As per a report by Changing Markets published jointly with the Clean Clothes Campaign, Ethical Consumer, WeMove.EU and Fashion Revolution, global luxury brands are dragging their feet on making viscose less toxic.

The report evaluated 100 brands and retailers for their commitments and progress on cleaner production of viscose and other man-made cellulosic materials like modal and rayon, which have been associated with toxic chemical pollution as well as deforestation. The results show while there is more attention on viscose compared to a few years ago, there is still much work to do.

Versace, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Giorgio Armani, as well as most of the US brands, including Michael Kors, Nike and Forever 21, ranked lowest — indicating a lack of any credible viscose-specific policy for safer chemical management or transparency of any kind, according to Changing Markets.

The worst-ranked companies have no meaningful policy on viscose and disclose nothing about their supply chain, said Urška Trunk, Changing Markets campaign manager. On the other hand, top-ranking companies, including Levi Strauss & Co, Reformation, Esprit, H&M, Inditex and M&S, have concrete commitments to clean up their viscose supply chains by 2025.