Cotton clothes, towels and bed sheets from H&M and Zara are “stained” by illegal deforestation and human rights abuses, according to a new investigation. UK-based investigative NGO Earthsight has traced 800,000 tonnes of cotton from the giant Western retailers to Brazilian estates where land grabbing, violence and corruption are rife. This cotton is exported to several manufacturers in Asia, which together made nearly 250 million items of clothing and homeware in a year for global stores of H&M, Zara and its sister brands. “These firms talk about good practice, social responsibility and certif…