"H&M disputes Ethiopia cotton land-grabbing claims" 12 November 2014

Fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz has instructed its suppliers to ensure they do not use cotton from the Omo Valley region of Ethiopia, where there is an increased risk of land-grabbing - but admits it cannot provide an absolute guarantee…"We have also established an action plan that will be followed up by our staff on the ground in Ethiopia," H&M said in response to the claims, adding: "We are now working to best be able to deal with the issue in our own production linked to cotton production." The retailer has been working with five Ethiopian suppliers since the summer, and in September teamed up with Swedish state investment firm Swedfund to try to improve social and environmental standards in the country's apparel sector. H&M also said this week that it has joined forces with Swedish investment company Kinnevik to invest SEK8.8m (US$1.2m) over the next three years to help drive social change in Ethiopia. It said the issue of land-grabbing was included in its risk assessment on Ethiopia. "Our risk assessment includes the suppliers that we have a direct business relationship with. The results showed that land-grabbing is not present in the area where the textile suppliers that we work with are."