environmental point of view,

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and certainly things
like textiles and tanneries

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are a part of that.

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I do plan on getting
in the river in the days ahead,

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I do plan
on visiting the tanneries,

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and certainly it's my goal

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to learn a lot more
about these issues.

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[Narrator]: Mark Angelo,

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A celebrated international
river conservationist

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and member
of the Explorers Club,

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is on a global expedition

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taking him to some of
the most polluted rivers

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around the world.

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His goal is to document

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the state of the waterways
of our planet,

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and his research leads him
to Bangladesh,

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where he is about to discover

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the dark side
of the fashion industry.

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[Angelo]: I had read a lot
about the Buriganga river.

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I knew that it was

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one of the most polluted rivers
on Earth.

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This is an area,
and particularly, this river

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is a place
that's heavily impacted

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by the textile
and tannery sectors,

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so I thought it was important
to come and see it

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and get a feel
as to how it got to this state

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and what could possibly be done
to turn things around.

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And as I stand here,

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When I catch the wind in the face,
the smell is unbelievably bad.

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It's atrocious.

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It's hard to imagine a stream
more polluted than this one.

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About a third of the pollution
that comes into here is sewage,

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most of the sewage in the city
is untreated,

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but about two thirds
of the pollution here

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is all from the tanneries
up river,

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it's all industrial pollution,
chemicals, heavy metals,

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so this waterway is so polluted
it cannot sustain any life,

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and the pollution gets so bad
during the dry season

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that there are parts
of this canal

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that you can literally
light on fire.

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Who speak out

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against the government
and factory owners

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who are ignoring costly
environmental regulations,

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but there are some who take
pollution very seriously.

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One such man is Pinaki Roy.

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As the deputy chief reporter
for Dhaka's Daily Star,

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Pinaki's beat
is the environment,

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but his passion
is for the river.

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[Roy]:
I have passion for them.

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I was born here
and grown up here.

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I love rivers.

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Well, people
who live by the river,

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they really feel sad
about the situation,

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about the condition
of the river now,

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so they say,
"Can't you do something

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so that the river
is clean again?"

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[Narrator]:
Pinaki investigates in areas

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where textile companies
group together

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behind high brick walls.

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It's here where he gathers
evidence of rampant pollution.

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While companies make it
difficult to see what's going on

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in their guarded compounds,

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tell-tale channels
all lead to outflows

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that release toxic liquids

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straight into the rivers
surrounding the city.

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[Roy]: There are hundreds
of thousands

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of garments industries
in Dhaka City,

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and those industries basically,
you know,

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discharging their pollution,
you know, everywhere,

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so now, every part of the city,

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you go to the river,
and you'll find it polluted.

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This is
all the untreated effluent

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Coming from the garments
and dyeing industries

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and directly
going into the river.

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This water is so toxic,
there is no aquatic life,

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And local communities,

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they cannot use this water
anymore.

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They have set up industries
for years,

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but they have never set up ETP,
effluent treatment plant,

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so it is not
that they don't have money,

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it is all about intention.

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They don't have intention
about clean environment,

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so that's why they don't do it.

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They should respect the river,
but they don't.

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They are doing this
just to increase their profit.

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[Angelo]:
One of my very first days,

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I walked down
and I found a boatman

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and I asked him if he would
take me out on the river,

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and he was happy to,

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but getting out on the river
was a real eye-opener,

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and it was depressing.

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The colour of the water
was ink black.

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The water
also had a thickness to it,

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and as our oar
cut through the water,

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it the water literally rolled,
almost like heavy oil.

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The river was more chemical
than water.

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On my journey
over the last couple of years,

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I've seen so many rivers
that are so, so polluted.

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Probably the Buriganga, though,

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is the most polluted
of the rivers I've seen.

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Some of the things

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that I observed
while floating the river,

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just looking at the water,
feeling the texture of it,

250
00:13:29,942 --> 00:13:31,877
the smell of it,

251
00:13:31,878 --> 00:13:35,480
knowing it was totally off, totally
unnatural... that saddens me deeply.

252
00:13:40,486 --> 00:13:41,953
[Narrator]: Much of Dhaka's
pollution problem

253
00:13:41,954 --> 00:13:43,955
emanates
from this area of the city,

254
00:13:43,956 --> 00:13:46,258
Hazaribagh,

255
00:13:46,259 --> 00:13:50,996
home to more than 200 tanneries.

256
00:13:50,997 --> 00:13:53,298
This is ground zero
for a lot of toxic waste.

257
00:13:53,299 --> 00:13:57,102
Raw material enters through
the doors of the tanneries

258
00:13:57,103 --> 00:14:02,007
to be transformed
into wide swaths of leather

259
00:14:02,008 --> 00:14:03,842
that will be shipped
out of the country

260
00:14:03,843 --> 00:14:05,610
and used in the manufacturing
of shoes, purses,

261
00:14:05,611 --> 00:14:07,012
and other leather goods.

262
00:14:07,013 --> 00:14:09,881
What ends up
on the fashion runways

263
00:14:09,882 --> 00:14:13,385
and in many of our own closets

264
00:14:13,386 --> 00:14:16,922
has its noxious beginnings

265
00:14:16,923 --> 00:14:19,558
in this filthy section
of the city.

266
00:14:19,559 --> 00:14:21,326
I probably won't have
to go to Hell

267
00:14:21,327 --> 00:14:24,262
to find out how it looks.

268
00:14:24,263 --> 00:14:26,531
If one goes
to Hazaribagh tannery,

269
00:14:26,532 --> 00:14:28,066
that would tell you probably
how Hell looks like.

270
00:14:28,067 --> 00:14:29,868
[Narrator]:
Syeda Rizwana Hasan

271
00:14:29,869 --> 00:14:31,870
is Bangladesh's
chief environmental lawyer.

272
00:14:31,871 --> 00:14:34,172
[Hasan]: Dhaka has been ranked

273
00:14:34,173 --> 00:14:37,309
as the second most uninhabitable
cities of the world,

274
00:14:37,310 --> 00:14:38,610
and this extremely hazardous
export-oriented industry

275
00:14:38,611 --> 00:14:41,179
is actually contributing

276
00:14:41,180 --> 00:14:45,016
to that process
of making Dhaka uninhabitable.

277
00:14:47,253 --> 00:14:50,622
I would say even 15 years back,
the river water was usable.

278
00:14:52,158 --> 00:14:56,428
You could still
boat on the river

279
00:14:56,429 --> 00:15:00,432
without having that bad smell.

280
00:15:00,433 --> 00:15:02,033
We saw a living river,

281
00:15:02,034 --> 00:15:05,270
what is now being described
as a biologically dead river,

282
00:15:05,271 --> 00:15:09,274
and what is more frustrating
for us to see

283
00:15:09,275 --> 00:15:10,176
is, despite all the movements
to save the river,

284
00:15:10,177 --> 00:15:14,679
despite the court coming forward
to protect the river,

285
00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:17,082
the condition of the river
is deteriorating

286
00:15:17,083 --> 00:15:19,651
with each passing day.

287
00:15:19,652 --> 00:15:22,454
[Roy]: If you visit those rivers
in any day,

288
00:15:22,455 --> 00:15:26,057
you'll find
that different colour,

289
00:15:26,058 --> 00:15:29,060
you know, blue, red, black,

290
00:15:29,061 --> 00:15:31,563
all directly going to the river.

291
00:15:31,564 --> 00:15:34,399
[Narrator]:
Pinaki Roy is following a lead

292
00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,335
on a story he's working on,

293
00:15:37,336 --> 00:15:40,172
taking him inside
one of the tanneries

294
00:15:40,173 --> 00:15:42,274
in the Hazaribagh area.

295
00:15:42,275 --> 00:15:44,409
Normally, cameras
are not allowed in,

296
00:15:44,410 --> 00:15:46,645
but by focusing on Pinaki,
the reporter,

297
00:15:46,646 --> 00:15:50,015
we're able to capture
a seldom-seen view

298
00:15:50,016 --> 00:15:51,983
of what goes on

299
00:15:51,984 --> 00:15:54,019
behind the walls of a typical
tannery operation.

300
00:15:59,058 --> 00:16:01,726
Who have been dealing
with those chemicals directly,

301
00:16:01,727 --> 00:16:04,996
they are touching
those chemicals in bare hands,

302
00:16:04,997 --> 00:16:07,365
without any gloves.

303
00:16:07,366 --> 00:16:09,067
A lot of underage children,
like below 18,

304
00:16:09,068 --> 00:16:09,235
they work here,

305
00:16:09,236 --> 00:16:12,137
and many of them do not have
even boots, gloves.

306
00:16:12,138 --> 00:16:14,139
They complain a lot,

307
00:16:14,140 --> 00:16:16,608
but they think
this is their fate.

308
00:16:16,609 --> 00:16:19,544
Now, see?

309
00:16:19,545 --> 00:16:21,580
Now they have a tea break,
like, a working break, so after the break,

310
00:16:21,581 --> 00:16:23,148
they are having their, you know,
little snacks

311
00:16:23,149 --> 00:16:26,451
in bare hands
without proper cleaning,

312
00:16:26,452 --> 00:16:28,053
so in this way,

313
00:16:28,054 --> 00:16:32,324
maybe they consume
a lot of chemicals. I have been doing this
for a few years now,

314
00:16:32,325 --> 00:16:33,658
and time to time
I keep on visiting,

315
00:16:33,659 --> 00:16:37,162
and I feel it's awful.

316
00:16:43,502 --> 00:16:47,038
This is the heart
of the tanning district,

317
00:16:47,039 --> 00:16:49,341
widely viewed as being

318
00:16:49,342 --> 00:16:53,078
one of the most polluted
places on Earth,

319
00:16:53,079 --> 00:16:56,414
and there are chemicals
everywhere.

320
00:16:56,415 --> 00:16:59,451
I smell chemicals,
it totally pervades the air,

321
00:16:59,452 --> 00:17:02,420
I feel like
I'm breathing them in.

322
00:17:02,421 --> 00:17:05,390
My throat burns,
I feel it in my eyes,

323
00:17:05,391 --> 00:17:10,195
so this is not
a healthy place to be,

324
00:17:10,196 --> 00:17:12,063
and yet there are 180,000 people
that live around here,

325
00:17:12,064 --> 00:17:13,331
almost 20,000 work here
in the tanneries

326
00:17:13,332 --> 00:17:16,034
and get exposed to this
every day.

327
00:17:16,035 --> 00:17:18,303
[Hasan]: If you go
to the Hazaribagh tannery,

328
00:17:18,304 --> 00:17:21,206
if you see how people
are living there,

329
00:17:21,207 --> 00:17:23,808
there are small children

330
00:17:23,809 --> 00:17:27,312
who are passing through
the tannery area every day

331
00:17:27,313 --> 00:17:30,515
to go to the school,

332
00:17:30,516 --> 00:17:34,085
and they have lost their sensory adaptation.
They can't smell anymore. It's totally gone.

333
00:17:34,086 --> 00:17:36,788
The physicians say people
often come to them with gastric,

334
00:17:36,789 --> 00:17:40,091
with ulcers, with chest pain,

335
00:17:40,092 --> 00:17:42,573
and obviously with skin diseases
and some diseases like cancer,

336
00:17:43,663 --> 00:17:45,664
Local people won't complain,

337
00:17:45,665 --> 00:17:48,533
because they know
that even if they complain,

338
00:17:48,534 --> 00:17:52,203
there is hardly any relief,

339
00:17:52,204 --> 00:17:55,340
but I think the consumers
have a big role to play there,

340
00:17:55,341 --> 00:17:59,611
because your consumption pattern

341
00:17:59,612 --> 00:18:02,080
doesn't have
to be responsible only,

342
00:18:02,081 --> 00:18:02,548
you have to make sure
that it's not exploitative.

343
00:18:02,549 --> 00:18:07,118
[Narrator]:
Big box retailers from the West

344
00:18:10,323 --> 00:18:12,557
Look to Bangladesh

345
00:18:12,558 --> 00:18:14,326
for low cost/high output leather products and clothing.
The cost in human suffering producing cheap clothing

346
00:18:14,327 --> 00:18:16,294
has been well documented,

347
00:18:16,295 --> 00:18:19,698
but for global brands

348
00:18:19,699 --> 00:18:21,366
that buy clothing
from Bangladeshi factories,

349
00:18:21,367 --> 00:18:24,235
pollution rarely
gets the same attention

350
00:18:24,236 --> 00:18:26,471
as workplace conditions,

351
00:18:26,472 --> 00:18:28,540
and local environmentalists

352
00:18:28,541 --> 00:18:30,442
say global buyers
have done far too little.

353
00:18:30,443 --> 00:18:35,380
[Roy]: Accidents happened
in the garment sector,

354
00:18:35,381 --> 00:18:37,682
like a Rana Plaza accident

355
00:18:37,683 --> 00:18:39,517
where more than
1,000 people died.

356
00:18:39,518 --> 00:18:41,252
After that, I found in Twitter,
in social media, you know,

357
00:18:41,253 --> 00:18:43,855
a lot of criticism against
those, you know, retailers,

358
00:18:43,856 --> 00:18:46,658
who are buying from Bangladesh,

359
00:18:46,659 --> 00:18:48,259
who are buying
from those garments,

360
00:18:48,260 --> 00:18:49,627
so there are
a lot of criticisms,

361
00:18:49,628 --> 00:18:53,398
and I would say, you know,

362
00:18:53,399 --> 00:18:55,767
the buyer from the West,
he wants cheaper clothes.

363
00:18:55,768 --> 00:18:57,435
He cannot, you know,
pollute our environment.

364
00:18:57,436 --> 00:18:59,637
Buying these cheap clothes,
they are also responsible,

365
00:18:59,638 --> 00:19:04,409
because they are pushing
these industries

366
00:19:04,410 --> 00:19:07,746
for more and more
cheaper clothes.

367
00:19:07,747 --> 00:19:09,347
This is a question of ethics.

368
00:19:09,348 --> 00:19:11,783
They are not caring
about the environment.

369
00:19:11,784 --> 00:19:13,618
There are some
who just want to, you know,

370
00:19:13,619 --> 00:19:15,499
make their production costs
cheaper and cheaper.

371
00:19:21,327 --> 00:19:24,195
For producing low-cost jeans,
shirts, t-shirts,

372
00:19:24,196 --> 00:19:26,798
people around the world
buy them,

373
00:19:26,799 --> 00:19:28,700
but the reality is
that low-cost clothing

374
00:19:28,701 --> 00:19:32,170
has a very high cost
attached to it.

375
00:19:32,171 --> 00:19:33,405
Look at what we've seen

376
00:19:33,406 --> 00:19:35,507
from both an environmental
and public health perspective,

377
00:19:35,508 --> 00:19:41,279
it's a calamity,

378
00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:41,781
and this kind of disaster
is something that I've seen

379
00:19:41,782 --> 00:19:46,951
on river after river
after river,

380
00:19:46,952 --> 00:19:50,255
so once again
I think a key point

381
00:19:50,256 --> 00:19:53,458
is that there is often
a very high cost

382
00:19:53,459 --> 00:19:55,226
attached to low-cost clothing.

383
00:19:55,227 --> 00:19:57,962
[Hasan]: Just because you want
to get something

384
00:20:00,332 --> 00:20:02,600
At a lower price

385
00:20:02,601 --> 00:20:05,001
doesn't mean you would allow
a precious resource like a river

386
00:20:06,405 --> 00:20:09,240
Doesn't mean
you would allow people

387
00:20:09,241 --> 00:20:11,876
to die
in some other part of the world

388
00:20:11,877 --> 00:20:13,611
because they don't have

389
00:20:13,612 --> 00:20:15,814
a regular health
monitoring system, and you would never know

390
00:20:15,815 --> 00:20:18,750
that by buying something
at a lower price,

391
00:20:18,751 --> 00:20:20,385
you are actually contributing

392
00:20:20,386 --> 00:20:21,686
to the death, illness,
suffering of people

393
00:20:21,687 --> 00:20:23,488
in some other part
of this world.

394
00:20:23,489 --> 00:20:25,489
If people of Bangladesh
do not have water tomorrow,

395
00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:28,960
They'll have
to find another place

396
00:20:28,961 --> 00:20:30,595
to go where they'll have water,

397
00:20:30,596 --> 00:20:32,664
which means
that we'll have to migrate out,

398
00:20:32,665 --> 00:20:35,633
which means
that the rest of the world

399
00:20:35,634 --> 00:20:37,335
will also be disturbed

400
00:20:37,336 --> 00:20:40,004
if we are disturbed
in this very small country, and everyone
has a responsibility

401
00:20:40,005 --> 00:20:41,739
to protect the mother Earth.

