NARVA: The Estonian textile factory Krenholm, located in Narva, has stopped cotton purchases from Uzbekistan following suspicions of the use of child labour.  On Monday, the textile and clothing design company Marimekko, one of Krenholm’s most significant Finnish customers, announced that it would stop buying cotton products from Krenholm, following Swedish reports that the factory is using cotton that comes from Uzbekistan, where child labour is being used in cotton harvesting.

A programme broadcast by Swedish Television (SVT) last weekend claimed that a number of suppliers of the Swedish clothing retailer Hennes & Mauritz may have been using cotton picked by school-age children in Uzbekistan. The report also mentioned the Swedish-owned Krenholm factory in Estonia, which manufactures cotton products for Marimekko. Krenholm is owned by the Swedish Boras Wäfveri Group.

Approximately one-fifth of Krenholm’s turnover comes from Finnish customers.
Krenholm has asked all its international suppliers to provide it with a certificate which guarantees that their cotton has not been bought from farms using child labour.

Krenholm buys its cotton on the global market, from America and Central Asia, through international suppliers. Just some eight per cent of the factory’s cotton has come from Uzbekistan.

Nobody can guarantee that the production of raw material is 100 % ethical, say some experts who are responsible for purchases in certain Finnish trading companies. 

Source: www.bharattextile.com 

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