A worker moves freshly harvested cotton at a processing plant in Aksu, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Dec 1, 2015.NEW YORK — Traces of banned Chinese cotton were found in 19 per cent of a sample of merchandise selling at US and global retailers in the past year, a study showed, highlighting the challenges of complying with the US law aimed at blocking imports of cotton linked to forced labour in China.
The scientists used 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. They tested the merchandise for traces of cotton from Xinjiang, the far western region of China.
China denies abuses in Xinjiang, a major cotton producer that also supplies much of the world's materials for solar panels.For years, lawmakers and trade organisations have been trying to keep product made with forced labour out of the US supply chain. But the study shows that the new law is not necessarily effective.
Of the items that tested positive for Xinjiang cotton, 57 per cent featured labels that claimed the origin of the merchandise was US-only, the researchers said.