Study Finds Xinjiang Cotton in 19% of Apparel Sold in U.S., Abroad

It’s been a global effort to minimize or outright ban the usage of cotton sourced from China’s Xinjiang province. Xinjiang is the hub of China’s cotton output, and had traditionally been the source of apparel and other products used around the world. But it’s also the epicenter of what watchdogs and government agencies have called human rights abuses against the region’s Uyghur Muslim ethnic group, including forced encampment and forced labor in the cotton manufacturing industry.

As a result, legislation like 2022’ s Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in the U.S. was put in place to stop the flow of cotton from these facilities, and provide greater transparency in the apparel supply chain, and the FTC has been cracking down on companies that sell products falsely billed as made in the U.S.

Despite these legal guardrails, a study from the natural resource analytics firm Stratum Reservoir and DNA analytics lab Applied DNA Sciences found that Chinese cotton was still found in 19% of a sample of apparel sold between February 2023 and March 2024 in the U.S. and abroad. According to Reuters, the study included cotton swabs, apparel sold at major retailers and online, and footwear products.

The kicker is that of the products found to contain Chinese cotton, 57% had labels that claimed the materials were solely sourced in the U.S.

Of the garments that were found to contain Chinese cotton, Reuters reported that two-thirds blended the cotton with cotton and other materials from outside of Xinjiang.

A Uyghur picks cotton in a field on September 10, 2007 in Xinhe County of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. | Credit: Getty Images by China Photos

The study used isotopic testing, which can trace cotton to its source by analyzing amounts of carbon and hydrogen in the crops and environment in which they are grown.

Given that Xinjiang has historically produced nearly all of the cotton that China uses, as well as nearly a quarter of the cotton used globally, it’s no small task for manufacturers and importers to fully sever ties with the region’s cotton industry.

But, even since before the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was put in place, human rights groups were consistent in their messaging and hopes that the apparel industry would shift away from Xinjiang cotton.

In 2021, the sportswear brand Asics received criticism for standing by its decision to use Xinjiang cotton for the Australian Olympic team’s apparel and footwear.

Supporters of the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement rally in front of the White House to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the July 5th Urumqi Massacre, July 5, 2022 in Washington, DC. The group is also calling on governments to support the Uyghurs' right to self-determination by recognizing East Turkistan (Xinjiang) as an occupied country. | Credit: Getty Images by Drew Angerer

In early 2022, a collection of 400 human rights groups condemned the IOC ahead of the Tokyo Olympics for using Xinjiang cotton for official merchandise.

More recently, a bi-partisan commission in the U.S. formally asked the NBA to stop using Chinese cotton in merchandise, sending a letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver asking him to meet with various groups "to learn about the sad reality of genocide,” ESPN reported at the time.

The firms that conducted the study declined to say where the products were sold, but told Reuters that they “purchased goods within the U.S. and from e-commerce brands that ship to the country.”