402
00:20:41,740 --> 00:20:45,510
If I am an environmentalist,

403
00:20:45,511 --> 00:20:47,412
I can't say I care only
about the rivers of Bangladesh.

404
00:20:47,413 --> 00:20:49,173
I have to care
about the rivers of the world.

405
00:20:53,419 --> 00:20:55,286
[Angelo]: These are conditions

406
00:20:55,287 --> 00:20:57,355
that the workers there have to live with
every day, so you can't help but wonder

407
00:20:57,356 --> 00:20:58,790
the toll that's taking
on their health,

408
00:20:58,791 --> 00:21:02,894
and I don't think
it was a coincidence

409
00:21:02,895 --> 00:21:04,762
that we did not see
very many older people

410
00:21:04,763 --> 00:21:07,298
working in the tanneries.

411
00:21:07,299 --> 00:21:08,967
I think if you have to work
with those chemicals every day,

412
00:21:08,968 --> 00:21:11,769
in those conditions every day,

413
00:21:11,770 --> 00:21:14,572
I think that's the recipe
for a much shorter life.

414
00:21:14,573 --> 00:21:17,642
[♪♪♪]

415
00:21:29,054 --> 00:21:31,589
[Narrator]: India, a nation
of extreme contrasts,

416
00:21:31,590 --> 00:21:33,324
with some of the most sacred,
and dirtiest,

417
00:21:33,325 --> 00:21:35,827
rivers in the world.

418
00:21:35,828 --> 00:21:37,662
It's difficult to imagine today,

419
00:21:39,899 --> 00:21:42,367
But for some farmers who live
on the banks of the Ganges,

420
00:21:42,368 --> 00:21:45,303
there was a time
in living memory

421
00:21:45,304 --> 00:21:46,304
when the water in the river
was clean enough to drink.

422
00:21:46,305 --> 00:21:49,407
Today, the rivers
they revere as goddesses

423
00:21:49,408 --> 00:21:57,408
are in severe decline.

424
00:23:39,618 --> 00:23:44,622
Some of India's greatest rivers
begin as pristine water sources,

425
00:23:44,623 --> 00:23:49,494
but not far downriver,
they become open flowing sewers.

426
00:23:52,064 --> 00:23:54,432
One of the key issues

427
00:23:54,433 --> 00:23:56,701
is what to do with the excrement of about 600
million people who are defecating in the open.

428
00:23:56,702 --> 00:23:59,437
Studies have found
that untreated sewage

429
00:23:59,438 --> 00:24:02,140
is the single
most important source

430
00:24:02,141 --> 00:24:04,642
of water pollution in India.

431
00:24:04,643 --> 00:24:08,479
While more
than half a billion people

432
00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:11,182
rely on one of its
most holy rivers, the Ganges,

433
00:24:11,183 --> 00:24:14,085
they also contribute
to its abuse

434
00:24:14,086 --> 00:24:18,656
in the most elemental way.

435
00:24:23,962 --> 00:24:27,498
[Angelo]:
Varanasi is an amazing city.

436
00:24:27,499 --> 00:24:33,204
It's known as the eternal city.

437
00:24:33,205 --> 00:24:35,773
It embodies
the essence of Hinduism,

438
00:24:35,774 --> 00:24:38,543
and because of its
close proximity to the Ganges,

439
00:24:38,544 --> 00:24:40,044
it's a very well-known
pilgrimage site.

440
00:24:40,045 --> 00:24:43,181
More than a million pilgrims
come here every year.

441
00:24:43,182 --> 00:24:45,550
Some come to take a holy dip
at this location

442
00:24:45,551 --> 00:24:48,786
to cleanse their soul,
cleanse them of their sins.

443
00:24:48,787 --> 00:24:51,489
Others come
to spend their final days here.

444
00:24:51,490 --> 00:24:53,658
They'll die here

445
00:24:53,659 --> 00:25:01,659
and have their ashes
scattered in the river in the belief

446
00:25:29,228 --> 00:25:33,998
that that will aid in their path
towards heaven.

447
00:25:33,999 --> 00:25:35,833
It will liberate the soul
and free them

448
00:25:35,834 --> 00:25:37,835
from that never-ending
cycle of reincarnation.

449
00:25:37,836 --> 00:25:40,104
This city has
an incredible spiritual energy,

450
00:25:40,105 --> 00:25:42,640
and nowhere else on Earth

451
00:25:42,641 --> 00:25:45,676
does life, death, and religion
blend so seamlessly.

452
00:25:51,683 --> 00:25:54,652
I've always loved India,
I've been here many, many times,

453
00:25:54,653 --> 00:25:56,220
but I've always
been disappointed

454
00:25:56,221 --> 00:25:59,090
in the state
of the Ganges river.

455
00:25:59,091 --> 00:26:00,691
It's a river that I have come
to know really well,

456
00:26:00,692 --> 00:26:02,326
I've been to the headwaters,
I've been to the mouth,

457
00:26:02,327 --> 00:26:03,928
I've paddled or travelled
along much of the rest of it.

458
00:26:03,929 --> 00:26:06,964
It's not the biggest river
in the world,

459
00:26:06,965 --> 00:26:10,001
it's not the longest,

460
00:26:10,002 --> 00:26:11,836
but it may be
the most venerated,

461
00:26:11,837 --> 00:26:14,605
particularly
by the 500 million people

462
00:26:14,606 --> 00:26:22,606
that live within its basin.

463
00:26:23,015 --> 00:26:28,052
[Sunita Narain]:
I think it's when faith,

464
00:26:31,256 --> 00:26:32,757
Which is very powerful,

465
00:26:32,758 --> 00:26:34,859
becomes your weakness.

466
00:26:34,860 --> 00:26:37,095
I mean, there is no doubt

467
00:26:37,096 --> 00:26:39,256
that the Ganga has tremendous
self-cleaning capacities;

468
00:26:41,900 --> 00:26:44,068
It's why there is
such a sense of the fact

469
00:26:44,069 --> 00:26:45,990
that this is a river
which can regenerate itself,

470
00:26:47,673 --> 00:26:49,607
It is also something
that we have to accept

471
00:26:49,608 --> 00:26:52,710
that that river is polluted.

472
00:26:52,711 --> 00:26:54,278
We have defiled it
beyond its cleansing abilities,

473
00:26:54,279 --> 00:26:55,613
and that we have to clean it up,

474
00:26:55,614 --> 00:26:57,215
and it's crying
that it needs cleaning up.

475
00:26:57,216 --> 00:26:59,083
[Narrator]:
Religion and science

476
00:27:00,819 --> 00:27:00,953
Are uncomfortable bedmates
in India.

477
00:27:00,954 --> 00:27:05,823
To live by the Ganges
and see obvious pollution

478
00:27:05,824 --> 00:27:08,392
doesn't sway those who believe

479
00:27:08,393 --> 00:27:11,863
in the river's ability
to cleanse itself.

480
00:27:11,864 --> 00:27:12,197
Religious men,

481
00:27:12,198 --> 00:27:16,400
who hold great influence with India's population,
believe in the river's purity and sing its praises,

482
00:27:16,401 --> 00:27:17,802
while environmentalists
hope their influence

483
00:27:17,803 --> 00:27:20,304
would be used
to convince more people

484
00:27:20,305 --> 00:27:21,973
to clean up the river.

485
00:27:21,974 --> 00:27:25,743
[singing]

486
00:27:29,748 --> 00:27:31,349
[Narain]: I think it's
the people who hold the faith

487
00:27:31,350 --> 00:27:32,850
that must talk to people
and make them understand

488
00:27:32,851 --> 00:27:35,887
that yes, the river

489
00:27:35,888 --> 00:27:38,789
has intrinsic
self-cleansing abilities,

490
00:27:38,790 --> 00:27:40,691
and we have faith

491
00:27:40,692 --> 00:27:42,994
that the river
is the most important being,

492
00:27:42,995 --> 00:27:47,198
but yet, we as a modern society
have even breached

493
00:27:47,199 --> 00:27:50,735
its own abilities
to clean itself,

494
00:27:50,736 --> 00:27:53,371
and we have
to do something about it,

495
00:27:53,372 --> 00:27:55,173
and you have to be able
to bring science into religion.

496
00:27:55,174 --> 00:27:56,307
The fact is,

497
00:27:56,308 --> 00:27:58,809
if you have dissolved oxygen
levels of zero, the river is dead,
call it what you want.

498
00:27:58,810 --> 00:28:05,883
You just haven't
officially cremated it,

499
00:28:05,884 --> 00:28:10,922
but it's dead.

500
00:28:16,161 --> 00:28:17,795
[Narrator]: Allahabad.

501
00:28:17,796 --> 00:28:21,299
Nowhere in the world
is faith exhibited

502
00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:23,768
more than in this city.

503
00:28:23,769 --> 00:28:27,939
Here at the confluence
of the Yamuna and Ganges rivers,

504
00:28:27,940 --> 00:28:32,343
110 million people gather
to celebrate the Kumbh Mela.

505
00:28:32,344 --> 00:28:35,746
[Narain]: We are a country
which holds rivers sacred,

506
00:28:35,747 --> 00:28:38,015
and yet we are
committing hydrocide.

507
00:28:38,016 --> 00:28:41,052
We are deliberately
murdering our rivers.

508
00:28:47,192 --> 00:28:49,994
And if you worship nature,

509
00:28:49,995 --> 00:28:51,796
then the last thing
that you can do

510
00:28:51,797 --> 00:28:52,997
is to defile it or degrade it.

511
00:28:58,837 --> 00:29:00,738
[Avikal Somvanshi]:
We are going for Kumbh Mela.

512
00:29:00,739 --> 00:29:02,974
It's happening today,
and it's massive.

513
00:29:02,975 --> 00:29:07,111
Like, last Kumbh Mela in 2001

514
00:29:07,112 --> 00:29:12,250
saw a crowd
of almost 70 million people

515
00:29:12,251 --> 00:29:15,453
turn up during the festival.

516
00:29:15,454 --> 00:29:18,222
Each of the bathing days
which have passed,

517
00:29:18,223 --> 00:29:20,758
the crowd has been
15% to 25% more

518
00:29:20,759 --> 00:29:20,993
than what they had estimated,

519
00:29:20,994 --> 00:29:26,063
so we're going to,
most probably,

520
00:29:26,064 --> 00:29:28,899
we are going to have
20 million, 25 million today.

521
00:29:31,937 --> 00:29:33,804
Of this size and scale
anywhere in the world, okay?

522
00:29:33,805 --> 00:29:41,805
I think it's important
to understand that they come

523
00:29:46,918 --> 00:29:51,889
because they worship the river,
they celebrate the river.

524
00:29:51,890 --> 00:29:54,058
Growing up,
Kumbh was something spectacular,

525
00:29:56,328 --> 00:30:00,097
Something
which my city is known for.

526
00:30:00,098 --> 00:30:03,267
It's the biggest gathering
of human beings on Earth.

527
00:30:03,268 --> 00:30:05,569
As I have aged now,

528
00:30:05,570 --> 00:30:08,472
I have realized that excitement

529
00:30:08,473 --> 00:30:11,509
was actually
a kind of fear which I harbour,

530
00:30:11,510 --> 00:30:13,144
'cause the things
I had to live with,

531
00:30:13,145 --> 00:30:17,014
before the Kumbh started
and after the Kumbh finished,

532
00:30:17,015 --> 00:30:20,851
is something which is
nothing to be proud of.

533
00:30:20,852 --> 00:30:21,852
[♪♪♪]

534
00:30:32,431 --> 00:30:35,066
Which is called Sangam,

535
00:30:35,067 --> 00:30:37,902
where the Ganges
and the Yamuna meet,

536
00:30:37,903 --> 00:30:40,037
so it's that area

537
00:30:40,038 --> 00:30:44,208
where all the activities
are surrounded.

538
00:30:44,209 --> 00:30:47,144
[Narain]:
It's time, in India,

539
00:30:47,145 --> 00:30:51,315
that we did
some very serious stock-taking

540
00:30:51,316 --> 00:30:53,951
about what's going wrong

541
00:30:53,952 --> 00:30:56,921
and why are we,
a generation of Indians,

542
00:30:56,922 --> 00:31:00,558
becoming a generation
which is losing, to my mind,

543
00:31:00,559 --> 00:31:03,327
its most sacred asset, a river.

544
00:31:08,233 --> 00:31:09,367
[Angelo]: The Kumbh Mela
is this spectacle,

545
00:31:09,368 --> 00:31:13,003
this great celebration
of the Ganges River,

546
00:31:13,004 --> 00:31:21,004
and the fact
that all the human waste

547
00:31:24,149 --> 00:31:28,452
from the 100 million
visitors there at present

548
00:31:28,453 --> 00:31:30,054
is allowed to seep into the soil
or flow directly into the river,

549
00:31:30,055 --> 00:31:33,290
I think that's wrong.

550
00:31:39,431 --> 00:31:40,898
I love this country,
I love the culture,

551
00:31:40,899 --> 00:31:42,967
I love the customs, the colours,
even the chaos,

552
00:31:42,968 --> 00:31:44,969
but I've always been saddened

553
00:31:44,970 --> 00:31:48,172
about the state
of the Ganges river,

554
00:31:48,173 --> 00:31:51,909
particularly knowing
that it is revered so much

555
00:31:51,910 --> 00:31:55,913
and it is worshipped
as a goddess,

556
00:31:55,914 --> 00:31:58,082
and it seems
like a bit of a disconnect

557
00:31:58,083 --> 00:32:02,920
that it can be worshipped
on one hand,

558
00:32:02,921 --> 00:32:05,089
and we can allow her
to get so polluted on the other.

559
00:32:05,090 --> 00:32:07,258
For them, the river is still
a goddess and still holy,

560
00:32:11,430 --> 00:32:15,332
<i>O matter
what is flowing in the river.</i>

561
00:32:15,333 --> 00:32:17,234
You'll tell them
the river is getting polluted,

562
00:32:17,235 --> 00:32:19,203
they'll say yes, the river
is getting polluted,

563
00:32:19,204 --> 00:32:24,041
it's very dirty,
the water is so bad,

564
00:32:24,042 --> 00:32:26,362
but risking your own salvation
by avoiding to do the ritual

565
00:32:28,213 --> 00:32:29,654
Is something
they cannot fathom with.

566
00:32:31,283 --> 00:32:34,585
The Kumbh is a tough one,

567
00:32:36,955 --> 00:32:38,322
But, I mean,
I take back from it. I mean, I'm a...

568
00:32:38,323 --> 00:32:40,558
I mean, I'm a Hindu,

569
00:32:40,559 --> 00:32:43,227
but not the one who would
go to the river for rituals,

570
00:32:43,228 --> 00:32:45,296
more for the beauty of it,

571
00:32:45,297 --> 00:32:46,164
but I take back with it
enormous awe,

572
00:32:46,165 --> 00:32:50,968
and the river means so much
to so many people in my country,

573
00:32:50,969 --> 00:32:53,204
and I think
that is what is beautiful.

574
00:32:53,205 --> 00:32:54,572
[Narrator]:
On a day like this,

575
00:32:56,174 --> 00:32:58,509
When three times the population
of New York City

576
00:32:58,510 --> 00:33:00,644
gathers on the river's banks,

577
00:33:00,645 --> 00:33:05,382
the government has ordered
cities upstream

578
00:33:05,383 --> 00:33:07,117
to stop polluting the Ganges

579
00:33:07,118 --> 00:33:08,986
so that the faithful

580
00:33:08,987 --> 00:33:11,422
will have a clean river
to bathe in.

581
00:33:14,526 --> 00:33:18,028
Kanpur, a city of four million,

582
00:33:19,531 --> 00:33:23,601
Is among the world's
top 10 cities

583
00:33:23,602 --> 00:33:25,703
with the worst air pollution,

584
00:33:25,704 --> 00:33:29,406
and is the second most polluted
city in India.

585
00:33:29,407 --> 00:33:34,245
It's the leather capital
of the region,

586
00:33:36,448 --> 00:33:37,715
And the tanneries
have been ordered

587
00:33:37,716 --> 00:33:39,450
to shut down
during the Kumbh Mela,

588
00:33:39,451 --> 00:33:42,219
and, for the most part,
they have.

