Summertime, but the living ain't easy

Chances are, at least half of your clothes are made from it. You probably sleep under it at night. Your sofa and soft furnishings are likely to have it in them too.

It's the largest non-food crop in the world, with over 24.3 million tonnes consumed ever year.

It's also the largest employer in the world. From farms to fashion outlets, it's estimated that one billion people are involved in some form or other in growing, processing or selling it.

It's difficult to think of a world without it.

But although cotton is of such huge importance to us all, both as workers and consumers, it is one of the most exploitative industries.

For a start, because cotton requires long, sunny growing seasons, most of it is produced in hot countries, where water is scarce. Cotton workers toil in temperatures of more than 40 degrees, often with little or no available drinking water.

Then there are the obvious hazards of working with large, dangerous machinery such as cotton bailers, which can easily rip off an arm if not guarded properly, as well as less visible health and safety issues.

These include back injuries resulting from endless repetition of the same task, lung diseases from invisible dust particles, and reproductive problems and organ damage that derive from inadequate protection from pesticides.

Cotton workers labour for long hours and are paid poverty wages. In many countries they are out in the field as long as there is daylight - often 12 hours or more - for seven days a week, receiving wages as paltry in some cases as US$9 per month.

Child labour and forced labour is also known to be prevalent in several cotton producing countries, including India as well as the Central Asian Republics of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan: Child labour, sanctioned by the state

In Uzbekistan, child labour is even sanctioned by the state. Tens of thousands of Uzbekistan children, some as young as seven, are conscripted by the Government to harvest cotton every year.

Civil servants, including teachers and doctors, are also forced to leave their jobs to work on the fields, with no compensation, leaving schools and hospitals empty.

Isolating Uzbekistan

ETI has written twice to the Uzbek High Commission, in May 2008 and again in March 2009, on behalf of all ETI members, to call on the Uzbek government to implement a meaningful ban of child labour and forced labour and to work with international organisations including the ILO to seek independent verification that such measures are effective.

As well as making direct representations to the Uzbek government, ETI has helped mobilise and co-ordinate our members' activities as part of a broader international alliance lead by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).

ETI member companies including Tesco and Marks & Spencer have instructed their suppliers not to source cotton from Uzbekistan. Many are now investing in processes to map the integrity of cotton sourcing to monitor this policy.

A shift in policy?

In 2009 there appeared to be a shift in the Uzbekistan regime's willingness to adopt labour standards as a result of this international pressure. In May 2009, the Uzbekistan government signed International Labour Organisation conventions that commit the country to stop using child labour in its state-sponsored industry, ratifying Convention 138 on the minimum age into employment and Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labour.

While the Uzbek government's commitment to implementing these laws remains to be seen, this is an encouraging sign that lobbying may be beginning to have an effect.

We urge all companies who have not already done so to follow the lead of Tesco, Marks & Spencer and others and introduce a ban on cotton from Uzbekistan.

Raising standards across the wider cotton industry

While the situation in Uzbekistan is particularly grave, there is also a need for urgent action to improve the lot of over 250 million workers worldwide who depend on the cotton industry for their livelihoods.

In May 2009, we hosted a meeting jointly organised by the US-based organisation As You Sow, Tesco and the Environmental Justice Foundation to raise awareness of issues in cotton production globally, and to hear from Tesco about the progress it is making in piloting a new tool that enables retailers to trace cotton supply back to the country of origin.

We are continuing to help maintain momentum that is developing on this issue. A key goal for us is to facilitate closer dialogue among all the key players in the industry, from retailers right down to the farmers.

Organisations working on cotton

Better Cotton Initiative

Organic and fairtrade competence centre

Global Organic Cotton Community

Fairtrade Foundation

As You Sow

Environmental Justice Foundation

Pesticide Action Network

Cotton campaign