BRITISH online fashion retailer Boohoo will grow its own sustainable cotton in Pakistan amid growing concerns about the mass production of the raw material in Xinjiang, China.
Boohoo chief executive John Lyttle said the company has planted its own cotton in Pakistan and plans to harvest it in the first half of 2022.
The first harvest will yield about 2,000 tonne that will go into Boohoo’s supply chain to create “millions” of garments for its leisurewear and denim ranges, The Telegraph reported.
The move is aimed at ensuring “complete traceability” on the source of its raw material, the retailer said.
The initiative comes in the wake of widespread reports of human rights violations in the Xinjiang region of north-west China affecting Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities over many years.
Boohoo denied using products made with forced labour in the region following an investigation by the business, energy and industrial strategy committee.
The company said it did “not knowingly source any yarn or fabric” from the region, as MPs questioned auditing processes at the business following a row over working conditions at its Leicester supply chain.
An investigation last July revealed that workers packing clothes for Boohoo at Leicester factories were being paid below the minimum wage and operating in unsafe conditions.
Boohoo plans to publish a list of its global suppliers in September.
Bobby Bawa