589
00:33:42,220 --> 00:33:44,488
Today being
one of the main bathing days,

590
00:33:44,489 --> 00:33:47,057
this drain seems to be closed,

591
00:33:47,058 --> 00:33:49,126
but after the main bathing days,

592
00:33:49,127 --> 00:33:50,261
it will be as usual.

593
00:33:50,262 --> 00:33:51,362
You can see the black viscous
chemicalized water

594
00:33:51,363 --> 00:33:53,163
going to the river.

595
00:33:59,170 --> 00:34:00,804
[Narrator]:
The tannery district,

596
00:34:00,805 --> 00:34:03,173
established
along the Ganges river

597
00:34:03,174 --> 00:34:06,043
during
the British colonial rule,

598
00:34:06,044 --> 00:34:07,811
is Kanpur's economic mainstay

599
00:34:07,812 --> 00:34:10,114
and a major source of pollution.

600
00:34:10,115 --> 00:34:11,348
[Jaiswal]: Kanpur hosts 400-odd
leather factories and tanneries,

601
00:34:11,349 --> 00:34:14,051
and these tanneries
use dyes, acids,

602
00:34:14,052 --> 00:34:17,521
basic chrome sulfate,

603
00:34:17,522 --> 00:34:21,725
other heavy-metal
containing chemicals,

604
00:34:21,726 --> 00:34:24,762
and the wastewater they generate

605
00:34:24,763 --> 00:34:27,565
is a cocktail of these chemicals

606
00:34:27,566 --> 00:34:29,667
which are lethal to human health
and other life also.

607
00:34:33,538 --> 00:34:35,818
[Narrator]: Zafar Lari owns
a mid-sized tannery in Kanpur,

608
00:34:36,374 --> 00:34:41,111
And while he understands

609
00:34:41,112 --> 00:34:42,713
that the tannery district
may be suffering

610
00:34:42,714 --> 00:34:44,415
from a poor reputation
among environmental groups,

611
00:34:44,416 --> 00:34:46,317
he also believes that
it's a perception not deserved,

612
00:34:46,318 --> 00:34:49,253
and he denies that
any of his tannery wastewater

613
00:34:49,254 --> 00:34:52,423
runs into the Ganges.

614
00:34:52,424 --> 00:34:56,760
I think they have
some misconceptions,

615
00:34:56,761 --> 00:35:01,198
misunderstanding,

616
00:35:03,134 --> 00:35:05,769
It is about more than
three kilometres far from here.

617
00:35:05,770 --> 00:35:07,871
It is impossible
to send a drop of water

618
00:35:07,872 --> 00:35:10,307
directly to the Ganges.

619
00:35:10,308 --> 00:35:12,376
[Jaiswal]: This is a mixture
of tannery wastewater.

620
00:35:12,377 --> 00:35:15,212
It contains
a variety of chemicals,

621
00:35:15,213 --> 00:35:17,514
the same chemicals

622
00:35:17,515 --> 00:35:20,784
which are used by leather
factories and tanneries.

623
00:35:20,785 --> 00:35:22,186
I believe the water
that comes from the tannery area

624
00:35:22,187 --> 00:35:24,455
is not with the effluent
from the industry.

625
00:35:24,456 --> 00:35:27,591
It could be...

626
00:35:27,592 --> 00:35:31,195
I hope it could be
domestic waste.

627
00:35:31,196 --> 00:35:33,631
It is quite impossible

628
00:35:33,632 --> 00:35:35,799
the water should directly
goes anything from the Ganges.

629
00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:38,435
It is impossible.

630
00:35:38,436 --> 00:35:39,270
First we have a drain system,
then we have a channel system,

631
00:35:39,271 --> 00:35:43,641
then we have the municipal water
discharge system...

632
00:35:47,145 --> 00:35:49,680
It is quite impossible.

633
00:35:49,681 --> 00:35:51,348
Exactly it is impossible.
We can say that.

634
00:35:51,349 --> 00:35:55,219
[Narrator]: At the edge
of the tannery district

635
00:35:57,756 --> 00:35:59,356
Sits a holding area

636
00:35:59,357 --> 00:36:03,360
containing streams and ponds filled with noxious
liquids. From this area, large pipes shoot out

637
00:36:03,361 --> 00:36:05,929
and run for many miles,

638
00:36:05,930 --> 00:36:09,433
heading towards
the Ganges river.

639
00:36:09,434 --> 00:36:11,168
This water is being put
into this irrigation canal.

640
00:36:11,169 --> 00:36:13,604
It irrigates
around 2,500 hectares of land,

641
00:36:15,373 --> 00:36:19,576
And you can see

642
00:36:19,577 --> 00:36:22,546
that this water
is not properly treated

643
00:36:22,547 --> 00:36:25,416
and is not safe for irrigation.

644
00:36:31,189 --> 00:36:33,424
In every family,

645
00:36:33,425 --> 00:36:35,626
you will find someone afflicted

646
00:36:35,627 --> 00:36:38,362
with some kind
of a skin problem,

647
00:36:38,363 --> 00:36:40,324
ranging from rashes, boils,
numbness in the limbs.

648
00:36:45,203 --> 00:36:47,638
It also contains
known carcinogen chromium,

649
00:36:47,639 --> 00:36:48,906
so maybe people have cancers.

650
00:36:52,343 --> 00:36:57,214
Chromium has been reported
in cattle milk

651
00:36:57,215 --> 00:36:58,682
and also agricultural produce,

652
00:36:58,683 --> 00:37:02,853
so this heavy metal
has entered the food chain

653
00:37:02,854 --> 00:37:05,522
and is finally reaching us

654
00:37:05,523 --> 00:37:08,826
and affecting
the health of the people.

655
00:37:13,364 --> 00:37:17,501
[Narrator]:
This stretch of the river

656
00:37:17,502 --> 00:37:19,236
is extremely contaminated,

657
00:37:19,237 --> 00:37:21,371
but life in the villages
sitting on its banks

658
00:37:21,372 --> 00:37:24,374
goes on as usual.

659
00:37:24,375 --> 00:37:25,409
While filming there,

660
00:37:30,248 --> 00:37:34,318
We observed
a man poling his boat to shore.

661
00:37:34,319 --> 00:37:37,488
His small craft was filled
with a couple hundred fish.

662
00:37:37,489 --> 00:37:42,292
He told us
he had found his catch

663
00:37:42,293 --> 00:37:45,362
just floating
on top of the river.

664
00:37:45,363 --> 00:37:48,398
Newspapers reported
that the dead fish

665
00:37:48,399 --> 00:37:52,035
were the result
of a chemical spill

666
00:37:52,036 --> 00:37:54,705
into the river earlier that day.

667
00:37:54,706 --> 00:37:57,407
The man was cleaning the fish
to feed his family,

668
00:37:57,408 --> 00:38:01,478
and took the rest of his catch

669
00:38:01,479 --> 00:38:06,049
to sell at the local market
that afternoon.

670
00:38:06,050 --> 00:38:06,985
[Angelo]: When a river has been
so polluted or so abused

671
00:38:06,986 --> 00:38:09,353
for many, many years,

672
00:38:09,354 --> 00:38:11,588
you can't turn it around
overnight.

673
00:38:11,589 --> 00:38:13,357
I look at a country like India,

674
00:38:13,358 --> 00:38:15,692
I look at this river
we are on now.

675
00:38:15,693 --> 00:38:17,361
It's going to be a huge
challenge to turn this around.

676
00:38:17,362 --> 00:38:20,631
There are huge issues

677
00:38:20,632 --> 00:38:24,067
pertaining to sewage and industrial
pollution, and on a river like the Ganges,

678
00:38:24,068 --> 00:38:25,969
I think the young generation
that's coming along,

679
00:38:25,970 --> 00:38:28,505
I believe in the years ahead,

680
00:38:28,506 --> 00:38:31,008
they will have the same
reverence for this river

681
00:38:31,009 --> 00:38:32,543
that their parents had,

682
00:38:32,544 --> 00:38:34,945
but as part of that

683
00:38:34,946 --> 00:38:37,848
I also think they'll see
an obligation

684
00:38:37,849 --> 00:38:39,483
to have a cleaner Ganges.

685
00:38:44,422 --> 00:38:46,623
[♪♪♪]

686
00:38:50,628 --> 00:38:52,863
[Narrator]: The Zambezi,
a true life-giving river,

687
00:38:52,864 --> 00:38:55,799
worthy of its reputation

688
00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:58,969
of being one of the great rivers
of the world.

689
00:38:58,970 --> 00:39:00,771
Mark Angelo
has made the trip here before,

690
00:39:00,772 --> 00:39:03,440
a far different river
than the Ganges,

691
00:39:03,441 --> 00:39:04,708
and a place he finds
rejuvenates his soul;

692
00:39:04,709 --> 00:39:06,910
a nice reminder
of what he works towards

693
00:39:06,911 --> 00:39:08,378
for all rivers.

694
00:39:08,379 --> 00:39:09,580
[Angelo]: The thing I love
about the Zambezi

695
00:39:09,581 --> 00:39:12,349
is the diversity,

696
00:39:12,350 --> 00:39:14,818
and the wildlife here
is incredibly prolific.

697
00:39:14,819 --> 00:39:19,556
Animals gather in huge numbers
beside the river

698
00:39:19,557 --> 00:39:23,694
and often right in the river,

699
00:39:23,695 --> 00:39:26,463
and to see all of that
from a canoe, up close,

700
00:39:26,464 --> 00:39:34,464
virtually at water level,

701
00:39:47,652 --> 00:39:52,589
is an unforgettable experience,

702
00:39:52,590 --> 00:39:56,126
so in many ways,

703
00:39:56,127 --> 00:39:57,694
I look particularly at this
part of the Zambezias an example of
what a river can and should be.

704
00:39:57,695 --> 00:40:01,398
[Narrator]: Mark Angelo is
an internationally celebrated

705
00:40:03,635 --> 00:40:06,403
River conservationist

706
00:40:06,404 --> 00:40:09,506
and the founder
of World Rivers Day,

707
00:40:09,507 --> 00:40:11,708
an event held to clean rivers

708
00:40:11,709 --> 00:40:13,510
in more than 60 countries
around the world.

709
00:40:13,511 --> 00:40:15,045
The United Nations
has recognized his work

710
00:40:15,046 --> 00:40:16,647
protecting what Mark calls

711
00:40:16,648 --> 00:40:19,516
"the vital arteries
of this planet."

712
00:40:19,517 --> 00:40:22,586
Mark often mentions that rivers
run through his soul,

713
00:40:22,587 --> 00:40:24,554
in a journey that began

714
00:40:24,555 --> 00:40:27,858
as a young boy
growing up in Los Angeles.

715
00:40:27,859 --> 00:40:29,859
[Angelo]: I grew up with
an interesting background.

716
00:40:31,763 --> 00:40:35,699
My parents were very much
involved in old Hollywood,

717
00:40:35,700 --> 00:40:38,769
the movie industry,

718
00:40:38,770 --> 00:40:40,170
and it was a...

719
00:40:40,171 --> 00:40:42,572
you know, Hollywood
was a fascinating place

720
00:40:42,573 --> 00:40:44,141
to grow up in the '50s,

721
00:40:44,142 --> 00:40:46,510
but my interest
took me elsewhere.

722
00:40:46,511 --> 00:40:48,478
You know, I happened to live
by the Los Angeles River,

723
00:40:48,479 --> 00:40:50,914
a river that had been destroyed
in many ways,

724
00:40:50,915 --> 00:40:53,583
totally encased
in a big concrete culvert,

725
00:40:53,584 --> 00:40:55,452
and I used
to hang out there a lot,

726
00:40:55,453 --> 00:40:57,654
but I didn't have to be very old
before I realized

727
00:40:57,655 --> 00:41:00,958
that's not the way
a river was meant to be.

728
00:41:00,959 --> 00:41:02,592
On the other side of the coin,
though,

729
00:41:02,593 --> 00:41:04,928
we lived right next door
to a place called Griffith Park.

730
00:41:04,929 --> 00:41:06,697
It was a 4,000-acre urban oasis,

731
00:41:06,698 --> 00:41:08,865
a wild oasis
in the middle of the city,

732
00:41:08,866 --> 00:41:12,469
and I could go out my door
across the street

733
00:41:12,470 --> 00:41:13,870
and be up in the hills
and just hike for hours,

734
00:41:13,871 --> 00:41:15,572
and I got to know

735
00:41:15,573 --> 00:41:17,107
a lot of the small creeks
and streams there,

736
00:41:17,108 --> 00:41:18,809
so by the time I was 15 or 16, I was really into the outdoors.
Then I went, at the age of 17, to the University of Montana,

737
00:41:18,810 --> 00:41:22,612
and I got into fly fishing
and paddling

738
00:41:22,613 --> 00:41:25,649
in a very big way,

739
00:41:25,650 --> 00:41:29,519
and that cemented things for me,

740
00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:32,089
and at that stage,

741
00:41:32,090 --> 00:41:35,811
I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life
working in a field related to river conservation.

742
00:41:36,594 --> 00:41:38,762
As I got older,

743
00:41:38,763 --> 00:41:40,130
I started to look at rivers
in a much broader way for the many values
they possess,

744
00:41:40,131 --> 00:41:42,666
and now I look at them

745
00:41:42,667 --> 00:41:46,236
as literally life-lines
in the broadest sense,

746
00:41:46,237 --> 00:41:48,572
and at this stage of my life,
whenever I'm on a river,

747
00:41:48,573 --> 00:41:50,941
it does much to rejuvenate
my spirit and my soul,

748
00:41:50,942 --> 00:41:53,043
and the world
seems a saner place.

749
00:41:59,851 --> 00:42:02,686
[Narrator]:
Jakarta, a city of 28 million,

750
00:42:02,687 --> 00:42:04,855
the capital of Indonesia.

751
00:42:04,856 --> 00:42:06,189
Cosmopolitan,

752
00:42:06,190 --> 00:42:07,924
with wide avenues and top-of-the-line
shopping, Jakarta is also at the headwaters

753
00:42:07,925 --> 00:42:11,661
of one of the most polluted
rivers in the world,

754
00:42:11,662 --> 00:42:14,031
the Citarum.

755
00:42:14,032 --> 00:42:18,201
This river of garbage
is a shameful example

756
00:42:21,572 --> 00:42:23,106
Of mankind's inhumanity
to the environment,

757
00:42:23,107 --> 00:42:24,708
and the crime largely
goes unpunished by law.

758
00:42:24,709 --> 00:42:27,811
The Citarum was once
a gentle flowing river

759
00:42:27,812 --> 00:42:30,180
where fishermen cast their nets,

760
00:42:30,181 --> 00:42:33,717
pulling in a bounty
of healthy fish

761
00:42:33,718 --> 00:42:36,887
that fed their families.

762
00:42:36,888 --> 00:42:44,888
Today, it's a river in crisis,

763
00:43:00,311 --> 00:43:05,182
choked by the domestic waste
of nine million people,

764
00:43:05,183 --> 00:43:08,118
and thick with the castoffs

765
00:43:08,119 --> 00:43:10,854
from hundreds of factories
along its banks.

766
00:43:10,855 --> 00:43:14,758
It's hard to imagine

767
00:43:14,759 --> 00:43:17,094
that 80% of the population
of Jakarta

768
00:43:17,095 --> 00:43:20,330
relies on this river
for their drinking water.

769
00:43:20,331 --> 00:43:21,998
This river bubbles
like a witch's cauldron

770
00:43:21,999 --> 00:43:24,101
because of the pollution
that has sunk to the bottom

771
00:43:24,102 --> 00:43:27,637
and is off-gassing.

772
00:43:27,638 --> 00:43:30,173
More than 500 factories,

773
00:43:30,174 --> 00:43:33,810
most of them producing textiles

774
00:43:33,811 --> 00:43:37,180
which require
chemical treatment,

775
00:43:37,181 --> 00:43:38,849
line the banks
of this 200-mile river,

776
00:43:38,850 --> 00:43:41,084
spewing waste into the water.

777
00:43:41,085 --> 00:43:43,153
Everybody has the right to know

778
00:43:43,154 --> 00:43:45,889
what is being discharged
by a factory,

779
00:43:45,890 --> 00:43:49,192
how much is being discharged,
per day, per year, per month.

780
00:43:49,193 --> 00:43:50,994
This information is important

781
00:43:50,995 --> 00:43:54,364
so we know what is in our water
and we can control it.

782
00:43:54,365 --> 00:43:56,086
[Narrator]:
In Indonesia, researchers allege

783
00:43:58,736 --> 00:44:01,705
The textile industry
is a major contributor

784
00:44:01,706 --> 00:44:04,241
to the poor health
of the Citarum River.

