H&M...has signed a pledge to "not knowingly" source cotton from [Uzbekistan] in response to concern from human rights groups...[that] Uzbekistan...forces adults and children as young as nine to pick cotton under..."appalling conditions"...However, it is difficult to trace Uzbek cotton back to its source...An H&M spokeswoman said it had a policy of prohibiting the use of Uzbek cotton in its products, which is communicated to all suppliers. "While our systems continue to evolve, we aim for all cotton to come from more sustainable, fully traceable sources by 2020 at the latest", [she commented]...Ikea has been subjected to similar scrutiny from human rights groups "We do all we can to ensure that Uzbek cotton is not used in our products, but the traceability process for the cotton industry is not robust," said...an Ikea spokeswoman.