- Caitlin Terra
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Nike and H&M are on fire in China because both brands no longer use cotton from China’s Xinjiang province out of concern about forced labor, AFP news agency reported. Both brands decided to stop using cotton from the region some time ago, but people on Chinese social media are now calling on each other to stop buying products from H&M or Nike.
The decision not to use cotton from the Xinjiang region is linked to allegations that China is suppressing Uyghurs in the region. The population will be locked up in group camps and, among other things, they will be forced to do forced labor. Xinjiang is an important cotton region.
AFP reports that H&M products are no longer for sale on the well-known Chinese e-commerce site Daoba. Chinese actress and singer Victoria Chang worked with H&M last year, but AFP reported that she had severed ties with a group and that “the country’s interests come first.”
Nike ambassadors Wang Yipo and Tan Chong-yun have announced that they will sever ties with the brand. “The interests of the country come first. We oppose any move aimed at spreading rumors about China, ”Dan’s company told AFP.
Although Nike and H&M’s decisions not to use Xinjiang cotton were announced last year, reports re-emerged on Monday when sanctions were imposed on China over its treatment of Uyghurs. These sanctions were imposed by the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. AFP reports that H&M and Nike shared their views on China’s popular social media site Weibo. Other brand names that have banned cotton in Xinjiang are circulating on the platform: Uniclo, Zara, Cape and Adidas.
Image: Nike News Room
