Xintang

With just a few clicks on Google Maps, anyone can call up a satellite image of blue dye and other chemicals washing downriver from textile mills in Xintang, China, the world capital of blue jeans production. But U.S. shoppers in a typical department store encounter no obvious connection between those dye plumes — or any other environmental impact — and their favorite pair of jeans. In many cases, the company whose name appears on the label is only marginally better informed. But a new and prominent assemblage of retailers, clothing manufacturers, environmental groups and academics plans to change that.