Earthsight accuses H&M and Zara of being “linked” to large-scale illegal deforestation activities in Brazil. Using satellite images, court rulings, product shipping records and undercover investigations, Earthsight compiled and analyzed data.
The NGO says it has traced the journey of 816,000 tonnes of cotton from two of Brazil's largest agroindustrial companies. All of this cotton was certified as “sustainable” by the nonprofit Better Cotton (BC), according to Earthsight. “We take very seriously the accusations against Better Cotton, which strictly prohibits practices such as land usurpation and deforestation in its specifications,” responded Inditex (parent company of Zara) to AFP.. In mid-March, European Council member states validated legislation creating a “duty of vigilance” imposing obligations on EU companies to protect the environment and human rights in their global production chains. The Better Cotton label told Earthsight that it “entrusted an independent auditor to carry out enhanced verification visits” following the NGO's report.