H&M under pressure over Uzbek cotton

Swedish fashion retailer H&M is facing pressure from UK rights activists to stop using cotton harvested by forced labour in Uzbekistan.

The company last year signed a global pledge promising to “not knowingly” use Uzbek cotton, but is now being urged to sever links with suppliers buying cotton from Uzbekistan, where large quantities are allegedly harvested using child labour.

In 2008, Uzbekistan banned child labour in its cotton fields after pressure from US and EU importers. H&M is one of several high street names that will be targeted by Anti-Slavery International's cotton campaign, which calls on well-known brands to refuse to use Uzbek-sourced cotton.

Planet Retail