British NGO Earthside denounces the 'dirty cotton' of the fashion giants H&M and Zara. Using satellite imagery, court decisions, product shipping records and undercover investigations, Earthside compiled a report titled 'Fashion Crimes' The NGO claims to have traced the journey of 816,000 tonnes of cotton from two of the largest agro-industrial companies in the South American country, Slc Agrícola and the Horita group, located in the northwestern state of Bahia.
According to Earthside, the Brazilian families who own these fazendas have "a history of prosecution, corruption convictions and million-dollar fines for illegal deforestation" Part of these illicit activities would be carried out in the Cerrado region, a savannah renowned for the richness of its fauna and flora which constitutes the second most important biome in Brazil. The Cerrada, which is home to 5% of the world's species, recorded a 43% increase in the destruction of its vegetation in 2023.