785
00:44:04,242 --> 00:44:07,010
In Citarum, it is well known

786
00:44:07,011 --> 00:44:09,146
that there are a lot of
what we call anonymous pipes,

787
00:44:09,147 --> 00:44:11,181
so this kind of pipe appears
in the middle of nowhere,

788
00:44:11,182 --> 00:44:12,382
like this,
so the pipe is underground.

789
00:44:12,383 --> 00:44:14,751
You can not really see

790
00:44:14,752 --> 00:44:17,220
this factory that is dumping this,
and also it is a shared pipe,

791
00:44:17,221 --> 00:44:19,422
making it even more difficult
to know who is the perpetrators.

792
00:44:19,423 --> 00:44:20,891
[Narrator]: While the source
of this particular pipe

793
00:44:20,892 --> 00:44:24,294
is cloaked in mystery,

794
00:44:24,295 --> 00:44:28,198
these researchers
have had success

795
00:44:28,199 --> 00:44:29,833
in uncovering what they call

796
00:44:29,834 --> 00:44:32,969
"a criminal case
of water pollution."

797
00:44:32,970 --> 00:44:34,704
These three were part
of a larger group

798
00:44:34,705 --> 00:44:36,806
who spent two years

799
00:44:36,807 --> 00:44:39,142
following a trail of pollution
on the Citarum River.

800
00:44:39,143 --> 00:44:42,312
Environmental activists
collected samples of wastewater

801
00:44:42,313 --> 00:44:44,147
discharged from the PT Gistex
factory in Bandung,

802
00:44:44,148 --> 00:44:48,084
an area known
for its textile manufacturing.

803
00:44:51,856 --> 00:44:54,157
[Meutia]: Before we actually
took samples,

804
00:44:57,428 --> 00:45:00,096
We did field research

805
00:45:00,097 --> 00:45:05,202
making sure that this pipe really belongs to the company. We
found that this company emits toxic material to the water.

806
00:45:07,171 --> 00:45:08,705
[Narrator]: In a report titled

807
00:45:10,408 --> 00:45:12,409
"Toxic Threads:
Polluting Paradise,"

808
00:45:12,410 --> 00:45:15,478
Greenpeace has published a story

809
00:45:15,479 --> 00:45:17,247
of big brands
and water pollution

810
00:45:17,248 --> 00:45:19,049
in Indonesia.

811
00:45:19,050 --> 00:45:23,019
In their report,

812
00:45:23,020 --> 00:45:25,922
Greenpeace states that major international brands are
conducting business with suppliers such as PT Gistex,

813
00:45:25,923 --> 00:45:30,227
who has been linked
to toxic water pollution

814
00:45:30,228 --> 00:45:32,329
and murky business practices.

815
00:45:32,330 --> 00:45:33,830
One of these brands, they write,
is Gap,

816
00:45:33,831 --> 00:45:37,200
which Greenpeace states

817
00:45:37,201 --> 00:45:39,135
has been linked
to toxic water scandals before.

818
00:45:43,341 --> 00:45:45,261
Here in Indonesia,
we have a textile manufacturer

819
00:45:47,878 --> 00:45:50,039
That is supplying for Gap,
and Gap is a global company,

820
00:45:50,781 --> 00:45:53,016
And similar to other companies

821
00:45:53,017 --> 00:45:55,085
that have been
linked to pollution

822
00:45:55,086 --> 00:45:57,153
in other places in Asia,

823
00:45:57,154 --> 00:45:58,755
we have made demands for them
to clean up the supply chain.

824
00:45:58,756 --> 00:46:03,193
[Narrator]: We reached out

825
00:46:03,194 --> 00:46:07,264
to Gap head office
in San Francisco

826
00:46:07,265 --> 00:46:10,267
for a comment on their
connection to water pollution

827
00:46:10,268 --> 00:46:12,235
and the PT Gistex factory
in Bandung.

828
00:46:12,236 --> 00:46:14,904
They wrote back stating:

829
00:46:14,905 --> 00:46:16,306
"As for your question
regarding PT Gistex,

830
00:46:16,307 --> 00:46:17,340
we were alerted
to the Greenpeace report

831
00:46:17,341 --> 00:46:19,843
on PT Gistex in Indonesia

832
00:46:19,844 --> 00:46:22,312
and confirmed to Greenpeace

833
00:46:22,313 --> 00:46:26,182
that we do not source
from their textile facility,

834
00:46:26,183 --> 00:46:26,384
but that we do work
with the parent company,

835
00:46:26,385 --> 00:46:30,854
PT Gistex Group.

836
00:46:30,855 --> 00:46:32,322
We reiterated
to the parent company

837
00:46:32,323 --> 00:46:35,125
the importance of adherence

838
00:46:35,126 --> 00:46:36,926
to Gap Inc's
code of vendor conduct,

839
00:46:36,927 --> 00:46:38,561
including provisions
regarding environmental health

840
00:46:38,562 --> 00:46:42,399
and safety and chemical
restrictions,

841
00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:43,833
as well as compliance
with Indonesian law.

842
00:46:43,834 --> 00:46:46,002
Gap Inc. supports
additional initiatives

843
00:46:46,003 --> 00:46:48,538
that are underway
to help conserve fresh water

844
00:46:48,539 --> 00:46:51,574
and improve
the environmental performance

845
00:46:51,575 --> 00:46:53,810
of dyeing
and finishing facilities."

846
00:46:53,811 --> 00:46:55,979
We can't do too much
about history,

847
00:46:55,980 --> 00:46:57,580
but let's make sure
moving forward

848
00:46:57,581 --> 00:46:59,849
that the leaders
of the fashion industry,

849
00:46:59,850 --> 00:47:01,217
the leaders of all industries
that engage in pollution,

850
00:47:01,218 --> 00:47:03,853
are becoming
much more aggressive

851
00:47:03,854 --> 00:47:05,555
in cleaning up their act,

852
00:47:05,556 --> 00:47:08,024
and to ensure that
they do not have to make money

853
00:47:08,025 --> 00:47:09,665
on the basis
of environmental destruction.

854
00:47:13,030 --> 00:47:15,598
[♪♪♪]

855
00:47:20,971 --> 00:47:23,006
[Narrator]:
China: this country has

856
00:47:23,007 --> 00:47:25,275
some of the most beautiful
rivers in the world,

857
00:47:25,276 --> 00:47:27,110
but also some of the most toxic.

858
00:47:27,111 --> 00:47:30,613
[Angelo]: Major river systems
are often in pretty good shape

859
00:47:32,583 --> 00:47:34,951
At the very top end,

860
00:47:34,952 --> 00:47:37,387
but as they move down river,
they degrade.

861
00:47:37,388 --> 00:47:40,590
They pick up
an increasing number

862
00:47:40,591 --> 00:47:43,360
of pollutants and contaminants,

863
00:47:43,361 --> 00:47:45,128
and that's very much the case

864
00:47:45,129 --> 00:47:48,898
with the Li river
here in Guilin.

865
00:47:48,899 --> 00:47:51,167
In its very upper reaches,

866
00:47:51,168 --> 00:47:52,002
it's one of the cleaner
waterways in China,

867
00:47:52,003 --> 00:47:56,139
but as it moves along,

868
00:47:56,140 --> 00:47:58,108
it eventually merges
with the Pearl.

869
00:47:58,109 --> 00:48:04,214
It then becomes
one of the most polluted.

870
00:48:10,955 --> 00:48:13,890
Is a fundamental human need
and a basic human right,

871
00:48:13,891 --> 00:48:16,025
and yet here in China,

872
00:48:16,026 --> 00:48:17,660
two thirds
of its rural population,

873
00:48:17,661 --> 00:48:19,896
almost 500 million people,

874
00:48:19,897 --> 00:48:21,398
have to use water

875
00:48:21,399 --> 00:48:24,067
that's been contaminated
by human or industrial waste,

876
00:48:24,068 --> 00:48:25,468
so gastrointestinal cancer

877
00:48:25,469 --> 00:48:27,437
is the number-one killer
here in the countryside.

878
00:48:30,508 --> 00:48:32,008
Has been both a health crisis
and an environmental crisis

879
00:48:32,009 --> 00:48:34,277
due to a shortage

880
00:48:34,278 --> 00:48:35,578
of the one resource
that no one can live without,

881
00:48:35,579 --> 00:48:37,347
and that's clean water.

882
00:48:39,250 --> 00:48:42,585
[Bunn]:
There are rivers there

883
00:48:42,586 --> 00:48:44,120
where the chemical oxygen demand

884
00:48:44,121 --> 00:48:47,357
takes out all of the oxygen,

885
00:48:47,358 --> 00:48:48,992
so, you know,
these are river systems

886
00:48:48,993 --> 00:48:50,593
that have no dissolved oxygen.

887
00:48:50,594 --> 00:48:52,295
There are levels
of metal contamination

888
00:48:52,296 --> 00:48:54,130
and other industrial effluent

889
00:48:54,131 --> 00:48:57,066
that make it impossible
for any living creature,

890
00:48:57,067 --> 00:48:59,035
so there are certainly places

891
00:48:59,036 --> 00:48:59,203
where all of the sort of
natural features are gone,

892
00:48:59,204 --> 00:49:01,704
and the water is virtually
useless for all applications.

893
00:49:04,074 --> 00:49:06,242
Get this bad?

894
00:49:06,243 --> 00:49:09,546
It's a question environmental
campaigners in China

895
00:49:09,547 --> 00:49:11,214
have asked their government
for many years.

896
00:49:11,215 --> 00:49:13,383
We need to make them
strengthen the enforcement.

897
00:49:13,384 --> 00:49:15,385
We need to have our court open

898
00:49:15,386 --> 00:49:17,620
to public
environmental lawsuits,

899
00:49:17,621 --> 00:49:22,292
but those are deep-rooted issues

900
00:49:22,293 --> 00:49:23,593
which can not be overcome,

901
00:49:23,594 --> 00:49:24,994
you know, easily,

902
00:49:24,995 --> 00:49:26,696
so we decided
the public must participate.

903
00:49:26,697 --> 00:49:27,964
We need to have
extensive public participation

904
00:49:27,965 --> 00:49:30,667
to help address this issue.

905
00:49:30,668 --> 00:49:32,602
[Narrator]: Environmental
activists have spent years

906
00:49:32,603 --> 00:49:34,204
investigating the root causes
for China's river pollution,

907
00:49:34,205 --> 00:49:37,540
but being in a Communist state,
they've had to tread lightly.

908
00:49:37,541 --> 00:49:39,108
[Tianjie]:
When we do investigations,

909
00:49:39,109 --> 00:49:43,413
we tend to be more careful

910
00:49:43,414 --> 00:49:44,081
because our aim
is to get the problem exposed,

911
00:49:44,082 --> 00:49:48,618
but if you alert
these polluters,

912
00:49:48,619 --> 00:49:49,520
or make them aware
that you are investigating them,

913
00:49:49,521 --> 00:49:51,454
they might take some action
to stop you.

914
00:49:54,325 --> 00:49:57,360
[Narrator]: Tianjie Ma

915
00:49:59,730 --> 00:50:01,764
And teams of toxic campaigners
throughout China have been at the forefront
of a long investigation

916
00:50:01,765 --> 00:50:03,666
into the sources
of chemical substances

917
00:50:03,667 --> 00:50:05,702
finding their way
into China's rivers.

918
00:50:05,703 --> 00:50:07,370
They've discovered
the textile industry

919
00:50:07,371 --> 00:50:09,072
is a major contributor
to China's river contamination.

920
00:50:09,073 --> 00:50:12,175
[Tianjie]: You can find
a lot of carcinogens in it.

921
00:50:12,176 --> 00:50:15,545
A lot of the carcinogens
are related to dye,

922
00:50:15,546 --> 00:50:18,348
because the industry
uses a lot of dyes,

923
00:50:18,349 --> 00:50:20,683
and also you find chemicals

924
00:50:20,684 --> 00:50:24,554
that may disrupt
the hormone system.

925
00:50:24,555 --> 00:50:28,791
We found chemicals
that are really nasty

926
00:50:28,792 --> 00:50:30,059
that can change the sex
of a fish, for example,

927
00:50:30,060 --> 00:50:32,195
and these kinds of chemicals
are still heavily used in China,

928
00:50:32,196 --> 00:50:34,797
even if some of them

929
00:50:34,798 --> 00:50:37,467
have already been banned
in Europe or in North America.

930
00:50:37,468 --> 00:50:39,369
We also find chemicals
that are persistent,

931
00:50:39,370 --> 00:50:40,204
which means when they get
released into the environment,

932
00:50:40,205 --> 00:50:41,571
they don't break down,

933
00:50:41,572 --> 00:50:44,474
and they travel
around the world,

934
00:50:44,475 --> 00:50:48,244
so one toxic chemical

935
00:50:48,245 --> 00:50:51,080
being released
by a Chinese textile factory

936
00:50:51,081 --> 00:50:53,383
may travel half of the globe

937
00:50:53,384 --> 00:50:56,819
and end up
in the Canadian Arctic,

938
00:50:56,820 --> 00:50:58,555
where you can find it
in the body of a polar bear,

939
00:50:58,556 --> 00:51:03,393
so these are the really nasty
toxic chemicals

940
00:51:03,394 --> 00:51:06,195
that we are talking about.

941
00:51:06,196 --> 00:51:08,398
[Ma]: The textile industry

942
00:51:10,568 --> 00:51:12,101
Is one of the major sources
of water pollution in China.

943
00:51:12,102 --> 00:51:14,137
Every year it discharges

944
00:51:14,138 --> 00:51:17,206
about 2.5 billion tons
of wastewater,

945
00:51:17,207 --> 00:51:20,343
and much of that
not properly treated.

946
00:51:20,344 --> 00:51:23,479
I don't think the consumers,

947
00:51:23,480 --> 00:51:25,281
when they enjoy
all these products,

948
00:51:25,282 --> 00:51:28,585
they would know about this,

949
00:51:28,586 --> 00:51:31,754
so what we need to do

950
00:51:31,755 --> 00:51:34,624
is to try to go underground
with our partners,

951
00:51:34,625 --> 00:51:36,259
through
this underground research,

952
00:51:36,260 --> 00:51:37,627
to really bring out
the fact of the pollution

953
00:51:37,628 --> 00:51:39,562
and all its impact.

954
00:51:39,563 --> 00:51:42,231
[Narrator]: Investigations
proved that toxic chemicals

955
00:51:42,232 --> 00:51:45,435
were being dumped
into China's rivers,

956
00:51:45,436 --> 00:51:48,271
especially
by the textile companies.

957
00:51:48,272 --> 00:51:52,141
The next step
was to connect the dots

958
00:51:52,142 --> 00:51:54,744
and identify the companies
responsible for the pollution.

959
00:51:54,745 --> 00:51:56,245
[Tianjie]: We started
to ask this question,

960
00:51:56,246 --> 00:51:57,614
"Who is doing business?

961
00:51:57,615 --> 00:51:59,349
Where do these products go?

962
00:51:59,350 --> 00:52:02,619
Where do people
buy these products?"

963
00:52:02,620 --> 00:52:04,320
So we started
this chain of custody study

964
00:52:04,321 --> 00:52:08,458
where we are trying to track
where those products go.

965
00:52:08,459 --> 00:52:11,127
We got links

966
00:52:11,128 --> 00:52:12,862
that some of those products
are actually sold to the world's
biggest brand names,

967
00:52:12,863 --> 00:52:14,797
like Nike, Adidas, Puma,

968
00:52:14,798 --> 00:52:16,532
or fashion brands
like Zara, H&M.

969
00:52:16,533 --> 00:52:18,301
We started to have this picture

970
00:52:18,302 --> 00:52:21,337
that when China
is providing the whole world

971
00:52:21,338 --> 00:52:23,206
with all that clothing,

972
00:52:23,207 --> 00:52:25,775
at the same time
we are suffering

973
00:52:25,776 --> 00:52:28,544
all the pollution
that is left behind,

974
00:52:28,545 --> 00:52:30,880
so we found
this really astonishing fact,

975
00:52:30,881 --> 00:52:33,349
so we started
to present all our findings

976
00:52:33,350 --> 00:52:35,918
to the whole world.

977
00:52:35,919 --> 00:52:38,421
We want to make people aware

978
00:52:38,422 --> 00:52:42,525
that every single piece
of clothing that you buy

979
00:52:42,526 --> 00:52:43,826
comes with a cost.

