H&M urged to stop buying Uzbek cotton

Fashion retailer H&M has come under increasing pressure to break ties with clothing suppliers that buy cotton from Uzbekistan, where large quantities of the fibre are produced using forced and child labour, it is alleged.

UK human rights campaigners have launched a campaign calling on the Swedish retail giant to take concrete action to stop using cotton harvested by forced labour in Uzbekistan.

H&M, the world’s second-largest fashion retailer, is one of more than 100 companies that have signed a global pledge over the past year promising “not knowingly” to use Uzbek cotton in their clothing, but campaigners say they want it to do more.

For the full story, see the January 2013 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE