Nearly a fifth of recently-tested samples of cotton products showed evidence of coming from China's controversial Xinjiang region. 

The U.S. banned all imports from Xinjiang — which supplies 20% of the world's cotton — in 2022, over allegations of forced labor using ethnic and religious minority groups. Despite that, 40% of 822 tested cotton products linked to Xinjiang incorrectly listed the U.S. as the country of origin, according to an analysis from supply chain certification company Applied DNA Sciences. Other countries with improperly labeled samples that tested positive included Brazil (42% of incorrectly-labeled Xingjiang cotton), Australia (9%), India (5%), Pakistan (2%), and China (2%), spanning a variety of products, such as apparel, shoes, yarn, fabric, and cotton swabs. 

In total, 19% of samples had cotton tied to the Xinjiang region. Two-thirds of that were a blend of Xinjiang cotton and materials from other countries, while 34% were solely from Xinjiang. A previous analysis from U.S. Customs and Border Control (CBP) in 2023 yielded similar results, with 15% of 86 tested cotton products appearing to contain cotton from Xinjiang. Samples came from boxers, jeans, t-shirts, and other garments, according to Reuters.

Both Applied DNA Sciences and CBP used isotopic testing, which identifies the presence of elements such as carbon and hydrogen known to come from specific environments and geographic regions.