During the recent International Cotton and Textile Fair in Tashkent, not a single western buyer signed a contract for Uzbekistan’s cotton, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. This boycott demonstrates the strength of a pledge signed by more than 60 apparel manufacturers, brands and retailers to eliminate forced child labour in the cotton industry.

Jurewicz writes of the growing consumer demand for transparency:

Having buy-in throughout the entire global value chain, where all of the dots are connected, is essential. The time of transparency has come. Consumers and legislation are demanding it.

Consumers are demanding to know more about the goods they are purchasing and, thankfully, new technologies are being adopted to give this information to them right at the point of purchase.

US legislation is also starting to demand more transparency.

Read more here.

Have you been reading all the news about the Uzbek dictator’s daughter and how labour and human rights campaigners were able to convince the organizers of Fashion Week to cancel Gulnara Karimova’s fashion show?

This seemed like an impossibility at one time, as Karimova was here last year and backed by powerful Fashion Week sponsor Mercedes Benz. Yet the organizers responded to the pleas of the cotton campaign and disinvited this symbol of Uzbek repression.

There’s much more we need to do to raise awareness and get action to stop the sourcing of Uzbek cotton by Western companies that help prop up Uzbekistan’s dictatorship.

During Fashion Week (September 8-15), if you live in the New York area, you can take part in a picket in New York to urge the apparels industry to pledge to refrain from sourcing their cotton in Uzbekistan.

You can also call on Cipriani, the events space where Uzbek dictator’s daughter Gulnara Karimova is now rescheduling her disgraced fashion show, not to provide her a space either. (Cotton campaign protests have been successful in getting IMG, the organizers of Fashion Week, to cancel her show at Lincoln Center).

Already 60 brands and a major industry association have pledged not to source cotton in Uzbekistan as forced child labour is used there, thanks to the work of Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN). The International Labor Rights Forum (ILHR) has already successfully petitioned Gymborree, A Child’s Place and other companies recently who have responded to thousands of signatures and changed their policies.

Campaigners are looking for more signatures for new campaigns now addressing these brands:

o Forever 21

o Aeropostale

o Urban Outfitters

o Toys ‘R Us

If you’re a parent of children or teenagers like me, you know at this back-to-school time these are exactly the shops that your kids go to for clothes, accessories and toys. So sign the petition and tell your children that kids just their age are forced to miss school and work in the cotton fields. If you have a teen aged 13 or older, they can help raise awareness and sign these petitions as well at Change.org (you must be 13 or older to use this site) — it’s a great way to help young people understand the connected world they live in. High schools often ask students to find a community service project to work on — learning about forced child labour and signing these petitions to the companies where they shop could be just such a project.

More than 60 of the world’s best known apparel companies and brands as well as the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), which represents more than 800 brands, have signed a pledge not to knowingly source Uzbek cotton harvested using forced child labor.

These companies will maintain this pledge until the elimination of this practice is independently verified by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). RSN is coordinating the pledge, which is published on its website.

Company signatories include:

adidas Group (adidas, Reebok, Taylor-Made, adidas Golf); ANN INC. (Ann Taylor, LOFT); Brooks Sports, Inc.; Burberry; C&A; Carrefour; Carter’s (Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh); Columbia Sportswear Company; Eddie Bauer LLC; EILEEN FISHER; H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB; J.Crew; Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc.; Levi Strauss & Co.; Li & Fung Limited; Liz Claiborne Inc.; Macy’s Inc.; New Balance; Nordstrom Product Group; Peacocks Stores Ltd (Peacocks London, Pearl Lowe for Peacocks, By Design); PPR Group (Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, PUMA, Volcom, Redcats); PVH Corp.; Target Corporation; The TJX Companies, Inc.; The Jones Group; VF Corporation; Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (ASDA, Better Homes & Gardens Canopy, Faded Glory, George, Home Trends, Mainstays, No Boundaries, Puritan, Sam’s Club, White Stag, Your Zone); The Walt Disney Company.

The pledge builds on efforts begun in 2004 by a number of US, European, and Uzbek advocacy groups to stop the scourge of forced child labour in Uzbekistan.

“I commend these companies for making this public commitment and sending a message about sourcing all aspects of their products ethically,” stated Patricia Jurewicz, director of RSN. RSN, a project of As You Sow (www.asyousow.org) addresses human rights violations and environmental destruction in the supply chains of consumer products at the raw commodity level. RSN supports network participants in leveraging their influence to achieve measurable solutions in the areas of conflict minerals and child slave labor.

