M&S backs call to action on Xinjiang cotton
Clothing retail group Marks & Spencer (M&S) has formally signed a “call to action” that asks brands and retailers not to use cotton fabric or yarn from Xinjiang in China.
A coalition of groups, including the Ethical Trading Initiative, launched the call to action towards the end of 2020; M&S has become one of the first companies formally to sign the commitment.
M&S said it already had a policy in place to source no cotton from Xinjiang, but it said supporting the call to action was in line with the company’s long-term focus on “ensuring its supply chains are sustainable and ethical, with workers treated fairly and their human rights are respected”.
Its managing director for clothing, Richard Price, said: “We do not source cotton from Xinjiang; 100% of the cotton for our clothing is more sustainably sourced, from the organic cotton in our baby clothes to our Good Move gym leggings using cotton sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative.”
He said the company had decided to give formal backing to the call to action because “we can only achieve real change at scale by working with others”.
