Boohoo, a British online fashion store, is planning to cultivate its own sustainable cotton in Pakistan, despite rising worries over the raw material’s mass manufacturing in Xinjiang, China.
Boohoo CEO John Lyttle revealed that the firm has grown its own cotton in Pakistan, which it hopes to harvest in the first half of 2022.
According to The Telegraph, the first harvest will generate roughly 2,000 tonnes, which will be used in Boohoo’s supply chain to create “millions” of clothes for its leisurewear and denim lines. The measure is intended to provide “full traceability” of the retailer’s raw material source, according to the retailer.
The move comes in the aftermath of significant claims of human rights violations against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China for many years.
Following an examination by the business, energy, and industrial strategy committee, Boohoo denied utilising products created using forced labour in the region.
Following an examination by the business, energy, and industrial strategy committee, Boohoo denied utilising products created using forced labour in the region.
As MPs questioned the company’s auditing systems following a scandal over working conditions at its Leicester supply chain, the company stated it “did not knowingly obtain any yarn or fabric” from the region.
An investigation conducted last July revealed that workers packing items for Boohoo in Leicester factories were paid less than the minimum wage and worked in hazardous conditions. Boohoo intends to publish a list of its global suppliers in September.
