BENTONVILLE – [30.09.08] US retail giant Wal-Mart has instructed its global supply base to cease sourcing cotton and cotton materials from Uzbekistan in an effort to persuade the Uzbek government to end the use of forced child labour in cotton harvesting.

The move follows on from a move at the beginning of this year by UK retailer Tesco which also urged its suppliers to stop using cotton from the former Soviet Republic. See related story HERE.

The action by Wal-Mart follows months of work with industry trade associations, government agencies, non-governmental organisations and socially responsible investment groups to form a common position in condemning the Uzbek government‘s practices.

"We have formed an unprecedented coalition, representing 90% of the U.S. purchases of cotton and cotton-based merchandise, to bring these appalling child labour conditions to an end," said Rajan Kamalanathan, vice president of ethical standards. "There is no tolerance for forced child labour in the Wal-Mart supply chain."

The Environmental Justice Foundation is one such organization that has run a long, effective campaign against the cotton industry in Uzbekistan and published the land-mark document ‘White Gold – the true cost of Cotton’, which dealt with this issue.

With Wal-Mart‘s active participation, four industry trade groups, the American Association of Footwear and Apparel, Retail Industry Leaders Association, National Retail Federation, and the United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel sent a joint letter to the Embassy of Uzbekistan on Aug. 18, 2008, demanding an immediate end to the use of forced child labor in cotton harvesting.  In  response, the Uzbek government issued on Sept. 12, 2008 a National Action Plan which details steps to eradicate the use of child labour. The Government has set out a working group to monitor practice against the new minimum age of 16.

Once these steps can be independently verified, Wal-Mart says it will modify the direction to its suppliers.