Quattro modelli di scarpe di Bata sono stati ritirati perché ritenuti tossici. Greenpeace ed altre associazioni ambientaliste da mesi stanno ribadendo il concetto che molte case di moda mondiali, anche quelle considerate più chic, utilizzano metodi poco sicuri per l’ambiente e per la salute umana per produrre scarpe, jeans ed altri prodotti. Tra questi colossi gli era sfuggita Bata, ma ci ha pensato Human Right Watch (HRW) a lanciare l’allarme.
La scelta di ritirare le scarpe dal mercato però Bata l’ha presa volontariamente perché nessuna legge le impediva di continuare a venderle. Il problema deriva dal cromo 6, o cromo esavalente, una sostanza utilizzata normalmente per conciare le pelli. La sua presenza eccessiva è stata rilevata in due laboratori, uno a Como ed uno in Svizzera, ed anche se le leggi europee non stabiliscono un tetto massimo per il cromo nelle scarpe comuni, la soglia raggiunta è stata considerata pericolosa dai tecnici stessi di Bata che hanno deciso di ritirarla dal mercato.
Attualmente infatti esistono solo due limiti imposti dall’Unione Europea e sono entrambi di 10 milligrammi di cromo 6 per kg, il quale è stabilito obbligatoriamente solo nelle calzature ad uso professionale, mentre è volontario per la ricezione del marchio Ecolabel. Purtroppo la legge rimane vaga in quanto permette di superare tale soglia. Per vendere le scarpe non è obbligatorio ottenere il marchio Ecolabel, e quindi teoricamente la presenza di questa sostanza tossica può essere anche molto più elevata.
Qualche sospetto comunque era stato lanciato da Human Right Watch che qualche mese fa aveva denunciato alcuni problemi di salute tra i lavoratori che producevano le scarpe di Bata a Dacca, in Bangladesh. Molti di essi, compresi alcuni bambini di soli 11 anni, hanno manifestato malattie collegate all’esposizione a sostanze tossiche, e da lì sono scattati i controlli e si è deciso per il ritiro delle calzature. Per i comuni clienti che utilizzano le scarpe invece, spiega Giovanni D’Agata, fondatore dello “Sportello dei Diritti”, il rischio derivava dal contatto della pelle sudata del piede con questa sostanza che, a lungo andare, può rivelarsi cangerogena.
Photo Credits | Getty Images
Chris Mann 27 Febbraio 2013 il 6:42 pm
Bata is committed to the highest standards for qualitative manufacturing processes and requires from its suppliers to comply with the strict REACH specifications, the European Community Regulation for chemicals. Further more, the Bata Environment, Health & Safety Specifications Policy sets standards within the footwear industry with a maximum of 3mg/kg for chromium VI. The European Union itself does not specify in general a maximum amount for chromium VI in footwear.
All Bata suppliers must sign a so-called Certificate of Responsibility confirming that the production is compliant with the REACH specifications and the even stricter Bata policy. Samples of each product are systematically tested before the production leaves the factory to certify the compliance. Any supplier who breaches the legal and internal requirements will be banned from the supplier database.
The recent cases have been proven to be two individual cases. One shoe was suspected to contain an amount of 14.7mg/kg of chromium VI. Another shoe was suspected to contain an amount of 6.9mg/kg. Further investigation revealed that other production series of the same articles are compliant with the REACH Regulation and the even stricter Bata policy. External laboratory testing could not find traces of chromium VI respectively not above 2mg/kg. A contamination of the suspected shoes with chromium VI could have occurred during the leather or shoe manufacturing process or storage. The suspected articles were manufactured in Bulgaria, China and Italy; not in Bangladesh. The information that Human Rights Watch reported about health issues in Dhaka in connection with the production of Bata shoes is not correct.
Bata strives to identify and utilize processes, materials and products that cause the least harm to the environment and to the people. For any further information, please refer to bata.com
Chris Mann 27 Febbraio 2013 il 6:43 pm
Bata is committed to the highest standards for qualitative manufacturing processes and requires from its suppliers to comply with the strict REACH specifications, the European Community Regulation for chemicals. Further more, the Bata Environment, Health & Safety Specifications Policy sets standards within the footwear industry with a maximum of 3mg/kg for chromium VI. The European Union itself does not specify in general a maximum amount for chromium VI in footwear.
All Bata suppliers must sign a so-called Certificate of Responsibility confirming that the production is compliant with the REACH specifications and the even stricter Bata policy. Samples of each product are systematically tested before the production leaves the factory to certify the compliance. Any supplier who breaches the legal and internal requirements will be banned from the supplier database.
The recent cases have been proven to be two individual cases. One shoe was suspected to contain an amount of 14.7mg/kg of chromium VI. Another shoe was suspected to contain an amount of 6.9mg/kg. Further investigation revealed that other production series of the same articles are compliant with the REACH Regulation and the even stricter Bata policy. External laboratory testing could not find traces of chromium VI respectively not above 2mg/kg. A contamination of the suspected shoes with chromium VI could have occurred during the leather or shoe manufacturing process or storage. The suspected articles were manufactured in Bulgaria, China and Italy; not in Bangladesh. The information that Human Rights Watch reported about health issues in Dhaka in connection with the production of Bata shoes is not correct.
Bata strives to identify and utilize processes, materials and products that cause the least harm to the environment and to the people. For any further information, please refer to bata.com
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