980
00:52:43,827 --> 00:52:45,708
[Narrator]: Greenpeace
took an aggressive stance

981
00:52:46,930 --> 00:52:49,265
Against fashion,

982
00:52:49,266 --> 00:52:51,434
staging world-wide protests

983
00:52:51,435 --> 00:52:54,537
and releasing reports

984
00:52:54,538 --> 00:52:57,440
documenting
the pollution problem.

985
00:52:57,441 --> 00:53:00,943
They set up a campaign

986
00:53:00,944 --> 00:53:04,213
challenging some of
the biggest brands in fashion

987
00:53:04,214 --> 00:53:07,350
to detox their products,

988
00:53:07,351 --> 00:53:09,218
while hoping that consumers
would get the message

989
00:53:09,219 --> 00:53:12,622
that some fashion comes with
a large environmental price tag.

990
00:53:12,623 --> 00:53:14,724
The reason Greenpeace
started a detox campaign

991
00:53:14,725 --> 00:53:16,893
was we found that
our rivers across the world

992
00:53:16,894 --> 00:53:19,562
were being deeply impacted

993
00:53:19,563 --> 00:53:22,532
by the dumping of poisonous
toxic material in our rivers,

994
00:53:22,533 --> 00:53:24,767
done with absolutely
no regulation, no oversight,

995
00:53:24,768 --> 00:53:26,968
and sadly, many of the products
that were being produced

996
00:53:27,471 --> 00:53:30,807
Through this dirty polluting way
of producing fashion

997
00:53:30,808 --> 00:53:32,742
was actually
the direct contributor

998
00:53:32,743 --> 00:53:33,843
to massive amounts
of river contamination.

999
00:53:33,844 --> 00:53:35,611
[Orsola de Castro]:
There is a joke in China.

1000
00:53:35,612 --> 00:53:36,913
They say that you can predict
the "it" colour for the season by looking
at the colour of the river,

1001
00:53:36,914 --> 00:53:38,715
you know, sort of
if they've dyed more yellow,

1002
00:53:38,716 --> 00:53:40,349
then that's what the river
will look like.

1003
00:53:40,350 --> 00:53:42,685
There is really
no way out of it,

1004
00:53:42,686 --> 00:53:44,420
and it is depressing
talking about it.

1005
00:53:44,421 --> 00:53:46,723
It does make you feel
very powerless

1006
00:53:46,724 --> 00:53:48,558
to a certain extent.

1007
00:53:48,559 --> 00:53:51,594
It's particularly scandalous

1008
00:53:51,595 --> 00:53:55,732
how long
it's been allowed to go on

1009
00:53:55,733 --> 00:53:58,434
and how little has been done

1010
00:53:58,435 --> 00:54:02,772
to highlight this problem
for future generations,

1011
00:54:02,773 --> 00:54:05,475
who are ultimately the ones
that will have to foot the bill

1012
00:54:05,476 --> 00:54:10,379
and really
suffer the consequences.

1013
00:54:16,520 --> 00:54:21,524
That are very, very hidden
and very secret.

1014
00:54:21,525 --> 00:54:25,661
I used to think "I wonder why."

1015
00:54:25,662 --> 00:54:29,298
I know why now,
because the damage is so huge,

1016
00:54:29,299 --> 00:54:33,636
the damage that they have done
is so huge,

1017
00:54:33,637 --> 00:54:39,342
but we will be demanding
to know who makes our clothes,

1018
00:54:39,343 --> 00:54:41,310
where do they come from,

1019
00:54:41,311 --> 00:54:45,112
what are they made out of,
increasingly, and the industry will have
to accommodate those demands.

1020
00:54:46,884 --> 00:54:48,050
[Narrator]: Taken as a whole,

1021
00:54:50,020 --> 00:54:53,689
The textile industry is a huge,
complex global entity, but if we focus
on one iconic consumer product,

1022
00:54:53,690 --> 00:54:55,324
it offers a snapshot
of how we all contribute

1023
00:54:55,325 --> 00:54:57,960
to the issue
of industrial water pollution.

1024
00:54:57,961 --> 00:54:59,862
Investigators,

1025
00:54:59,863 --> 00:55:01,664
as well as some who work
in the fashion industry,

1026
00:55:01,665 --> 00:55:04,734
have long known
the dirty little secret

1027
00:55:04,735 --> 00:55:07,436
behind the manufacturing
of blue jeans.

1028
00:55:07,437 --> 00:55:07,971
This iconic product

1029
00:55:07,972 --> 00:55:10,473
illustrates some of the most
visible and gross pollution

1030
00:55:10,474 --> 00:55:12,542
caused by overseas production,

1031
00:55:12,543 --> 00:55:14,410
but it wasn't always this way.

1032
00:55:19,349 --> 00:55:21,651
From the 1960s to the 1990s,
El Paso, Texas held the title

1033
00:55:21,652 --> 00:55:24,487
"blue jeans capital
of the world,"

1034
00:55:24,488 --> 00:55:28,090
producing almost two million
pairs of jeans per week.

1035
00:55:28,091 --> 00:55:32,628
Now, it's just a shell
of its former self.

1036
00:55:33,498 --> 00:55:36,399
The once mighty Rio Grande,
a great water resource,

1037
00:55:36,400 --> 00:55:37,900
ran directly through El Paso
before it began to dry up,

1038
00:55:37,901 --> 00:55:42,738
but the real impetus

1039
00:55:42,739 --> 00:55:46,342
to El Paso losing the blue jeans manufacturing
base was the signing of a free trade agreement

1040
00:55:46,343 --> 00:55:48,678
allowing clothing brands
to look further afield

1041
00:55:48,679 --> 00:55:51,814
for lower-cost labour
and production.

1042
00:55:51,815 --> 00:55:53,382
<i>And the great question
of this day</i>

1043
00:55:53,383 --> 00:55:55,785
<i>is how to ensure security
for our people</i>

1044
00:55:55,786 --> 00:55:58,120
<i>at a time when change
is the only constant.</i>

1045
00:55:58,121 --> 00:56:00,857
<i>I believe
we have made a decision now</i>

1046
00:56:00,858 --> 00:56:02,725
<i>that will permit us</i>

1047
00:56:02,726 --> 00:56:05,862
<i>to create an economic order
in the world</i>

1048
00:56:05,863 --> 00:56:08,898
<i>that will promote more growth,
more equality,</i>

1049
00:56:08,899 --> 00:56:11,868
<i>better preservation
of the environment,</i>

1050
00:56:11,869 --> 00:56:15,037
<i>and a greater possibility
of world peace.</i>

1051
00:56:15,038 --> 00:56:20,376
<i>We are on the verge
of a global economic expansion</i>

1052
00:56:20,377 --> 00:56:24,113
<i>that is sparked by the fact</i>

1053
00:56:24,114 --> 00:56:26,716
<i>that the United States,
at this critical moment,</i>

1054
00:56:26,717 --> 00:56:30,386
<i>decided that we would compete,
not retreat.</i>

1055
00:56:30,387 --> 00:56:33,389
<i>In a few moments,</i>

1056
00:56:33,390 --> 00:56:38,060
I will sign the North
AmericanFree Trade Act into law.

1057
00:56:38,061 --> 00:56:41,931
<i>NAFTA will tear down
trade barriers</i>

1058
00:56:41,932 --> 00:56:45,935
<i>between our three nations.</i>

1059
00:56:45,936 --> 00:56:49,906
<i>It will create the world's
largest trade zone</i>

1060
00:56:49,907 --> 00:56:52,508
<i>and create 200,000 jobs
in this country by 1995 alone.</i>

1061
00:56:52,509 --> 00:56:55,444
[Narrator]:
Soon after NAFTA's signing,

1062
00:56:55,445 --> 00:56:58,481
manufacturers left for Mexico

1063
00:56:58,482 --> 00:57:00,917
and eventually offshore

1064
00:57:00,918 --> 00:57:03,586
to China, Indonesia,
and Bangladesh.

1065
00:57:03,587 --> 00:57:07,757
Industry also exported
immense environmental problems

1066
00:57:07,758 --> 00:57:11,160
simply because

1067
00:57:11,161 --> 00:57:12,695
the environmental regulations
in those countrieswere not nearly as strong

1068
00:57:12,696 --> 00:57:15,531
as what exists
in the United States.

1069
00:57:15,532 --> 00:57:18,534
So where did all those
jobs and jeans go?

1070
00:57:18,535 --> 00:57:20,636
They came here,

1071
00:57:20,637 --> 00:57:23,973
Xintang, the new jeans capital
of the world.

1072
00:57:23,974 --> 00:57:27,009
[Angelo]: Textiles
are a huge industry in China.

1073
00:57:27,010 --> 00:57:29,879
Last year the country exported
more than $200 billion

1074
00:57:29,880 --> 00:57:32,581
dollars in apparel,

1075
00:57:32,582 --> 00:57:36,852
and Xintang

1076
00:57:36,853 --> 00:57:38,521
is the blue jean capital
of the world.

1077
00:57:38,522 --> 00:57:42,525
They produce about 300 million
pairs of jeans a year,

1078
00:57:42,526 --> 00:57:44,126
a third of the world's supply.

1079
00:57:44,127 --> 00:57:46,562
[Narrator]:
As early as 30 years ago,

1080
00:57:46,563 --> 00:57:49,765
this city had
a small manufacturing base

1081
00:57:49,766 --> 00:57:54,236
making blue jeans.

1082
00:57:54,237 --> 00:57:57,106
What started off as just a few
"mom and pop" operations

1083
00:57:57,107 --> 00:57:59,108
has blossomed into becoming
a major exporter of blue jeans

1084
00:57:59,109 --> 00:58:00,242
to the world market,

1085
00:58:00,243 --> 00:58:03,879
with a huge
environmental impact.

1086
00:58:03,880 --> 00:58:06,816
[Tianjie]: I think some
consumers just don't realize

1087
00:58:06,817 --> 00:58:10,252
what kind
of environmental impact

1088
00:58:10,253 --> 00:58:11,787
or environmental footprint

1089
00:58:11,788 --> 00:58:14,657
one single piece of jean
would carry.

1090
00:58:14,658 --> 00:58:17,226
When producing
one piece of jean,

1091
00:58:17,227 --> 00:58:18,828
actually it uses up
a lot of water

1092
00:58:18,829 --> 00:58:23,099
for washing and other processes,

1093
00:58:23,100 --> 00:58:26,002
and also it releases
a lot of polluted water

1094
00:58:26,003 --> 00:58:29,038
into the environment.

1095
00:58:29,039 --> 00:58:30,106
[Narrator]:
Making a pair of jeans

1096
00:58:30,107 --> 00:58:31,207
can be a water-intensive
process.

1097
00:58:31,208 --> 00:58:32,908
Levi's, the iconic manufacturer
of blue jeans,

1098
00:58:32,909 --> 00:58:36,145
did a study of how much water

1099
00:58:36,146 --> 00:58:39,715
went into the making one pair
of their 501 jeans.

1100
00:58:39,716 --> 00:58:41,017
They discovered it took
almost 920 gallons of water,

1101
00:58:41,018 --> 00:58:43,519
400 megajoules of energy,

1102
00:58:43,520 --> 00:58:45,187
and expelled 32 kilograms
of carbon dioxide.

1103
00:58:45,188 --> 00:58:48,758
Levis said
that this was the equivalent

1104
00:58:48,759 --> 00:58:52,028
to running a garden hose
for 106 minutes,

1105
00:58:52,029 --> 00:58:54,163
driving 78 miles,

1106
00:58:54,164 --> 00:58:56,766
and powering a computer
for 556 hours.

1107
00:58:58,835 --> 00:59:01,103
[Ma]:
We found that this industry

1108
00:59:02,539 --> 00:59:05,307
Is having one of the lowest,
if not the lowest,

1109
00:59:05,308 --> 00:59:06,876
rate of water recycling.

1110
00:59:06,877 --> 00:59:09,278
They just want
to use the water once,

1111
00:59:09,279 --> 00:59:11,680
and then they just
discharge that into the rivers,

1112
00:59:11,681 --> 00:59:14,116
and they've got
so much concentrated

1113
00:59:14,117 --> 00:59:16,185
in some parts of China,

1114
00:59:16,186 --> 00:59:17,186
so with that concentration
of pollution,

1115
00:59:17,187 --> 00:59:19,922
the impact to that local region
is very serious.

1116
00:59:23,326 --> 00:59:25,694
[Narrator]: It's been estimated
that in a single year,

1117
00:59:29,099 --> 00:59:33,002
One large fashion brand
uses the equivalent of water

1118
00:59:33,003 --> 00:59:35,037
that is in 43,000
Olympic-sized swimming pools.

1119
00:59:35,038 --> 00:59:39,275
The textile industry

1120
00:59:39,276 --> 00:59:41,343
is one of the largest consumers
of water in the world,

1121
00:59:41,344 --> 00:59:44,847
using 3.2% of all water

1122
00:59:44,848 --> 00:59:46,749
available to the human race
every year.

1123
00:59:46,750 --> 00:59:48,150
[Angelo]:
Textiles, environmentally,

1124
00:59:48,151 --> 00:59:50,753
can be a dirty business,

1125
00:59:50,754 --> 00:59:52,888
and the fabric dyes
used for jeans

1126
00:59:52,889 --> 00:59:54,723
contain hazardous materials,

1127
00:59:54,724 --> 00:59:58,060
things like mercury,
cadmium, and lead,

1128
00:59:58,061 --> 00:59:59,695
and the local industry here
has long been accused

1129
00:59:59,696 --> 01:00:01,730
of releasing its wastewater
directly into the Pearl River,

1130
01:00:01,731 --> 01:00:04,633
so while China has reaped
huge economic benefits

1131
01:00:04,634 --> 01:00:06,268
from the textile industry,

1132
01:00:06,269 --> 01:00:07,937
that same industry
has been a major contributor

1133
01:00:07,938 --> 01:00:10,739
to its water pollution problem.

1134
01:00:10,740 --> 01:00:11,774
We don't own the factories
anymore.

1135
01:00:11,775 --> 01:00:13,876
If you own your factory,

1136
01:00:13,877 --> 01:00:16,846
you will have
rules and regulation,

1137
01:00:16,847 --> 01:00:19,248
but also an instinct

1138
01:00:19,249 --> 01:00:22,885
to be extremely effective
in your production,

1139
01:00:22,886 --> 01:00:27,056
and that includes
managing your water

1140
01:00:27,057 --> 01:00:28,824
and managing your waste.

1141
01:00:28,825 --> 01:00:31,327
If you don't own your factory,

1142
01:00:31,328 --> 01:00:33,996
let alone know the majority

1143
01:00:33,997 --> 01:00:36,966
of where your clothes
are being made,

1144
01:00:36,967 --> 01:00:38,134
you have absolutely no interest,

1145
01:00:38,135 --> 01:00:39,768
and a great facility
to go to bed at night

1146
01:00:39,769 --> 01:00:41,637
thinking
"That's not my problem."

1147
01:00:41,638 --> 01:00:43,639
[Narrator]: Orsola de Castro,

1148
01:00:45,909 --> 01:00:48,377
A leader in sustainable fashion,

1149
01:00:48,378 --> 01:00:52,214
has created a clothing line

1150
01:00:52,215 --> 01:00:54,650
made entirely
from discarded materials.

1151
01:00:54,651 --> 01:00:56,118
She's concerned
that her industry

1152
01:00:56,119 --> 01:00:58,220
is one of the world's
biggest polluters,

1153
01:00:58,221 --> 01:01:00,422
with a business model based on
high volume/low cost clothing,

1154
01:01:00,423 --> 01:01:02,391
what many critics
call "fast fashion."

1155
01:01:02,392 --> 01:01:04,827
[de Castro]: The reason why
we let fashion pollute so much

1156
01:01:04,828 --> 01:01:07,062
and we let it go this far

1157
01:01:07,063 --> 01:01:08,697
is profit,

1158
01:01:08,698 --> 01:01:11,967
rich fat men on boards

1159
01:01:11,968 --> 01:01:14,203
wanting
to make more and more money.

1160
01:01:14,204 --> 01:01:15,271
I don't think
that we can any longer sit by

1161
01:01:15,272 --> 01:01:17,373
while people are suffering,

1162
01:01:17,374 --> 01:01:19,742
and the planet is suffering,

1163
01:01:19,743 --> 01:01:21,844
for us to have economic gain.

1164
01:01:21,845 --> 01:01:24,146
If everybody on this planet

1165
01:01:24,147 --> 01:01:26,382
lived the way
North America does,

1166
01:01:26,383 --> 01:01:28,784
we'd need, like, eight planets.

