‘DIRTY COTTON SCOUNDRELS’
» Brands may use material tainted by Amazon destruction Fears affected clothes being sold here after probe
TOP fashion brands Zara and H&M have been linked to illegal deforestation, land grabbing and violence in an area of Brazil “plundered” to grow cotton.
It follows a year-long investigation by the NGO Earthsight in which they tracked 816,000 tonnes of the “tainted” cotton to Asian firms making jeans, hoodies, shorts and socks being sold in Ireland.
But the crops used to make them come at a major cost to Brazil’s second largest biome, the Cerrado, and traditional communities forced off the land through violent attacks, shootings, intimidation and cattle theft.
Earthsight says around half the Cerrado, home to 5% of Earth’s species including giant anteaters, jaguars and tapir, has been “destroyed by the greed of agribusinesses” which have helped make Brazil the world’s second largest cotton exporter.
While it spared the Amazon rainforest further destruction, it has come at a huge cost to communities facing land grabs, unsustainable water extraction and pesticide contamination as well as the 20% of Cerrado species now facing extinction as a result.
Earthsight says the “stained” cotton at the heart of the international fashion scandal was certified “sustainable” by Better Cotton, which is used to make most Zara and H&M products despite past allegations of greenwashing, secrecy and human rights failures.
Director Sam Lawson added: “These firms talk about good practice, social responsibility and certification schemes, they claim to invest in traceability and sustainability, but all this now looks about as fake as their high street window arrangements.
“It has become very clear that ... the commodities we consume have to be addressed through regulation, not consumer choices. That means lawmakers in consumer countries should put in place strong laws with tough enforcement.
“In the meantime, shoppers should think twice before buying their next piece of cotton clothing.”
Results of the investigation, which involved analysing satellite images, court rulings, shipment records and going undercover at global trade shows to trace cotton from Brazil’s most notorious estates, were sent to Zara, H&M and Better Cotton as well as the Brazilian firms and Asian manufacturers involved.
Better Cotton told Earthsight it “will contract an independent auditor to run enhanced verification visits focusing on areas of risk highlighted” before considering next steps.
Zara owners Inditex told us: “We take the allegations against Better Cotton extremely seriously and we urge them to share the outcome of their third-party investigation as soon as possible and take any necessary measures to ensure a sustainable cotton certification that upholds the highest standards.”
H&M said: “The findings are highly concerning and we take these very seriously. Better Cotton initiated a third-party investigation as soon as the findings were brought to their attention.
“We are in close dialogue with Better Cotton to follow the result of the investigation and the next steps that will be taken.”
Earthsight has called on EU and UK lawmakers to revise proposed laws around commodities causing deforestation to include cotton “without delay”.
Think twice before buying next piece of cotton
SAM LAWSON EARTHSIGHT DIRECTOR