For more information, visit RSN’s website and contact:

Connie Connors, +1.212.219.9188, (m) +1.917.287.1710, connie@connors.com, Skype: connie.connors4

A statement released on July 19 by Carter’s (which also owns Osh Kosh B’Gosh),  notes that “because of the systemic, government-sanctioned use of forced child labor in the harvesting of cotton in Uzbekistan, Carter’s prohibits the use of any cotton from Uzbekistan in our products.”

The full statement is as follows:

Carter’s takes very seriously its social responsibility to ensure that the highest ethical standards are upheld throughout our supply chain.  While we recognize and respect the variety of cultural and legal environments in which our vendors operate, there are some standards, such as child and forced labor, on which Carter’s will not compromise.  To do business with us, our vendors must adhere to our Social Responsibility Policy, notwithstanding any local custom or law.

Because of the systemic, government-sanctioned use of forced child labor in the harvesting of cotton in Uzbekistan, Carter’s prohibits the use of any cotton from Uzbekistan in our products.  Historically, we advised our vendors of our prohibition against the use of Uzbek cotton and have required that they certify such non-use.  Going forward, we are taking steps to go more deeply into our supply chain to better ensure compliance.

Additionally, in an effort to persuade the government of Uzbekistan to end the practice of forced child labor, we have partnered with other international stakeholders and signed the Uzbekistan Cotton Pledge created by the Responsible Sourcing Network.  We are hopeful this broad coalition can help end the use of forced child labor in Uzbekistan.

Carter’s will continue to prohibit the use of Uzbek cotton in our supply chain until the government of Uzbekistan ends the practice of forced child labor and allows the independent verification by the International Labor Organization.

The change.org petition reached 845 signatures in about a month.

House of Lords. Photo by parliament.uk

The British House of Lords debated corporate governance this week, mentioning the issue of forced child labour in Uzbekistan in the cotton industry and a corporate pledge to oppose the practice .

Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN) has created a pledge to be signed by US and European companies and/or brands and retailers to publicly state a collective firm opposition against the use of forced child labour in Uzbekistan cotton.

The company pledge initiative was noted in a July 5 debate on corporate Anti-Slavery International reported. The House of Lords is the upper house of the parliament of the United Kingdom.

The debate highlights many of the crucial issues facing other legislatures around the world as they struggle to devise ways for corporations to become more ethical and accountable to universal human rights standards yet avoid excessive government regulation at a time when businesses are trying to create jobs in a global recession. Members of parliament are gaining a growing awareness of the need to better reporting on corporate practices and compliance with labor rights.

Baroness Young, Crossbench, Photo by parliament.uk

Baroness Young of Hornsey is among those taking the lead in the House of Lords on corporate accountability. As an arts consultant, she has worked with a number of cultural associations and museums. Currently, she is in the process of setting up an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ethical Fashion. She has worked with a number of NGOs concerned with ethical and sustainable fashion, including Made-By, the Centre for Sustainable Fashion and Cotton Made in Africa, and is also a patron Anti-Slavery International.

As Baroness Young noted:

Many of us balk at the idea of introducing more legislation and complex regulation, especially when some businesses are taking the initiative. For example, the Responsible Sourcing Network has created a pledge for US and European companies publicly to state their opposition to the use of forced child labour in the harvesting of Uzbeki cotton and to refuse to use it in their products. There must also be firm action from the EU, and from the Governments and importers in those countries that trade with Uzbekistan.

A necessary first step, such a pledge should ultimately be institutionalized:

Self-regulation and voluntary measures on their own are not always enough to secure the necessary support for the people and environments that are most vulnerable to exploitation. Reacting to stakeholder demands for greater transparency and responsibility, Governments in Europe and the US are legislating on corporate governance and accountability. In 2008, Denmark adopted an amendment to the Danish Financial Statements Act requiring large businesses and listed and state-owned companies to account in their annual reports for their work on CSR. Spain has made a similar move with the Sustainable Economy Act, which will come into force in March 2011.

The Company Pledge against Forced Child Labor in Uzbekistan Cotton states as follows:

We, the undersigned companies are working to ensure that forced child labor does not find its way into our products. We are aware of reports documenting the systemic use of forced child labor in the harvest of cotton in Uzbekistan. We are collaborating with a multi-stakeholder coalition to raise awareness of this very serious concern, and press for its elimination.

As a signatory to this pledge, we are stating our firm opposition to the use of forced child labor in the harvest of Uzbek cotton. We commit to not knowingly source Uzbek cotton for the manufacturing of any of our products until the Government of Uzbekistan ends the practice of forced child labor in its cotton sector. Until the elimination of this practice is independently verified by the International Labour Organisation, we will maintain this pledge.

After more than 360 people contacted The Children’s Place about its policies related to forced child labor in cotton from Uzbekistan, the company has confirmed that it instructs its suppliers not to use Uzbek cotton, joining scores of other companies who have made similar commitments, the International Labor Rights Forum reports.

