Environmental Audit Committee publishes Boohoo correspondence following BBC Panorama episode

26 January 2024

The Environmental Audit Committee publishes correspondence with boohoo group plc’s Chief Executive, John Lyttle.

The correspondence follows an episode of BBC Panorama broadcast on 6th November 2023. EAC Chair Philip Dunne was interviewed as part of the programme in light of the predecessor Committee’s report ‘Fixing Fashion’ published in 2018, and its follow up evidence session with boohoo group PLC executives on 16th December 2020.

The correspondence was received by EAC ahead of further reporting by BBC Panorama on 11th January 2024 alleging that boohoo had labelled items of clothing made in South Asia as “Made in the UK”.

Chair's comment

Environmental Audit Committee Chair, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said:

“Over the years, the Committee has shone a light on issues around sustainability and alleged concerns of poor working practices in the fast fashion industry. When appearing before the Committee in December 2020, and in its follow-up correspondence, boohoo made clear that a number of improvements in governance and its supply chain were underway.

“BBC Panorama’s investigation was therefore troubling to us, as it appeared a number of these commitments were not being advanced. We publish today the Chief Executive’s letter to the Committee that sets out the company’s view of the allegations made in the broadcast.

“Since BBC Panorama’s programme aired in November 2023, there has been subsequent reporting of evidence of incorrect labelling by the company at its Thurmaston Lane site, which the company does not contest. This evidence of incorrect labelling practices is concerning: when consumers see labels describing a garment’s country of origin, they expect them to be accurate. I trust that the company is taking urgent steps to ensure that correct labelling practices are in place across its UK operations.”

Further information

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