Garments of banned Chinese cotton being supplied to US!

September 07, 2023

Category: GARMENTS

Country: China

Region: Asia Pacific

By Apparel Resources News-Desk
02-September-2023
2 mins read

Around 27 per cent of tests performed on shoes and apparel collected by US Customs and Border Protection in May showed links to cotton from China’s Xinjiang region. This cotton been banned because of concerns over forced labour.

The results highlight the challenges of complying with the US law aimed at blocking imports of cotton linked to forced labour in China. It requires cutting out the far western region from apparel supply chains.

The range of products and high rate of positive samples underscored the difficulty of enforcing the ban.

As per a report of Reuters, 10 of the 37 apparels collected by Customs and Border Protection in May returned as “consistent” with Xinjiang, the documents show. So far, officials have collected at least three batches of footwear and apparel as part of their enforcement efforts, on 22nd December 2022, 11th April 2023, and on 23rd May 2023.

One item collected in May that returned as consistent with Xinjiang was described as a “Mickey T-shirt” made from a blend of cotton and polyester.

Experts believe that to help enforce the law, customs officials have turned to isotopic testing, which can link cotton to specific geographic areas by analysing the concentration of stable elements like carbon and hydrogen present in both the crop and the environment in which it has been grown, experts say.

Much of the other information on the documents was redacted, including brands of the garments that were tested. Descriptions of the items detail a range of apparel, from boxers, jeans and T-shirts to baby onesies and dresses. All contained cotton, in some cases mixed with other blends such as spandex and rayon.

Human rights activist are of the view that the amount of Xinjiang cotton entering the US should be zero so, anything above zero percent should be a real warning.

Customs officials has not shared details about the test results, including how they selected garments for the analysis.

Courtesy: Apparelresources.com