Human Rights & The Global Cotton Industry

By Meg Groom
October 2020

Natural, plastic-free clothing is often marketed as more sustainable than those made of synthetic fibres, like polyester, acrylic and nylon. Natural fibres include cotton, wool and hemp. Cotton is already the second most in demand fibre after polyester. Is it sustainable?

 Are we scapegoating plastics?

Clothes shed very small fibres when we wear and wash them. These fibres are now found almost everywhere on Earth, entering aquatic environments and suspended in the air. Research has primarily focused on the impact of synthetic microfibres. However, natural fibres have in fact been found in comparable or greater concentrations to synthetics. Natural fibres not only breakdown differently to synthetic fibres, but likely also absorb and release chemical pollutants differently.

Scientists have raised concerns about the prevalence of natural fibres in our environment, due to the lack of research into the environmental consequences. Therefore, buying clothes made from natural fibres, to avoid the environmental consequences of synthetic fibres, is not necessarily a good solution. Generally, older clothes shed less fibres than new clothes so we can prolong the life of garments through gentle washing and mending them, to reduce the volume of new fibres entering the environment.

Forced Labour

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Looking at the production of cotton clothes, the industry is marred with forced labour. Every year the citizens of Uzbekistan are forced into the cotton fields, against their will. Teachers, doctors and students are included in this forced labour. Whilst action has been taken by the Uzbekistan government, the Uzbeck Forum for Human Rights reports that there was still significant evidence of forced labour in 2019. Uzbekistan was the 5th biggest cotton exporter in the world during 2019. Almost 20% of the world’s cotton is grown in the Uyghur region of China, where the Chinese government are currently committing human rights atrocities against at least 1 million Uyghur and other Turkic and Muslim-majority people. Atrocities include forced labour, torture and forced sterilisation. Yarn, textile and clothing is also made in the Uyghur region. Globally, 1 in 5 cotton garments are tainted by forced labour.

 Investors and brands have a legal commitment to ensure forced labour isn’t present within their supply chains. This is done through more transparent supply chains and better independent monitoring. 305 US and European brands have signed the Uzbek Cotton Pledge, committing to not knowingly using Uzbek cotton until the practice of force labour had ended. The Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region is calling on brands to sign a similar commitment. The Uzbeck government continues to make progress, with the support of organisation like the Cotton Coalition, on making policies which address the drivers of forced labour. The Chinese government continues to incarcerate Uyghurs.

Water Scarcity & Pollution

The growing of cotton also has significant environmental impacts. Cotton is a water intensive crop, and conventional growing methods use large quantities of pesticides. Growing of the crop accounts for 69% of the water footprint of textile fibre production.

A powerful case study is the Aral Sea, part of which is in Uzbekistan, and was once the fourth largest lake in the world. The rivers which supplied the lake were used to irrigate the surrounding land, mainly to grown cotton. As a consequence, the Aral Sea was starved of freshwater and began to shrink. It became increasingly salty and its biodiversity collapsed. As the lakebed was exposed, dust contaminated by fertilisers and pesticides used in cotton production became airborne.  There has been an increase in respiratory diseases in the surrounding areas, and crop fields are contaminated by the dust. Conventional methods for growing cotton are contributing to biodiversity loss, water scarcity, soil erosion and pollution.

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Cotton & Regenerative Agriculture

An estimated 50-70% soil organic carbon has been lost through conventional methods of cotton farming; more sustainable agricultural practices must be used. Organic cotton reduces and restricts the pesticides and fertilisers used, focusing on improving soil health. Whilst some studies show that organic agriculture cannot be a blanket solution, it is an improvement.

Regenerative agriculture aims to sequester carbon by focusing on soil health and ensure social prosperity for farmers, including a living wage. However, unlike organic, the term ‘regenerative agriculture’ is not yet officially protected and is therefore more vulnerable to greenwashing. Moving away from conventional cotton production, to more sustainable agricultural practices, can protect biodiversity and improve soil health.

A Call To Action

These issues are not unique to cotton so we shouldn’t boycott it, but we can make sure that we make informed decisions about the future clothes we buy. As individuals, we can reduce our consumption of new clothes by cherishing what we already have and- if an available option to us- buying second hand. We can, as individuals or by supporting organisations, put pressure on governments and brands to better protect the environment and workers.

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