1167
01:01:28,785 --> 01:01:30,686
[Eric Dickstein]:
You know, it's funny

1168
01:01:32,289 --> 01:01:34,323
Because these companies
can pretend like they don't know
what is going on,

1169
01:01:34,324 --> 01:01:36,025
but they absolutely
do know what's going on.

1170
01:01:36,026 --> 01:01:39,461
They don't want
to acknowledge it

1171
01:01:39,462 --> 01:01:41,030
because it means that
they are willing participants

1172
01:01:41,031 --> 01:01:43,365
of destroying the environment.

1173
01:01:47,737 --> 01:01:50,973
You are completely responsible
as a company

1174
01:01:50,974 --> 01:01:54,276
for how
you're making your product.

1175
01:01:54,277 --> 01:01:55,878
Are they acting that way?
Not necessarily.

1176
01:01:55,879 --> 01:01:57,146
For the most part, not at all.

1177
01:01:57,147 --> 01:01:59,748
Denim, the way
that we look at it now,

1178
01:01:59,749 --> 01:02:01,951
the way that we have it now,

1179
01:02:01,952 --> 01:02:06,288
will be seen as fashion's
greatest stupidity.

1180
01:02:06,289 --> 01:02:08,891
Distressed denim,
insanity made visible.

1181
01:02:10,327 --> 01:02:13,295
It has become a huge hazard
to the environment,

1182
01:02:16,333 --> 01:02:18,500
For the sake of clothing,

1183
01:02:18,501 --> 01:02:20,436
especially the type of clothing
that we are wearing these days,

1184
01:02:20,437 --> 01:02:23,806
is criminal.

1185
01:02:23,807 --> 01:02:25,107
Maybe it's because
the demand of the world

1186
01:02:25,108 --> 01:02:27,443
has gone crazy for this look

1187
01:02:27,444 --> 01:02:30,145
and they want stuff
to be distressed

1188
01:02:30,146 --> 01:02:32,448
and stripes on it, and...

1189
01:02:32,449 --> 01:02:34,783
<i>o vintage jean
ever looked like that,</i>

1190
01:02:34,784 --> 01:02:39,188
so there is a difference
between the early processing,

1191
01:02:39,189 --> 01:02:41,824
which is really just to get it
looked a little bit old,

1192
01:02:41,825 --> 01:02:44,793
a little bit worn
here and here, fine.

1193
01:02:44,794 --> 01:02:47,429
Not even whiskers.

1194
01:02:47,430 --> 01:02:49,164
There weren't whiskers and all that
stuff, you know? That's... come on, guys.

1195
01:02:49,165 --> 01:02:51,046
The chemicals used
in order to create the looks,

1196
01:02:52,235 --> 01:02:57,039
Whether they are called
the whiskers,

1197
01:02:57,040 --> 01:02:57,874
you know, the tear,

1198
01:02:57,875 --> 01:03:02,845
are beyond unbelievable
and continuous.

1199
01:03:02,846 --> 01:03:03,179
There are the ones that make it
look distressed through paint

1200
01:03:03,180 --> 01:03:08,183
or distressed through,
you know, sandpaper, whatever.

1201
01:03:08,184 --> 01:03:09,085
One of the funniest scenes I saw
in one of these denim factories

1202
01:03:09,086 --> 01:03:13,389
was this huge warehouse
full of people

1203
01:03:13,390 --> 01:03:15,791
just literally sandpapering
day in, day out.

1204
01:03:15,792 --> 01:03:19,128
Sandpapering denim

1205
01:03:19,129 --> 01:03:20,796
at 98% humidity
while they worked,

1206
01:03:20,797 --> 01:03:23,299
because that's what you need
to preserve the right chemicals,

1207
01:03:23,300 --> 01:03:25,220
which is an incredibly
unpleasant way of working.

1208
01:03:29,005 --> 01:03:32,341
Breathing all this acid,

1209
01:03:32,342 --> 01:03:36,078
and that destroys your lungs.

1210
01:03:36,079 --> 01:03:38,113
Okay? People die.

1211
01:03:38,114 --> 01:03:39,815
Do we want now, just because
we have a distressed jean,

1212
01:03:39,816 --> 01:03:42,985
you have,
you wear distressed jeans,

1213
01:03:42,986 --> 01:03:45,387
and you kill somebody.

1214
01:03:45,388 --> 01:03:47,022
[Narrator]:
Francois Girbaud is credited

1215
01:03:50,560 --> 01:03:52,361
As the man who invented
stone-washed jeans.

1216
01:03:52,362 --> 01:03:54,129
Early on,
he also began using chemicals

1217
01:03:54,130 --> 01:03:58,300
to get the distressed look
in denim products.

1218
01:03:58,301 --> 01:04:01,503
We make a mistake
at the beginning.

1219
01:04:01,504 --> 01:04:05,507
We were responsible.

1220
01:04:05,508 --> 01:04:08,944
When we start, first,

1221
01:04:08,945 --> 01:04:13,082
we don't realize
how what we did was wrong,

1222
01:04:13,083 --> 01:04:17,386
because we did,
we make a mistake.

1223
01:04:17,387 --> 01:04:19,021
We make a mistake because...

1224
01:04:19,022 --> 01:04:23,225
If you talk to me, okay,
if we were talking,

1225
01:04:23,226 --> 01:04:26,495
I don't know, before 1989,

1226
01:04:26,496 --> 01:04:28,897
I tried to find everything
more, more, more corrosive.

1227
01:04:28,898 --> 01:04:28,998
We make all these
treatments and washing,

1228
01:04:28,999 --> 01:04:33,635
all the processes of washing
we invent

1229
01:04:33,636 --> 01:04:36,372
during from '72 to '89,
continuous invention,

1230
01:04:40,577 --> 01:04:42,177
Using everything,
acid, etc., etc.,

1231
01:04:42,178 --> 01:04:45,180
but I realized
the importance of our work,

1232
01:04:45,181 --> 01:04:48,617
what we did,
what was the reaction,

1233
01:04:48,618 --> 01:04:51,253
because pollution of rivers,
everything, we invented that.

1234
01:04:51,254 --> 01:04:52,955
[Enrique Silla]:
The fathers of our industry,

1235
01:04:52,956 --> 01:04:53,923
people like Francois Girbaud,
like Adriano Goldschmied,

1236
01:04:53,924 --> 01:04:55,924
they invented stone wash,
they invented bleaching,

1237
01:04:55,925 --> 01:04:58,994
they invented
potassium permanganate,

1238
01:04:58,995 --> 01:05:01,930
and at that time,

1239
01:05:01,931 --> 01:05:05,234
they were just trying
to find a beautiful product

1240
01:05:05,235 --> 01:05:07,403
and a great product.

1241
01:05:07,404 --> 01:05:09,404
They didn't realize
that these inventions, one day,

1242
01:05:11,007 --> 01:05:15,577
Will damage the ecology,
the planet, and the rivers.

1243
01:05:17,580 --> 01:05:19,281
[Girbaud]:
We have to slow down.

1244
01:05:19,282 --> 01:05:22,684
We have to slow down
the chemicals.

1245
01:05:22,685 --> 01:05:27,222
If everybody,
the consumer knows,

1246
01:05:27,223 --> 01:05:32,027
this beautiful white here
is made by acid,

1247
01:05:32,028 --> 01:05:34,196
and this acid is something
destroying the planet,

1248
01:05:34,197 --> 01:05:37,132
we are committing a suicide
for the planet,

1249
01:05:37,133 --> 01:05:37,434
we are, surely, surely,
we know, we go, we go...

1250
01:05:37,435 --> 01:05:41,670
What do we talk
about new generations?

1251
01:05:41,671 --> 01:05:43,238
What we talk about that?
It's no future.

1252
01:05:43,239 --> 01:05:46,241
If we continue like this,
it's done. It's done.

1253
01:05:53,450 --> 01:05:58,153
Is that at the end of the '80s
or starting of the '90s,

1254
01:05:58,154 --> 01:05:59,621
we have a tremendous
delocalization of the production

1255
01:05:59,622 --> 01:06:03,025
from the U.S. to China,

1256
01:06:03,026 --> 01:06:07,029
from Italy, Spain, South Europe,

1257
01:06:07,030 --> 01:06:08,597
that were
a strong production place,

1258
01:06:08,598 --> 01:06:10,365
to India, etc.,

1259
01:06:10,366 --> 01:06:13,569
so immediately,

1260
01:06:13,570 --> 01:06:16,238
all the big plants
start to produce

1261
01:06:16,239 --> 01:06:17,140
without water treatment plants,

1262
01:06:17,141 --> 01:06:22,144
throwing all their dirty water
to the rivers

1263
01:06:22,145 --> 01:06:25,647
and destroying the planet,

1264
01:06:25,648 --> 01:06:30,252
and at the same time,

1265
01:06:30,253 --> 01:06:31,987
the consumption increased
tremendously.

1266
01:06:31,988 --> 01:06:33,722
In America, people
buy four jeans every year,

1267
01:06:33,723 --> 01:06:36,058
in Europe, 1.5 jeans every year,

1268
01:06:36,059 --> 01:06:40,128
so consumption
tremendously increased.

1269
01:06:40,129 --> 01:06:43,098
[Narrator]:
In the past 20 years,

1270
01:06:45,368 --> 01:06:49,104
China has effectively doubled

1271
01:06:49,105 --> 01:06:50,706
the amount of textiles
it produces.

1272
01:06:50,707 --> 01:06:53,108
At first glance, this represents
good news for the consumers,

1273
01:06:53,109 --> 01:06:53,276
who benefit
from cheaper clothing

1274
01:06:53,277 --> 01:06:55,477
and quicker turnaround
in styles,

1275
01:06:55,478 --> 01:06:58,013
but as the prices plummeted
in the fashion industry,

1276
01:06:58,014 --> 01:07:00,215
it was China's waterways
and the people who rely on them

1277
01:07:00,216 --> 01:07:05,220
who were paying the price

1278
01:07:05,221 --> 01:07:09,458
of an increasing amount
of untreated wastewater

1279
01:07:09,459 --> 01:07:11,727
being dumped into these rivers.

1280
01:07:18,368 --> 01:07:20,469
The toxic effects
of industrialization

1281
01:07:20,470 --> 01:07:22,104
appear irreversible,

1282
01:07:22,105 --> 01:07:25,140
but history has proven
that a biologically dead river

1283
01:07:25,141 --> 01:07:27,609
can be reversed.

1284
01:07:27,610 --> 01:07:30,579
40 years ago, this river
was in real trouble.

1285
01:07:32,582 --> 01:07:33,782
There were no signs of life,

1286
01:07:33,783 --> 01:07:36,285
primarily because of
the pollution in the river.

1287
01:07:36,286 --> 01:07:39,621
[Narrator]:
Globally, we can learn

1288
01:07:39,622 --> 01:07:42,157
from the massive
conservation efforts

1289
01:07:42,158 --> 01:07:44,560
and strict legislation
implemented in London

1290
01:07:44,561 --> 01:07:46,395
against the dumping of toxins

1291
01:07:46,396 --> 01:07:47,629
that allows rivers
like the Thames to regenerate.

1292
01:07:47,630 --> 01:07:49,364
[Angelo]: There are lots
of signs of life here now.

1293
01:07:49,365 --> 01:07:52,067
There's 125 species of fish
back in the river.

1294
01:07:52,068 --> 01:07:55,704
That certainly
is a cause for hope.

1295
01:08:06,082 --> 01:08:07,583
[Narrator]: Milan,

1296
01:08:07,584 --> 01:08:10,652
one of the world's
most important fashion capitals

1297
01:08:10,653 --> 01:08:14,122
along with London,
New York, and Paris,

1298
01:08:14,123 --> 01:08:16,224
but we haven't come here
to shop retail.

1299
01:08:16,225 --> 01:08:20,796
Rather, we've made the journey

1300
01:08:20,797 --> 01:08:22,631
to a small town outside of Milan

1301
01:08:22,632 --> 01:08:24,700
where a textile company
has adopted a new technology

1302
01:08:24,701 --> 01:08:27,769
in order to change the way
that denim is produced.

1303
01:08:27,770 --> 01:08:29,738
Forty years ago, the situation
was completely different,

1304
01:08:29,739 --> 01:08:32,307
<i>o rules for the water,</i>

1305
01:08:32,308 --> 01:08:35,677
so you didn't care
about the water pollution,

1306
01:08:35,678 --> 01:08:37,212
about the chemicals.

1307
01:08:37,213 --> 01:08:40,248
So, the middle of the '70s to the middle of the
'80swas, I think, a real mess in Italy for everybody.

1308
01:08:40,249 --> 01:08:41,783
We put money
in the water treatment,

1309
01:08:41,784 --> 01:08:44,152
we put money to pay attention
in what we are doing,

1310
01:08:44,153 --> 01:08:46,688
and only when you put money
you can understand

1311
01:08:46,689 --> 01:08:48,657
that you are using chemicals
that you don't need.

1312
01:08:48,658 --> 01:08:53,295
[Narrator]: Luigi Caccia,

1313
01:08:53,296 --> 01:08:55,497
the second-generation owner
of Italdenim,

1314
01:08:55,498 --> 01:08:58,800
manages one of the leading
companies in Europe

1315
01:08:58,801 --> 01:09:01,903
for the production of denim.

1316
01:09:01,904 --> 01:09:02,338
His company was one of the first

1317
01:09:02,339 --> 01:09:07,209
to embrace Greenpeace's
detox campaign.

1318
01:09:07,210 --> 01:09:10,646
Our first point
is to make business,

1319
01:09:10,647 --> 01:09:18,647
but at the end,

1320
01:09:19,255 --> 01:09:23,458
we can understand
only by going deeper,

1321
01:09:23,459 --> 01:09:25,427
to understand how many dangerous
things we are making

1322
01:09:25,428 --> 01:09:28,430
just to make a pair of denim.

1323
01:09:28,431 --> 01:09:31,333
[Narrator]: Luigi says it's hard

1324
01:09:31,334 --> 01:09:34,202
for his company to compete with offshore denim companies,
many who don't put any money into pollution controls.

1325
01:09:34,203 --> 01:09:35,337
[Caccia]: The worst are using
the chemicals in excess.

1326
01:09:35,338 --> 01:09:37,706
The price is lower,
the quality is pretty good,

1327
01:09:37,707 --> 01:09:41,410
so how can I compete with this?

1328
01:09:41,411 --> 01:09:44,713
This is the big difference

1329
01:09:44,714 --> 01:09:47,883
between us
and the rest of the world,

1330
01:09:47,884 --> 01:09:50,686
the way we make it.

1331
01:09:50,687 --> 01:09:54,556
[Narrator]: In many ways,

1332
01:09:54,557 --> 01:09:58,560
Italdenim follows the pattern of many
other companies in the production of denim,

1333
01:09:58,561 --> 01:10:02,964
but there is one major step
that Italdenim implements

1334
01:10:02,965 --> 01:10:04,866
in the treatment of their cotton

1335
01:10:04,867 --> 01:10:08,336
that eliminates toxic chemicals
and reduces water usage

1336
01:10:08,337 --> 01:10:11,406
by up to 80%.

1337
01:10:11,407 --> 01:10:14,643
The production of denim begins

1338
01:10:14,644 --> 01:10:16,311
with the arrival of cotton
to the processing facility,

1339
01:10:16,312 --> 01:10:19,314
where the raw product
is broken down

1340
01:10:19,315 --> 01:10:20,982
into thin strands that wrap
from machine to machine

1341
01:10:20,983 --> 01:10:22,784
to build up a strong yarn.

1342
01:10:22,785 --> 01:10:24,586
Once the yarn is spun,
the roll is ready for dyeing.

1343
01:10:24,587 --> 01:10:28,223
This is where Italdenim
has taken a huge turn

1344
01:10:28,224 --> 01:10:30,959
and changed the processing
of denim.

1345
01:10:30,960 --> 01:10:32,427
Italdenim turned to the ocean

1346
01:10:32,428 --> 01:10:34,629
for a solution
to standard chemical processing.

1347
01:10:34,630 --> 01:10:37,733
They learned that by using
the exoskeleton of shellfish

1348
01:10:37,734 --> 01:10:39,801
crushed into a fine powder
called "Chitosan,"

1349
01:10:39,802 --> 01:10:44,506
they could enhance
the dyeability of denim.

1350
01:10:44,507 --> 01:10:48,477
The Chitosan is very simple.

