Over 100 companies boycotting Uzbek cotton.

	Human rights activists thank Zara for its position

02.11.12 07:53

Over 100 companies boycotting Uzbek cotton

A non-profit organisation, Responsible Sourcing Network, announced today that over 100 well-known world brands and companies had refused to use Uzbek cotton.

A famous apparel manufacturer, the Spanish brand Zara, has become one of the companies that recently refused to use Uzbek cotton because of forced labour of millions of children.

Thus, the number of companies that have boycotted the “white gold” from Uzbekistan has reached the record-breaking figure of 100, and even exceeded it, the Responsible Sourcing Network reported.

The organisation’s list includes 108 companies, among them manufacturers of apparel and accessories such as H&M, Gap, Walmart, as well as de luxe brands like Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.

In the US, the boycott was supported by the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), which represents over 75% of the manufacturers in this sector.

The Responsible Sourcing Network called on all of the world’s apparel manufacturers to condemn modern slavery in Uzbekistan where millions of children and adults are sent to cotton fields by the government’s order.

“This call had an unprecedented response on the part of the American and European companies, fashion houses and designers,” a Responsible Sourcing Network representative wrote.

The NGO intends to continue its campaign against the distribution of Uzbek cotton in the world until the International Labour Organisation (ILO) confirms that the country quit the slavery of children and adults in cotton fields.

Uznews.net

 

http://www.uznews.net/news_single.php?lng=en&sub=top&cid=31&nid=21179