Uzbekistan is the second largest exporter of cotton in the world, selling over 800,000 tonnes of cotton every year. Europe is its major buyer.
But while the former Soviet Republic is at the forefront of global cotton production, its human rights and environmental record lags far behind the rest of the world. Forced child labour, human rights violations, excessive pesticide use, the draining of an ocean and severe poverty are all rife in cotton production in Uzbekistan.