Xinjiang province in China has come under fire due to heavy violations of basic human rights that include forced labor, human imprisonment of Uyghur Muslims in detention camps where the minority group is forced into working in the textile factories and on cotton picking farms as well. 20% of the world’s cotton production happens in the Xinjiang province.
Marks & Spencer has officially signed the Call to Action: “Brand Commitment to Exit the Uyghur Region” on human rights abuses happening to the Uyghur Muslims and have been amongst the first few brands to do so. They do not source their cotton from the Xinjiang region but has signed the Call to Action to help play its part in driving meaningful change at scale. Labor unions and different alliances human rights organizations have set up this call to action to end the barbarity for the ethnic Muslim minority.
Richard Price, M&S Clothing & Home MD said: “At M&S, sourcing ethically and sustainably is core to how we do business and the promise we make to our customers, that’s why we do not source cotton from Xinjiang. 100% of the cotton in our clothing is more sustainably sourced – from the Better Cotton Initiative material used in our Good Move gym leggings, to the organic cotton in our baby clothes. When it comes to sustainable and ethical clothing, we can only achieve real change at scale by working with others, which is why we are proud to be formally supporting the coalition and providing additional assurance to our customers they can purchase from M&S with confidence.”
