Textile exports from the Xinjiang region of China increased to record levels last year despite the introduction of US legislation banning imports over forced labour risks in the region which produces a fifth of the world's cotton, EcoTextile reported.
It comes as a congressional hearing in the US heard calls for global brands and retailers to stop sourcing from Xinjiang amidst concerns that social audits were failing to uncover forced labour risks in their supply chains. /BGNES