British NGO Earthsight accused textile companies H&M and Zara of being "linked" to illegal deforestation activities in Brazil. The families that own the crops that use both textiles have a heavy history of judicial proceedings.
The NGO says it followed the journey of 816,000 tons of cotton from two of the largest agroindustrial companies in Brazil - SLC Agrícola and the Horita group. All of that cotton was certified “sustainable” by the nonprofit organization Better Cotton (BC), according to Earthsight. "We take very seriously the accusations against Better Cotton, which strictly prohibits practices such as land grabs and deforestation in its specifications," Inditex, Zara's parent company, told AFP, saying it had requested the results of the investigation "as soon as possible" The Better Cotton brand told Earthsight that it had entrusted an independent auditor with the task of carrying out enhanced verification visits following the NGO's report. In mid-March, European Council Member States validated legislation creating a "duty of vigilance" that imposes obligations on EU companies.