With the middle of the holiday season approaching and shoppers eager to take advantage of early promotions from retailers, more than half of consumers have started making dents in their holiday gift lists, according to the annual mid-season survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

Almost everyone comes in contact with some sort of textile, fabric or footwear, and these products often use chemicals during the manufacturing process - to achieve a function like water-repellency, adding texture or color. The wide use of chemicals, the large quantity of water and the presence of hazardous chemicals in the wastewater are some of reasons for the apparel and footwear sector to be regarded as one of the most environmentally polluting industries in the world, according to health and safety groups, as well as dangerous for workers and consumers.

HanesBrands received a B score on the CDP's 2016 climate change report - better performance than the apparel industry average, according to CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project.