“But for China, you are just an unnecessary brand.” “For you, China is still an important market,” one post declared. ![]() On Chinese social media, criticism of H&M remained fierce. Those words appear to have satisfied no one - not the human rights organizations skeptical of claims that apparel companies have severed links to Xinjiang not Chinese consumers angry over a perceived national indignity. “China is a very important market to us.” “We are working together with our colleagues in China to do everything we can to manage the current challenges,” said the statement, which did not mention Xinjiang. Last week, H&M issued a new communication, beseeching Chinese consumers to return. “If the brand is labeled as ‘They are still using forced labor, but they are just using it for the Chinese market,’ is this going to suffice?” said Ms. Yet that approach may leave the apparel companies exposed to the same risks they face now. They could employ that cotton to make products destined for Europe and North America, while using the Xinjiang crop for the Chinese market. Some global brands are seeking Beijing’s permission to import more cotton into China from the United States and Australia. Last year, the European Union revoked duty-free access for garments from Cambodia in response to its government’s harsh crackdown on dissent. Other countries present their own human rights concerns. The body’s membership includes some of the world’s largest, most profitable clothing manufacturers and retailers - among them Inditex, the Spanish conglomerate that owns Zara, and Nike, whose sales last year exceeded $37 billion. “We are a not-for-profit organization with a small team,” the initiative’s communications manager, Joe Woodruff, said in an email. The Better Cotton Initiative declined a request for an interview to discuss how it had come to its conclusion. ![]() That assertion flew in the face of a growing body of literature, including a recent statement from the United Nations Human Rights Council expressing “serious concerns” about reports of forced labor. But the body’s China branch recently asserted that its investigation in Xinjiang “has never found a single case related to incidents of forced labor,” dating back to 2012, according to a statement reported by Reuters. Last fall, the organization announced a halt to its activities in Xinjiang amid persistent reports of forced labor. Major apparel brands have coalesced around the Better Cotton Initiative, an organization based in Geneva and London whose official mission includes improving working conditions for those in the trade. ![]() And many brands are less than rigorous in their audits. H AND M SWEATER CONTROVERSY FREENot even the most diligent apparel company can say with authority that its products are free of elements produced in Xinjiang. In Xinjiang, efforts at probing supply chains collide with the reality that the Chinese government severely restricts access.
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