1351
01:10:48,478 --> 01:10:52,347
It's the shellfish
of the crab or the shrimp

1352
01:10:52,348 --> 01:10:54,916
that is thrown away
from the food industry.

1353
01:10:54,917 --> 01:10:58,687
It is recovered,
transformed into Chitosan,

1354
01:10:58,688 --> 01:11:00,288
and it goes into
the circular economy,

1355
01:11:00,289 --> 01:11:02,691
because we reutilize something

1356
01:11:02,692 --> 01:11:04,426
that someone else
has thrown away.

1357
01:11:04,427 --> 01:11:08,296
[Narrator]:
Chitosan is a natural

1358
01:11:08,297 --> 01:11:09,931
and incredibly strong
fixing agent

1359
01:11:09,932 --> 01:11:13,001
that reduces
the amount of chemicals used

1360
01:11:13,002 --> 01:11:14,736
to make your blue jeans blue.

1361
01:11:14,737 --> 01:11:17,739
[Caccia]:
This is the Chitosano.

1362
01:11:17,740 --> 01:11:20,942
It is a completely 100%

1363
01:11:20,943 --> 01:11:22,544
atoxic
and biocompatible product.

1364
01:11:22,545 --> 01:11:25,614
We use, mixing
with simply water,

1365
01:11:25,615 --> 01:11:27,482
so we put in the water
here, like this,

1366
01:11:27,483 --> 01:11:30,719
and we get, at the end,
this kind of pasta.

1367
01:11:32,655 --> 01:11:36,525
There is no danger in touching.

1368
01:11:36,526 --> 01:11:39,594
This cream goes to the machine,

1369
01:11:39,595 --> 01:11:41,963
and we apply it
directly on the yarn.

1370
01:11:41,964 --> 01:11:43,665
So here is where
we apply the Chitosano.

1371
01:11:43,666 --> 01:11:46,768
We don't need anymore
any fixing agent,

1372
01:11:46,769 --> 01:11:50,539
because the Chitosano,
with the light,

1373
01:11:50,540 --> 01:11:53,475
fixes like a shell
around the yarn,

1374
01:11:53,476 --> 01:11:56,845
and protects the yarn
and the colour too.

1375
01:11:56,846 --> 01:11:59,447
You don't need to put
other chemicals like PVA,

1376
01:11:59,448 --> 01:12:03,518
this micro plastic
that goes into the water,

1377
01:12:03,519 --> 01:12:05,754
that goes into the river,

1378
01:12:05,755 --> 01:12:08,490
and it goes into the sea,

1379
01:12:08,491 --> 01:12:10,859
and it goes into the fish
for sure.

1380
01:12:10,860 --> 01:12:12,994
It's impossible to stop.

1381
01:12:12,995 --> 01:12:15,630
We want to reach the 360 degrees
using of Chitosano,

1382
01:12:15,631 --> 01:12:17,332
and we could eliminate
a huge quantity of chemicals.

1383
01:12:17,333 --> 01:12:19,367
This is one step

1384
01:12:19,368 --> 01:12:21,436
that is a revolutionary step into the textile
denim industry, and I think it is one of the ways

1385
01:12:21,437 --> 01:12:24,339
to approach the future
of this job.

1386
01:12:24,340 --> 01:12:25,440
[Narrator]:
This is breakthrough science

1387
01:12:25,441 --> 01:12:27,042
in the textile industry,

1388
01:12:27,043 --> 01:12:31,413
and if adopted by large brands,

1389
01:12:31,414 --> 01:12:34,482
the positive impact
on the environment

1390
01:12:34,483 --> 01:12:37,452
can't be overstated.

1391
01:12:37,453 --> 01:12:37,620
The first point
is to make something

1392
01:12:37,621 --> 01:12:41,890
that helps you to save money.

1393
01:12:41,891 --> 01:12:44,960
If you save chemicals,

1394
01:12:44,961 --> 01:12:46,995
first of all, you save money,
then you save nature, but first of all,
you save money.

1395
01:12:46,996 --> 01:12:48,697
[Narrator]: Through cutting back
on water usage

1396
01:12:48,698 --> 01:12:51,066
and introducing
their water-recycling process,

1397
01:12:51,067 --> 01:12:54,402
Italdenim has reduced

1398
01:12:54,403 --> 01:12:55,737
their industrial waste
footprint.

1399
01:12:55,738 --> 01:12:57,539
The plant also recaptures steam
and produces its own power.

1400
01:12:57,540 --> 01:13:00,408
There has been
an enormous investment

1401
01:13:00,409 --> 01:13:02,577
in building this infrastructure

1402
01:13:02,578 --> 01:13:05,714
to produce an environmentally
friendly fabric.

1403
01:13:05,715 --> 01:13:08,149
The cost to the brands
for this fabric

1404
01:13:08,150 --> 01:13:09,818
is only pennies more

1405
01:13:09,819 --> 01:13:11,019
than fabric produced
in a third-world country.

1406
01:13:11,020 --> 01:13:12,921
[Caccia]:
These are all small things

1407
01:13:14,724 --> 01:13:18,894
That a small company like us
has made.

1408
01:13:18,895 --> 01:13:22,030
If a big company makes it,

1409
01:13:22,031 --> 01:13:28,003
it's 10, 12,
100 times more the effect.

1410
01:13:30,740 --> 01:13:34,576
Everybody need to push these guys.
We need to tell to the brands

1411
01:13:34,577 --> 01:13:36,577
that there is the possibility
to make it different.

1412
01:13:38,014 --> 01:13:39,547
[Narrator]: In this city

1413
01:13:39,548 --> 01:13:41,483
in the southeast corner
of Spain,

1414
01:13:41,484 --> 01:13:43,818
in an industrial park,

1415
01:13:43,819 --> 01:13:45,553
sits a small company
that is on the cutting edge

1416
01:13:45,554 --> 01:13:47,422
of eco-friendly
blue jean processing.

1417
01:13:47,423 --> 01:13:51,726
Using two common elements,
light and air,

1418
01:13:51,727 --> 01:13:54,462
they've come up
with ingenious methods

1419
01:13:54,463 --> 01:13:56,031
that have the ability

1420
01:13:56,032 --> 01:13:59,000
to replace traditional,
polluting methods

1421
01:13:59,001 --> 01:14:01,069
of distressing jeans.

1422
01:14:01,070 --> 01:14:03,204
We completely changed
the way a jean is produced.

1423
01:14:07,677 --> 01:14:09,577
If you look
into jeans finishing,

1424
01:14:09,578 --> 01:14:11,579
you have two areas:

1425
01:14:11,580 --> 01:14:14,549
one area we call
"wet processing,"

1426
01:14:14,550 --> 01:14:15,817
that includes
a tremendous amount of water,

1427
01:14:15,818 --> 01:14:17,619
and the other area
we call "dry processing."

1428
01:14:17,620 --> 01:14:20,488
Dry processing includes

1429
01:14:20,489 --> 01:14:21,523
a tremendous amount
of work, of labour. So there are
three technologies.

1430
01:14:21,524 --> 01:14:23,124
One is sandblasting,

1431
01:14:23,125 --> 01:14:27,062
that today is forbidden
around the world.

1432
01:14:27,063 --> 01:14:28,563
The second one is potassium
permanganate spraying,

1433
01:14:28,564 --> 01:14:28,731
which is about spraying
a chemical product

1434
01:14:28,732 --> 01:14:32,867
that is very dangerous
if you breathe,

1435
01:14:32,868 --> 01:14:36,037
so it's just spraying a product
just to create a local abrasion,

1436
01:14:36,038 --> 01:14:39,708
and the third one is
what we call manual scraping,

1437
01:14:39,709 --> 01:14:47,709
which is just scraping manually
the jeans physically,

1438
01:14:50,052 --> 01:14:54,522
one by one, just to create
some areas that look worn.

1439
01:14:55,925 --> 01:14:57,625
For just finishing
a pair of jeans, you know,

1440
01:14:57,626 --> 01:14:59,060
which means a lot of water
just for the finishing.

1441
01:14:59,061 --> 01:15:01,629
Why don't we just,
in terms of finishing,

1442
01:15:01,630 --> 01:15:05,567
lower that impact

1443
01:15:05,568 --> 01:15:08,737
so you, as a consumer,
you have the right

1444
01:15:08,738 --> 01:15:11,039
to ask the brand
that you are wearing

1445
01:15:11,040 --> 01:15:12,540
where that jean came from,

1446
01:15:12,541 --> 01:15:14,642
and how it's
being manufactured or finished.

1447
01:15:14,643 --> 01:15:16,845
[Narrator]:
Jeanologia is using lasers

1448
01:15:16,846 --> 01:15:17,713
as one tool
to distress the jeans.

1449
01:15:17,714 --> 01:15:22,250
By using light,
they are able to eliminate

1450
01:15:22,251 --> 01:15:25,520
the indigo blue colour
in raw denim.

1451
01:15:25,521 --> 01:15:26,554
It sounds easy, and it is,

1452
01:15:26,555 --> 01:15:28,556
but you still have
to be creative

1453
01:15:28,557 --> 01:15:30,725
in order to replicate

1454
01:15:30,726 --> 01:15:33,294
the worn look
that consumers are seeking.

1455
01:15:37,233 --> 01:15:38,900
[Silla]: Basically,
what lasers is doing

1456
01:15:38,901 --> 01:15:40,635
is using the light to eliminate,

1457
01:15:40,636 --> 01:15:42,937
or physically sublimate,
the indigo from jeans,

1458
01:15:42,938 --> 01:15:45,774
and to transfer any image
that we create in a computer

1459
01:15:48,878 --> 01:15:50,945
So we can make digital pictures

1460
01:15:50,946 --> 01:15:55,817
of authentic,
old, true, worn jeans,

1461
01:15:55,818 --> 01:15:58,820
and we can take the details
from there,

1462
01:15:58,821 --> 01:16:01,823
we can play with these images,
pictures in a computer,

1463
01:16:02,192 --> 01:16:07,195
And then we can transfer this

1464
01:16:07,196 --> 01:16:11,566
and engrave this
through the energy of the light

1465
01:16:11,567 --> 01:16:14,169
in a jean in seconds.

1466
01:16:14,170 --> 01:16:18,706
[Narrator]: Jeanologia is also
taking water out of the equation

1467
01:16:18,707 --> 01:16:22,010
by loading jeans

1468
01:16:22,011 --> 01:16:24,679
into what looks like
a commercial washing machine. To give jeans
the washed-out, worn look,

1469
01:16:24,680 --> 01:16:27,849
they're using an element

1470
01:16:27,850 --> 01:16:30,185
that we take for granted
every moment in our lives: air.

1471
01:16:31,954 --> 01:16:35,924
[Penades]: The G2 gets the air
from the room,

1472
01:16:38,227 --> 01:16:42,730
And then gets the oxygen
out of the air,

1473
01:16:42,731 --> 01:16:44,833
and it converts oxygen, O2,
into ozone, O3,

1474
01:16:49,171 --> 01:16:51,306
And it does the job
that a normal stone-wash process

1475
01:16:51,307 --> 01:16:53,174
would do
for hours and hours of energy

1476
01:16:53,175 --> 01:16:54,609
and loads and loads of water,

1477
01:16:54,610 --> 01:16:56,850
and many other products also
that are harmful for nature,

1478
01:17:00,649 --> 01:17:03,151
Efficient,
and waterless technology.

1479
01:17:03,152 --> 01:17:06,121
[Silla]: The good thing,

1480
01:17:06,122 --> 01:17:10,792
and that's the beauty
of this technology,

1481
01:17:10,793 --> 01:17:12,954
is that we eliminate water
without increasing the cost,

1482
01:17:15,064 --> 01:17:16,331
If you have two jeans,

1483
01:17:16,332 --> 01:17:19,667
one is damaging the planet,
the other one not,

1484
01:17:19,668 --> 01:17:24,405
both looks equal
and the price is the same,

1485
01:17:24,406 --> 01:17:26,908
I mean, no one
would choose the wrong one.

1486
01:17:26,909 --> 01:17:28,143
I mean, there is no excuse.

1487
01:17:34,984 --> 01:17:38,186
[Narrator]: To help sell
the laser and ozone technologies

1488
01:17:38,187 --> 01:17:40,955
to brands
who age denim with chemicals,

1489
01:17:40,956 --> 01:17:44,058
the company has enlisted

1490
01:17:44,059 --> 01:17:48,429
the help of one of
the godfathers of denim design,

1491
01:17:48,430 --> 01:17:51,199
a man with a newfound mission

1492
01:17:51,200 --> 01:17:52,867
who now wants to help clean up
the mess he helped to create.

1493
01:17:52,868 --> 01:17:54,269
Because when you do a garment
in the ozone,

1494
01:17:54,270 --> 01:17:57,005
of course you can't just
do one garment,

1495
01:17:57,006 --> 01:17:59,174
you have to do 11 pounds
wet or dry.

1496
01:17:59,175 --> 01:18:02,043
Absolutely,
but what is interesting

1497
01:18:02,044 --> 01:18:05,813
is completely
we are not using chemicals.

1498
01:18:05,814 --> 01:18:05,948
Just inside...

1499
01:18:05,949 --> 01:18:10,451
All there is is electricity,
an air line, and that's it.

1500
01:18:10,452 --> 01:18:13,188
That's it. Air.

1501
01:18:13,189 --> 01:18:16,925
[Narrator]:
Francois started working

1502
01:18:16,926 --> 01:18:19,827
with this denim facility,

1503
01:18:19,828 --> 01:18:22,096
a place where new technologies

1504
01:18:22,097 --> 01:18:24,098
are bumping into the old ways
of distressing jeans.

1505
01:18:29,471 --> 01:18:33,441
Francois was an innovator
with passion and sensitivity,

1506
01:18:33,442 --> 01:18:34,876
and I think
that's what's needed.

1507
01:18:34,877 --> 01:18:38,157
It's the passion and sensitivity
that drive design, and design, in a way,
shows you care.

1508
01:18:38,181 --> 01:18:43,218
I did create
the first stretch jean,

1509
01:18:46,422 --> 01:18:48,856
In my humble opinion,
in my not such humble opinion.

1510
01:18:48,857 --> 01:18:52,827
The first ones
were just garment washed.

1511
01:18:52,828 --> 01:18:56,231
There was no bleaching
or anything like that.

1512
01:18:56,232 --> 01:19:00,368
It wasn't necessary.

1513
01:19:00,369 --> 01:19:01,903
It took 40 years,

1514
01:19:01,904 --> 01:19:02,971
40 years before
we started to understand

1515
01:19:02,972 --> 01:19:08,009
that what we did was wrong.

1516
01:19:08,010 --> 01:19:10,878
[Golding]: We are all
a bit guilty of all that,

1517
01:19:10,879 --> 01:19:13,314
Francois, Adriano, or any of us,

1518
01:19:13,315 --> 01:19:14,882
but I think it's the degree
to which it's gone, you know?

1519
01:19:14,883 --> 01:19:17,919
I'm sure there's
many other examples in life

1520
01:19:17,920 --> 01:19:20,255
where somebody starts something
quite naively.

1521
01:19:25,494 --> 01:19:27,095
[Narrator]:
A young denim designer,

1522
01:19:27,096 --> 01:19:28,930
Eric Dickstein,

1523
01:19:28,931 --> 01:19:32,133
has had to learn the business
by trial and error

1524
01:19:32,134 --> 01:19:35,503
while keeping to his core belief

1525
01:19:35,504 --> 01:19:38,206
in making
an ethical jean product.

1526
01:19:38,207 --> 01:19:41,042
Denim is one of the biggest
commodities in the world.

1527
01:19:41,043 --> 01:19:42,777
If you travel to China,

1528
01:19:42,778 --> 01:19:44,212
where most
of the world manufactures

1529
01:19:44,213 --> 01:19:45,446
for the mass consumers,

1530
01:19:45,447 --> 01:19:47,248
well, you end up
with having rivers

1531
01:19:47,249 --> 01:19:50,451
that are turning blue.

1532
01:19:50,452 --> 01:19:58,452
They're like, illuminating

1533
01:21:10,099 --> 01:21:15,169
because of the chemicals
that are in the water.

1534
01:21:18,941 --> 01:21:24,879
It's hard to find out
the truth sometimes.

1535
01:21:27,449 --> 01:21:29,217
You know, what I learned
is that people close their eyes.

1536
01:21:29,218 --> 01:21:32,220
That's really what I learned.

