Burma activists are threatening to add the names of 55 retailers to a 'list of shame' unless they confirm that they do not source from the troubled country.
Burma Campaign UK's latest report, British Clothing Retailers and Burma, reveals the strong ethical stance adopted by most store groups. None of the top 10 clothing chains do business with the military dictatorship.
Since the launch of the campaign to strip the high street of Burma-sourced clothing, Marks & Spencer, Arcadia, Asda, Next, Debenhams, Bhs, Matalan, New Look and John Lewis - which combined account for 42 per cent of the UK clothing market - have confirmed that they would not source there.
'This is a huge success,' said Burma Campaign UK director Yvette Mahon.
'Retailers deserve credit for acting responsibly, even if some may have done so more for fear of bad publicity than human rights concerns. By boycotting Burma, retailers have deprived the regime of millions of pounds.'
However, 55 retailers have not acknowledged requests from campaigners to reveal their policy on Burma, and the campaigners have renewed their appeal by mail.
'Customers have the right to know that they are not helping to fund the regime in Burma,' said Mahon. 'We can only assume those retailers refusing to reveal their policy on Burma have something to hide.'
The retailers have been given until December 15 to explain themselves before being named and shamed.
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