BENTONVILLE – [09.30.08] US retail giant Wal-Mart has instructed
its global supply base to cease sourcing cotton and cotton materials from
Uzbekistan in an effort to persuade the Uzbek government to end the use of
forced child labor in cotton harvesting.
The move follows on from a move at the beginning of this year by
UK retailer Tesco which also urged its suppliers to stop using cotton from the
former Soviet Republic. See related story HERE.
The action by Wal-Mart follows months of work with industry
trade associations, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and
socially responsible investment groups to form a common position in condemning
the Uzbek government‘s practices.
"We have formed an unprecedented coalition, representing
90% of the U.S. purchases of cotton and cotton-based merchandise, to bring these
appalling child labor conditions to an end," said Rajan Kamalanathan,
vice president of ethical standards. "There is no tolerance for forced
child labor in the Wal-Mart supply chain."
The Environmental Justice Foundation is one such organization
that has run a long, effective campaign against the cotton industry in
Uzbekistan and published the land-mark document ‘White Gold – the true cost of Cotton’, which
dealt with this issue.
With Wal-Mart‘s active participation, four industry trade
groups, the American Association of Footwear and Apparel, Retail Industry
Leaders Association, National Retail Federation, and the United States
Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel sent a joint letter to the
Embassy of Uzbekistan on Aug. 18, 2008, demanding an immediate end to the use
of forced child labor in cotton harvesting. In response, the Uzbek
government issued on Sept. 12, 2008 a National Action Plan which details steps
to eradicate the use of child labor. The Government has set out a working
group to monitor practice against the new minimum age of 16.
Once these steps can be independently verified, Wal-Mart says it will modify the direction to its suppliers.
Copyright © 2008 Mowbray Communications
Ltd
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