The National Cotton Council (NCC) remains strongly opposed to use of any forced labor practices within the global production of cotton and all textiles.

In a recent statement, NCC President/CEO Gary Adams said, “Unfortunately, these are not new questions facing the global textile supply chain, and we urge companies to implement the internal measures necessary to ensure that their supply chains do not include forced or child labor.

“It is also important to recognize that forced labor practices can occur throughout other product supply chains and not just within cotton fiber and textile production,” he pointed out. “As a result, manmade fiber supply chains must be given the same level of scrutiny.”

Adams further noted that the complexity of global textile supply chains can make it very challenging to verify whether a specific textile or apparel product was made using forced labor at some point in the supply chain. In order to be the most effective, he added, policies to combat forced labor or other human rights abuses should be focused and specific in order to identify the companies or entities deemed to be engaged in those practices.

In its statement, the NCC urged the U.S. Government to accelerate efforts to develop technologies to enable downstream identification of articles that have been produced with forced labor so that any sanctions can be uniformly and accurately applied. 

Adams said the industry looks forward to continuing to work with its customers to promote textile supply chains that utilize more U.S. cotton and U.S.-produced yarns and fabrics. The high labor standards and practices in the United States make U.S. cotton a responsible choice for brands, retailers and consumers.

Based on information provided by the National Cotton Council