Photo by Volker Corell.
TEXTILE
Tracing the Supply Chain of Cotton
Apparel companies are taking a closer look at their offshore manufacturing facilities in the wake of the recent building collapse and fires at Bangladesh garment factories.
A report released at the National Retail Federation’s Global Supply Chain Summit, held last month in Dallas, outlines guidelines for tracing the cotton supply chain all the way back to the farm.
The report, “To the Spinner: Forging a Chain to Responsible Sourcing,” created by the Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN), was issued to help companies identify the origin of the cotton in their products. In particular, the report concerns forced adult and child labor in cotton-producing countries such as Uzbekistan.
According to the RSN, each year “the Uzbekistan government orders over 1 million children and adults to labor in the country’s cotton fields for three months, providing them little to no reimbursement for their work.”
In its effort to put an end to labor exploitation in cotton production, RSN enlisted the support of more than 130 apparel brands and retailers that are committed to banning Uzbek cotton and ensure its yarn and textile suppliers are meeting the same standards.
RSN’s “Company Pledge Against Forced Child and Adult Labor in Uzbek Cotton” includes more than 130 international brands, including Zara, Gucci and Gap Inc.
RSN is part of As You Sow (AYS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending human-rights violations in association with raw materials found in products. As a contingent of AYS, RSN is dedicated to bringing a community together—including investors, apparel companies and human-rights activists—to create awareness around cotton-labor exploits and a conflict in mineral mined in the Congo.
For more information, visit www.sourcingnetwork.org/mission.