1537
01:21:32,221 --> 01:21:34,555
I learned that no one really wants to
talkabout the little monster in the closet,

1538
01:21:34,556 --> 01:21:38,025
so you don't learn the details,

1539
01:21:38,026 --> 01:21:41,062
because people don't want
to talk about them,

1540
01:21:41,063 --> 01:21:42,930
because at the end of the day,
it's not a selling point.

1541
01:21:42,931 --> 01:21:44,499
Oftentimes you learn by someone
doing it the right way,

1542
01:21:44,500 --> 01:21:46,267
<i>ot the wrong way,</i>

1543
01:21:46,268 --> 01:21:49,604
because the guy who's doing it
the right way

1544
01:21:49,605 --> 01:21:52,106
will tell you all the things

1545
01:21:52,107 --> 01:21:53,574
that are going wrong
in the industry.

1546
01:21:53,575 --> 01:21:56,277
It's definitely people
that are trying to make change

1547
01:21:56,278 --> 01:21:59,947
that will often tell you
what is actually going on.

1548
01:21:59,948 --> 01:22:02,517
We can control the amount
of ozone that's generated,

1549
01:22:02,518 --> 01:22:05,586
how long we can
expose the jean to the ozone,

1550
01:22:05,587 --> 01:22:06,587
and really control the fading,

1551
01:22:06,588 --> 01:22:11,359
and still get that beautiful
kind of contrast

1552
01:22:11,360 --> 01:22:12,460
and highs and lows

1553
01:22:12,461 --> 01:22:14,095
without using
any toxic chemicals,

1554
01:22:14,096 --> 01:22:16,697
and without using
any pumice stone,

1555
01:22:16,698 --> 01:22:18,699
and that's really, I think,

1556
01:22:18,700 --> 01:22:21,402
one of the more detrimental parts to denim laundry.
[Narrator]: Lukus Eichmann and Eric Dickstein

1557
01:22:21,403 --> 01:22:25,039
are a new breed

1558
01:22:25,040 --> 01:22:27,608
of jean designers
and boutique manufacturerswho are committed
to transparency

1559
01:22:27,609 --> 01:22:31,112
and producing ethical jeans.

1560
01:22:31,113 --> 01:22:33,014
Their output is a microdot
in the global production

1561
01:22:33,015 --> 01:22:35,049
that companies like Levi's, Gap,
Old Navy and other large brands

1562
01:22:35,050 --> 01:22:36,617
have in the world marketplace.

1563
01:22:36,618 --> 01:22:39,253
What's important
is that they're on the cusp

1564
01:22:39,254 --> 01:22:41,122
of a growing movement

1565
01:22:41,123 --> 01:22:43,491
of many small ethical labels
around the world

1566
01:22:43,492 --> 01:22:45,993
who are concerned
with the massive pollution

1567
01:22:45,994 --> 01:22:48,596
being created
in the current jeans landscape.

1568
01:22:48,597 --> 01:22:52,266
So the option was, you know,

1569
01:22:52,267 --> 01:22:55,336
go with that kind of old-school mentality and
the existing infrastructure that's out there

1570
01:22:55,337 --> 01:22:57,572
where they're
using toxic chemicals

1571
01:22:57,573 --> 01:22:59,407
and potassium permanganate
and pumice stone,

1572
01:22:59,408 --> 01:23:01,642
which has
a huge carbon footprint

1573
01:23:01,643 --> 01:23:06,681
to mine and haul,

1574
01:23:06,682 --> 01:23:09,317
and creates a huge amount
of waste afterward,

1575
01:23:09,318 --> 01:23:11,018
or kind of come up
with something new,

1576
01:23:11,019 --> 01:23:12,620
invest money in the way
that we make the jean,

1577
01:23:12,621 --> 01:23:14,388
and completely control
every element

1578
01:23:14,389 --> 01:23:17,325
of how the jean
is processed in the wash,

1579
01:23:17,326 --> 01:23:19,594
and make a really
beautiful product,

1580
01:23:19,595 --> 01:23:23,130
and prove to the whole industry
it can happen.

1581
01:23:23,131 --> 01:23:25,466
When you're doing something new,

1582
01:23:25,467 --> 01:23:29,203
there's fewer clients
to deal with,

1583
01:23:29,204 --> 01:23:31,339
so basically
you're building a brand;

1584
01:23:31,340 --> 01:23:34,342
Wiser Wash, Eco PRK,
that's a brand,

1585
01:23:34,343 --> 01:23:35,743
and their brand
is healthy, lifestyle,

1586
01:23:35,744 --> 01:23:37,712
environment, positive,

1587
01:23:37,713 --> 01:23:39,780
which are awesome things,

1588
01:23:39,781 --> 01:23:46,053
but there is not enough people

1589
01:23:46,054 --> 01:23:48,456
jumping on that bandwagon
at this point,

1590
01:23:48,457 --> 01:23:52,360
but as soon as the big boys,

1591
01:23:52,361 --> 01:23:54,529
the people that probably
control most of the market,

1592
01:23:54,530 --> 01:23:56,664
say "Yeah, we got to jump
on that movement,"

1593
01:23:56,665 --> 01:24:00,067
there will be no difference
in price.

1594
01:24:00,068 --> 01:24:04,572
I don't think it necessarily
has to cost more,

1595
01:24:04,573 --> 01:24:07,208
and actually we see
a return on investment

1596
01:24:07,209 --> 01:24:09,043
in a larger setting, you know,

1597
01:24:09,044 --> 01:24:10,244
in a pretty short
period of time,

1598
01:24:10,245 --> 01:24:13,247
because you are subtracting
the cost of those chemicals.

1599
01:24:13,248 --> 01:24:15,483
You're using less water,

1600
01:24:15,484 --> 01:24:19,220
and so, at the end of the day,

1601
01:24:19,221 --> 01:24:22,256
there is going to be savings
for the manufacturer.

1602
01:24:22,257 --> 01:24:24,325
The challenge
that we see and hear

1603
01:24:24,326 --> 01:24:26,160
directly
from other manufacturers

1604
01:24:26,161 --> 01:24:28,796
is really just overhauling
their whole infrastructure,

1605
01:24:28,797 --> 01:24:29,731
'cause so far

1606
01:24:29,732 --> 01:24:31,265
they've just kind of
been putting bandaids on, or adding things
because it exists already,

1607
01:24:31,266 --> 01:24:34,101
so it is expensive
for an existing player

1608
01:24:34,102 --> 01:24:37,171
to refurb their whole factory,

1609
01:24:37,172 --> 01:24:39,473
and that's why
I think a lot of the change

1610
01:24:39,474 --> 01:24:42,109
is coming
from brand-owned factories,

1611
01:24:42,110 --> 01:24:44,245
or people who have a concern

1612
01:24:44,246 --> 01:24:46,314
on the front end
of the business.

1613
01:24:46,315 --> 01:24:49,183
[Narrator]:
In our conversations with people

1614
01:24:51,086 --> 01:24:53,754
Like Ma Jun, Orsola de Castro,
and Francois Girbaud,

1615
01:24:53,755 --> 01:24:57,258
they all voiced
the same refrain,

1616
01:24:57,259 --> 01:25:00,328
that big brands
and big retailers in the west

1617
01:25:00,329 --> 01:25:02,797
have been able
to outsource their production,

1618
01:25:02,798 --> 01:25:04,699
and therefore,

1619
01:25:04,700 --> 01:25:06,233
they think they've outsourced
the responsibility. In the past 55 years,

1620
01:25:06,234 --> 01:25:08,202
the U.S. has outsourced
their clothing production

1621
01:25:08,203 --> 01:25:10,671
to developing countries,

1622
01:25:10,672 --> 01:25:13,240
translating to low prices
and increased consumption.

1623
01:25:15,611 --> 01:25:18,212
The statistics are insane,

1624
01:25:18,213 --> 01:25:20,615
something like 80 billion
garments of clothes

1625
01:25:20,616 --> 01:25:24,118
are being delivered
out of factories,

1626
01:25:24,119 --> 01:25:26,854
and those are the ones
that make it out,

1627
01:25:26,855 --> 01:25:29,190
so we don't think
about all of the ones

1628
01:25:29,191 --> 01:25:31,425
for those 80 billion
amount of garments

1629
01:25:31,426 --> 01:25:34,195
that come out of factories,

1630
01:25:34,196 --> 01:25:35,796
probably an equal amount
has been made in factories,

1631
01:25:35,797 --> 01:25:37,431
but it's wrong,
and that's discarded,

1632
01:25:37,432 --> 01:25:39,834
so, you know, it's landfill,
they're discarded into water,

1633
01:25:39,835 --> 01:25:41,869
I mean, you know,
it just goes on and on and on.

1634
01:25:41,870 --> 01:25:43,471
[Narrator]:
In her book "Overdressed,"

1635
01:25:43,472 --> 01:25:46,540
writer Elizabeth Cline wrote,

1636
01:25:46,541 --> 01:25:49,176
"As any economist will tell you,

1637
01:25:49,177 --> 01:25:51,312
cheaper prices
stimulate consumption,

1638
01:25:51,313 --> 01:25:53,814
and the current
low rate of fashion

1639
01:25:53,815 --> 01:25:56,183
has spurred
a shopping free-for-all,

1640
01:25:56,184 --> 01:25:57,585
where in the United States

1641
01:25:57,586 --> 01:25:59,787
consumers
are buying and hoarding

1642
01:25:59,788 --> 01:26:01,389
roughly 20 billion garments
per year."

1643
01:26:01,390 --> 01:26:03,190
The consumer did not wake up
one morning saying,

1644
01:26:03,191 --> 01:26:05,292
"Actually, I am fed up
of spending.

1645
01:26:05,293 --> 01:26:06,894
I want to buy
five pairs of jeans

1646
01:26:06,895 --> 01:26:10,898
for a fraction of the price."

1647
01:26:10,899 --> 01:26:13,334
We were literally
introduced to this concept

1648
01:26:13,335 --> 01:26:16,203
by the fashion industry

1649
01:26:16,204 --> 01:26:18,506
as a new business model,

1650
01:26:18,507 --> 01:26:23,711
which is entirely to do
with increasing profits.

1651
01:26:23,712 --> 01:26:25,479
[Narrator]: We're depleting
our natural resources.

1652
01:26:25,480 --> 01:26:27,682
We've permanently altered
our climate.

1653
01:26:27,683 --> 01:26:29,517
In China, where most
of our clothes are produced

1654
01:26:29,518 --> 01:26:29,651
and where
a burgeoning population

1655
01:26:29,652 --> 01:26:34,388
is gaining a taste for fashion,

1656
01:26:34,389 --> 01:26:35,956
we are creating
another environmental crisis

1657
01:26:35,957 --> 01:26:38,392
for the planet.

1658
01:26:38,393 --> 01:26:41,195
But we can't blame one country.

1659
01:26:41,196 --> 01:26:42,596
We have to look globally

1660
01:26:42,597 --> 01:26:44,932
and realize that
by buying so much clothing

1661
01:26:44,933 --> 01:26:47,201
and treating it as disposable,

1662
01:26:47,202 --> 01:26:48,903
we are putting a huge weight
on the environment,

1663
01:26:48,904 --> 01:26:50,504
and it is simply unsustainable.

1664
01:26:50,505 --> 01:26:53,307
When the name of the game
is fast and cheap,

1665
01:26:55,844 --> 01:26:59,313
Is it any wonder that the costs
of protecting the environment

1666
01:26:59,314 --> 01:27:03,384
are often nowhere to be found

1667
01:27:03,385 --> 01:27:05,219
in the operating budgets
of companies

1668
01:27:05,220 --> 01:27:07,288
who supply our insatiable
appetite for fast fashion?

1669
01:27:07,289 --> 01:27:08,989
Critics of this trend agree
that something must be done.

1670
01:27:08,990 --> 01:27:11,392
The change will happen.

1671
01:27:11,393 --> 01:27:13,360
How quickly
is determined by the consumer.

1672
01:27:15,664 --> 01:27:16,931
Just choosing
to buy a responsible product

1673
01:27:16,932 --> 01:27:18,966
versus a conventional product,

1674
01:27:18,967 --> 01:27:22,870
you are going to make change.

1675
01:27:22,871 --> 01:27:25,873
But I think it's our job
as a brand,

1676
01:27:25,874 --> 01:27:27,975
and the community of designers
and brands that exist,

1677
01:27:27,976 --> 01:27:29,877
to help educate consumers.

1678
01:27:29,878 --> 01:27:32,446
I don't think
that any consumers, you know,

1679
01:27:32,447 --> 01:27:35,716
if they know about
what is going on in our rivers

1680
01:27:35,717 --> 01:27:37,885
and, I mean, all this impact
on the local communities,

1681
01:27:37,886 --> 01:27:41,288
sometimes they have
very serious health impacts,

1682
01:27:41,289 --> 01:27:45,893
I don't think they're going
to continue to be silent.

1683
01:27:45,894 --> 01:27:48,295
I think they will, you know,

1684
01:27:48,296 --> 01:27:50,831
I hope that they
can use their buying power

1685
01:27:50,832 --> 01:27:53,434
to try to influence...

1686
01:27:53,435 --> 01:27:55,369
influence the factories
and also especially the brands,

1687
01:27:55,370 --> 01:27:57,371
the brands, and through them
to try to push them,

1688
01:27:57,372 --> 01:27:59,607
pressure them,
to green their supply chain.

1689
01:27:59,608 --> 01:28:00,875
I think that's doable.

1690
01:28:00,876 --> 01:28:02,943
The only thing we would say,

1691
01:28:02,944 --> 01:28:04,512
just to get the historical record right,
we have never really gone after a company

1692
01:28:04,513 --> 01:28:07,281
before asking them politely

1693
01:28:07,282 --> 01:28:09,483
through reports,
through meetings, to change.

1694
01:28:09,484 --> 01:28:11,952
In those meetings, generally,
the CEOs would say, you know,

1695
01:28:11,953 --> 01:28:14,421
"Of course we agree with
what Greenpeace is saying,

1696
01:28:14,422 --> 01:28:16,290
we're working on it,

1697
01:28:16,291 --> 01:28:18,726
here's a thick plan

1698
01:28:18,727 --> 01:28:21,929
of our environmental sustainability
approach," and so on and so forth.

1699
01:28:21,930 --> 01:28:24,064
But then what we find

1700
01:28:24,065 --> 01:28:25,933
is once they get back into their day-to-day job,
they slip back into a "business as usual" approach.

1701
01:28:25,934 --> 01:28:30,971
There is no urgency.

1702
01:28:30,972 --> 01:28:34,642
If anything,
the best they are doing

1703
01:28:34,643 --> 01:28:36,410
are baby steps
in the right direction,

1704
01:28:36,411 --> 01:28:38,812
and we want them not to just
do symbolic greenwashing things,

1705
01:28:41,583 --> 01:28:44,351
We want them actually
to make the changes

1706
01:28:44,352 --> 01:28:47,354
that ultimately is going
to be good for the environment,

1707
01:28:47,355 --> 01:28:49,356
and good for
the long-term sustainability

1708
01:28:49,357 --> 01:28:51,358
of their businesses.

1709
01:28:51,359 --> 01:28:53,661
In 2025, the need of the water
for human will be double, but every day
we are killing the water

1710
01:28:53,662 --> 01:28:57,331
for stupid stuff
like a pair of blue jeans.

1711
01:28:57,332 --> 01:29:00,568
The future of the fashion
and textile industry

1712
01:29:00,569 --> 01:29:02,469
over the next
immediate few years,

1713
01:29:02,470 --> 01:29:06,941
will be looking at transparency,
traceability,

1714
01:29:10,478 --> 01:29:12,947
So, it all starts with a "t,"
easy to remember, you know,

1715
01:29:12,948 --> 01:29:16,383
let's do something about it
pretty quickly.

1716
01:29:20,388 --> 01:29:22,122
I think all corporations

1717
01:29:26,628 --> 01:29:29,697
Have to be accountable for their environmental practices, and no one, no one has a
right to damage or destroy a river, so I do think more within the textile sector

1718
01:29:29,698 --> 01:29:32,099
have to commit, truly commit,

1719
01:29:32,100 --> 01:29:34,001
to a fashion industry
without pollution.

1720
01:29:34,002 --> 01:29:37,137
I also think in the end
the consumer has a lot of power,

1721
01:29:37,138 --> 01:29:40,507
and if more and more of us
sought out clothing

1722
01:29:40,508 --> 01:29:43,544
that was made in an
environmentally friendly manner,

1723
01:29:43,545 --> 01:29:47,681
that would go a long way
to improve things as well.

1724
01:29:53,154 --> 01:29:54,822
[♪♪♪]