Jane Singer, Vice President of Investor and Media Relations at The Children’s Place commented:

The Children’s Place commends the efforts to end forced child labor in Uzbekistan and will continue to do everything we can to support these efforts.

The International Labor Rights Forums has started a new petition to the clothing company Carter’s to get another brand to focus on removal of Uzbek cotton from their supply chain, as it is produced by forced child labor:

Carter’s has a policy against using child and forced labor, but it has not publicly addressed the unique state-sponsored practice of forced child labor in Uzbekistan nor has it provided any information about how it ensures that its suppliers do not use Uzbek cotton tainted by these egregious human rights abuses.

Your signature works! In the past, campaigns organized by the ILRF were effective in getting Abercrombie & Fitch, Gymborree and the Children’s Place to announce policies prohibitng the use of Uzbek cotton.

Add your signature now to send a message to Carter’s to uphold international labor rights!

Jane Singer, Vice President of Investor and Media Relations at The Children’s Place commented, “The Children’s Place commends the efforts to end forced child labor in Uzbekistan and will continue to do everything we can to support these efforts.”

We have a new action for people concerned about forced child labour in Uzbekistan, recently condemned at the International Labour Organisation annual conference.

The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) has posted a petition at change.org addressed to The Children’s Place, which has yet to catch up to its competitors in condemning Uzbekistan’s abusive practices:

The government of Uzbekistan continues to remove millions of children across the country from school and force them to pick cotton during the harvest season. While over 70 of the world’s largest apparel brands and retailers have developed policies related to Uzbek cotton, the Children’s Place, one of the biggest children’s clothing retailers in the country has remained silent. The Children’s Place has a policy against using child and forced labor, but it has not publicly addressed the unique state-sponsored practice of forced child labor in Uzbekistan nor has it provided any information about how it ensures that its suppliers do not use Uzbek cotton tainted by these egregious human rights abuses. So far, the Children’s Place has refused to support human rights and speak out against forced child labor in the cotton industry, unlike its top competitors like the Gap and Gymboree.

Petitions do work! The appeal to Gymboree, signed by thousands of concerned people, led to the company’s executives changing their minds and publishing a pledge to remove Uzbek cotton from their supply chain.

So please sign and make your voice heard!

Gymboree Corporate Website

Signing petitions works!

This just in from Change.org –

Children’s clothing manufacturer Gymboree is the latest company to take a stand against child labor by refusing to buy cotton from Uzbekistan. Their web announcement of the policy change comes after over 3,000 Change.org members sent in letters asking for the company to stop buying Uzbek cotton. This victory is part of an ongoing series of campaigns asking international clothing brands to stop buying cotton from Uzbekistan, where forced child labor is used to harvest the crop.

Thanks to International Labor Rights Forum for organizing the petition and to everybody who signed.

Gymboree has placed a statement on their corporate website:

“Gymboree prohibits the use of cotton sourced from Uzbekistan and textiles produced using Uzbekistan cotton because of Uzbekistan’s history of forced child labor.”

Duckboots back on the shopping list

Of all the companies named by the International Labor Rights Forum on this year’s Sweatshop Hall of Shame for the use of Uzbek cotton, LL Bean was the fastest to respond, and vowed to (eventually) exclude it from their supply chain.  Let’s hope their follow through is as exhaustive as their initial response was rapid.

Read more on the ILRF blog here.  If you buy LL Bean products, take time to let their corporate office know that this is important to you.

Fergana.ru published the list (see it reproduced below) of those attending the conference. It is an interesting document for many reasons, a few of which are highlighted here:

• First, it gives manufacturers and retailers some hard data to aid the process of tracing potential Uzbek cotton in their supply chains, a process which is ongoing;
• Secondly, it underlines the degree to which large Western commodities firms (Paul Reinhart, Louis Dreyfus, Cargill among others) continue to feel immune from any kind of shame in profiting from the misery and exploitation of children, four years after the International Crisis Group brought it to their direct attention, and in the face of a mountain of evidence in the intervening years.  Among the newer intermediaries, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre was well represented, too.  Last year it was reported to have sold 200,000 tons of Uzbek cotton, a fairly big chunk of the harvest;
• Thirdly, it sheds a tiny sliver of light on the actors who may be financing/insuring these transactions, and therefore also partaking in the wealth created by child exploitation.  AIG Insurance and the Royal Bank of Scotland should explain their presence at the fair in this regard;
• Lastly, it indicates the increasingly heavy presence of spinners and textile manufacturers, especially from Turkey, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who may be obtaining the cotton directly.

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