Carter's: Stop Forced Child Labor in Cotton

How We Won

Jul 19, 2011

Once again, Change.org readers have successfully encouraged a major clothing brand to publicly oppose the government of Uzbekistan's use of forced child labor in its cotton. A statement released today by Carter's (which also owns Osh Kosh B'Gosh), notes that "because of the systemic, government-sanctioned use of forced child labor in the harvesting of cotton in Uzbekistan, Carter's prohibits the use of any cotton from Uzbekistan in our products.  Historically, we advised our vendors of our prohibition against the use of Uzbek cotton and have required that they certify such non-use.  Going forward, we are taking steps to go more deeply into our supply chain to better ensure compliance... Carter's will continue to prohibit the use of Uzbek cotton in our supply chain until the government of Uzbekistan ends the practice of forced child labor and allows the independent verification by the International Labor Organization."

Thanks to the hundreds of people who signed this petition and encouraged Carter's to be transparent about its efforts to address forced child labor.

Here is the full statement from Carter's:

Carter's takes very seriously its social responsibility to ensure that the highest ethical standards are upheld throughout our supply chain.  While we recognize and respect the variety of cultural and legal environments in which our vendors operate, there are some standards, such as child and forced labor, on which Carter's will not compromise.  To do business with us, our vendors must adhere to our Social Responsibility Policy, notwithstanding any local custom or law.

Because of the systemic, government-sanctioned use of forced child labor in the harvesting of cotton in Uzbekistan, Carter's prohibits the use of any cotton from Uzbekistan in our products.  Historically, we advised our vendors of our prohibition against the use of Uzbek cotton and have required that they certify such non-use.  Going forward, we are taking steps to go more deeply into our supply chain to better ensure compliance.  Additionally, in an effort to persuade the government of Uzbekistan to end the practice of forced child labor, we have partnered with other international stakeholders and signed the Uzbekistan Cotton Pledge created by the Responsible Sourcing Network.  We are hopeful this broad coalition can help end the use of forced child labor in Uzbekistan.

Carter's will continue to prohibit the use of Uzbek cotton in our supply chain until the government of Uzbekistan ends the practice of forced child labor and allows the independent verification by the International Labor Organization.

Why This Is Important

The government of Uzbekistan continues to remove millions of children across the country from school and force them to pick cotton during the harvest season. While over 70 of the world’s largest apparel brands and retailers have developed policies related to Uzbek cotton, Carter’s, one of the biggest children’s clothing retailers in the country has remained silent while its top competitors like The Children’s Place, Gap and Gymboree have all taken action. Carter’s has a policy against using child and forced labor, but it has not publicly addressed the unique state-sponsored practice of forced child labor in Uzbekistan nor has it provided any information about how it ensures that its suppliers do not use Uzbek cotton tainted by these egregious human rights abuses.

Your actions make a difference! In the past, your e-mail actions targeting Abercrombie & Fitch, Gymboree and the Children’s Place have led these companies to announce policies prohibiting the use of Uzbek cotton. Take action NOW to tell Carter’s to respect international labor rights in their cotton sourcing.

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