Fast fashion is big business. “Pile “˜em high and sell “˜em cheap” is the mantra of fashion stores the world over, as each one clamors for a slice of every fashionista’s budget. There used to be just two fashion ranges in a year; now factories across the globe are working non-stop to produce as many as ten different ranges to feed our insatiable appetite for the very latest fashions, colors and trends.
These demands call for a huge amount of cotton, and just where does it come from? China produces the most, with India and the US following closely behind. But, a recent report from the Ethical Justice Foundation highlights the agonizing plight of cotton farmers in Uzbekistan in Central Asia.
Uzbekistan is the third leading cotton exporter; the white fluffy stuff accounts for 60 percent of Uzbekistan’s total export income, so it’s huge business there. But, as the report states, the totalitarian dictatorship government led by Islam Karimov, is the only organization that benefits from the huge profits that the industry generates. The millions of dollars that cotton generates are keeping the regime’s bank balances in the black.
Using questionable “state procurement” laws, the government forces all cotton farmers to hand over their harvest for an incredibly low price. Farmers are paid as little as 28 Uzbek soms (equivalent to $0.018 ) per kilo of cotton, but it is sold by the government for up to 400 soms. The report also uncovered the government’s practice of “cheating” the farmers out of income by declaring their cotton harvests as poor quality. The price paid is significantly lower, but magically the same “poor” quality cotton is later sold as “premium”.
The Karimov regime was recently thrown into the media spotlight amid allegations of financial corruption and the murder of protesters at a peaceful rally in 2005. The profits secured from cotton production are used to further tighten the regime’s control of the population and ensure vast wealth for the country’s few cotton barons. Farmers dare not protest for fear of persecution or imprisonment. The people of Uzbekistan are denied democratic elections, freedom of speech or movement.
But it gets worse. In order to boost the cotton farming workforce during peak harvesting times, children are pulled from schools. The report estimates that as many as 200,000 children are employed on the cotton fields in the region of Ferghana alone. If children don’t reach their assigned quota they are often physically punished and threatened with expulsion.
As if human rights atrocities and a destructive appetite for labor verging on slavery wasn’t enough, the Uzbek cotton industry is responsible for one of the worst ecological disasters to date. The Aral Sea was once the world’s 4th largest body of water. Enormous demands for irrigation to feed the cotton fields meant that rivers were diverted away from the sea and it has now shrunk to less than 15 percent of its original size. Obviously, this has impacted hugely on the communities that depended on the sea for their livelihood. The once shore-side town of Moynaq employed over 60,000 people in the fishing industry. The town is now miles away from the sea shore and is desolate and bleak. The destruction of this vital resource has caused conflict, tension and thousands of refugees without employment.
Grim reading? Certainly; but there are ways to help. Organic cotton is widely available in many fashion retailers as suppliers jump on the eco trend and clothes and cotton goods that are clearly labeled with the origin means that consumers will have greater choice and control over the origin of their cotton. Fabrics such as hemp, bamboo and soy are also making some headway in being recognized as sustainable, effective alternatives to cotton.
Slowly but surely, consumers are waking up to the fast-fashion nightmare and are realizing the benefits of longer lasting, organic and well made apparel. It seems, thank goodness, that ethical style is no longer the arena of striped jumpers and left wing students; it is something we can all embrace.
“˜Being a cotton farmer here is like hanging between life and death. The government controls our lives very tightly. If we don’t obey, we’ll end up in trouble. All we want is freedom. And the state is punishing us for wanting freedom.’
– UZBEK COTTON FARMER, 2005.
Taken from The Environmental Justice Foundation Report “White Gold – the True Cost of Cotton”.
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Images: Tibor Fazakas, Wikimedia Commons, Fernando Weberich, Wikimedia Commons author MAN77
Editor’s note: This is a guest post courtesy of freelance writer Sioned Bannister. You can follow her personal blog here.