Swedish fashion retailer H&M has suspended the purchasing of leather from the Brazilian Amazon until it has "credible assurance systems" in place confirming leather production isn't harming the rainforest.

It follows in the footsteps of VF Corp, owner of fashion brands including North Face and Timberland, which earlier this month said it will no longer source leather or hides from Brazil until it can be sure they are produced without environmental harm.

"Due to the severe fires in the Brazilian part of the Amazon rainforest, and the connections to cattle production, we have decided to place a temporary ban on leather from Brazil," H&M said in an emailed statement. "The ban will be active until there are credible assurance systems in place to verify that the leather does not contribute to environmental harm in the Amazon."

Only a "very small" proportion of its leather is sourced from the region, it added. 

The Amazon fires, which have been raging for weeks, are thought to have been deliberately started by ranchers and farmers to clear recently deforested land. Researchers have detected almost 50,000 fires in the Amazon region this year, the highest number in a decade.

The international condemnation of Brazil's handling of the situation has been dramatic, with the issue centre stage of the G7 summit in Biarritz last month.

After first denying the issue, the outcry forced Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro to send in armed forces to tackle the blazes. But given Bolsonaro's support for the Brazilian agribusiness lobby, the corporate backlash could prove more persuasive in forcing radical action from Brazil than political pressure.