Luxury-label fashions are synonymous with opulence and grandeur. But away from the clamor of the Paris runway, the fashion industry is notorious for being an environmental buzzkill—polluting waterways, promoting deforestation and supplying tons of landfill waste.

That’s why Greenpeace Italy has “thrown down the gauntlet” by challenging 15 French and Italian brands with a “Fashion Duel.” The organization looked at whether or not these brands are responsibly sourcing leather and paper packing; two commodities identified as drivers of deforestation. The survey also included criteria on the use of hazardous chemicals, an ongoing problem in textile manufacturing.

“Large companies have the power and reach to change policies that will create real change on the ground,” says Chiara Campione, the Forests Campaign Coordinator at Greenpeace Italy. “Fashion brands are beginning to realize that they have to provide both value, quality, style and function—but also ‘values’: producing fashion responsibly.”

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