Tesco bans Uzbekistan cotton
Tesco has written to cotton suppliers in Uzbekistan explaining that it will no longer be sourcing cotton from the country. The letter claims that many factories use child labour and says that: "The use of organised and forced child labour is completely unacceptable and leads us to conclude that whilst these practices persist in Uzbekistan that we cannot support the use of cotton from Uzbekistan in our textiles." It says that "worker welfare is of paramount importance" to the company. Uzbekistan is reportedly the world's third largest cotton exporter.
The Environmental Justice Foundation, which conducted a three-year investigation into the country's textile industry has congratulated Tesco's decision. “This ground-breaking move by Tesco – unprecedented from a major UK retailer – has the potential to change a multi-billion dollar industry," says Steve Trent, executive director of EJF.
