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.

Thinking about 2009, it might be possible to conclude simply “more of the same.”  But what stands out is how successful the Uzbek government’s strategy has been, of stepping up repression at home, and obfuscation abroad.

Despite clear evidence of abusive practices, they seem to have sold their entire harvest, quite a bit of which ends up in clothes sold in the West.  From the report:

In October 2009, just as hundreds of thousands of children and adults were compelled by the State to hand pick cotton, the Uzbek Government announced contracts to sell 1 million tonnes of cotton to buyers mainly from Bangladesh, Iran, China, South Korea, Moldova, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey and Japan76. Bangladesh is the destination of a large proportion of Uzbekistan’s raw cotton: the ready-made garment industry manufactures it into clothes, of which 61% are exported to the European Union77. There is therefore a good chance that a proportion of the cotton in goods where the country of origin is unknown, is from Uzbekistan.

While over 25 companies have committed to boycotting the use of Uzbek

cotton until the government ends its abusive labor practices, there are still

many companies that haven’t stepped up to the plate. Gymboree, Hanes,

2

and LL Bean have been contacted and yet they refuse to concretely address this pervasive

problem.

While over 25 companies have committed to boycotting the use of Uzbek cotton until the government ends its abusive labor practices, there are still many companies that haven’t stepped up to the plate.  Gymboree, Hanes and LL Bean have all been contacted, and yet they refuse to concretely address this pervasive problem.

My holiday shopping list sure has changed, and I hope many other consumers will do the same.

When I emailed H&M seeking its comment on my investigation that revealed two H&M suppliers in Bangladesh are using fabric made of Uzbek cotton in their productions, H&M emailed back: “We do not demand that our suppliers in Bangladesh keep us informed about the source of fabric or yarn. We can not exclude the possibility that some of the suppliers you have been in contact with could supply fabric or yarn for H&M products.”

Another major European company that does not publicly boycott Uzbek cotton is Inditex. As my investigation found that two Inditex brands – Zara and Bershka – are directly sourcing their garments from a supplier in Bangladesh who imports 45%-50% of its cotton from Uzbekistan, I asked Inditex for its comments on specific findings of my investigation. However, Inditex chose not to comment on those specific inquiries.

But the cotton can be traced, and is being traced by retailers who care enough to do it:

Juliette Williams [of the Environmental Justice Foundation] refuted the claim saying, “Identifying the source of cotton used by major brands and all the steps along the supply chain is possible. It can be done and has been done. No one thinks that tracing cotton is simple. But, it is certainly not impossible. Look at companies like Tesco and Wal-Mart, which have made a public commitment to avoid Uzbek cotton. The fact that cotton at its various stages of production and processing is traded internationally is important, as there is always paperwork that enables transit through customs. In short, we know that at every stage somebody knows where the cotton is coming from. Companies need to spend some effort, ask the right questions and let their suppliers know what is required, or, in the case of Uzbek cotton, what they want to avoid. They do it for quality reasons, why not for ethical reasons too?”

Read the entire article here: http://www.independentworldreport.com/2009/09/blood-cotton/