Fast fashion giants accused of using ‘Dirty Cotton’.
A report by Earthsight, a UK-based environmental NGO, accuses major clothing brands H&M and Zara of using ‘tainted cotton’ in their products. This cotton is linked to illegal deforestation, land grabbing, and violence in Brazil's Cerrado savanna. The illegal activities have severely impacted indigenous communities who rely on the Cerrado for their survival.
The ‘tainted cotton’ refers to cotton grown on farms that use environmentally destructive practices. This includes clearing land through illegal deforestation, taking over indigenous territory (land grabbing), and violence against local communities. The destruction of the Cerrado savanna threatens biodiversity and reduces the planet's ability to store carbon, accelerating climate change.
Brands under fire
The report primarily focuses on H&M and Zara, but the issue likely extends to other brands that source cotton from Brazil. Even though H&M and Zara have not yet publicly commented on the report, Better Cotton, a leading cotton certification body, certified the cotton as sustainable despite the evidence. Better Cotton, meanwhile deemed the tainted cotton ‘sustainable’, has updated its standards. This raises questions about the effectiveness of such certifications. Earthsight argues these updates have loopholes, allowing cotton grown on illegally cleared land before 2020 to be labelled as sustainable.
Possible actions
Earthsight calls for stricter regulations from consumer countries to address crimes linked to imported commodities. Better Cotton is conducting audits of the Brazilian farms in question, with potential license cancellations for non-compliance. Inditex has demanded more transparency from Better Cotton. Consumers can make a difference by seeking out sustainable, long-lasting clothing and avoiding fast fashion brands.
Regulation: Earthsight argues consumer choices aren't enough. Lawmakers need to implement stricter regulations to hold companies accountable for their supply chains.
Review of certification practices: The oversight by Better Cotton highlights the need for stricter certification processes to ensure they truly reflect sustainable practices.
Consumer awareness: Consumers can choose to support sustainable clothing brands and avoid fast fashion to put pressure on the industry.
The bottomline is while some progress is being made, stricter regulations and consumer pressure are needed for a systemic change in the fast fashion industry.
