According to Just Style, a new report from Oritain reveals that 90% of brands analysed showed at least one garment containing cotton consistent with prohibited cotton — marking a sharp reversal after three years of progress.
Rising Risk Amid Increased Production and Shifting Sourcing
The report attributes the reversal to a significant production increase over the last 18 months in prohibited cotton origins. While brands have attempted to shift tier-one sourcing away from China, many have moved instead to Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Trade data cited in the report shows that yarn or fabric — still containing prohibited cotton — is being imported into those manufacturing hubs, exposing final products to regulatory risk upon entry into the US or Europe.
The convergence of tariffs, disrupted supply chains, and this material-level contamination constitutes a major warning for brands investing heavily in traceability systems alone. As Gemma Lynch of Oritain explained:
“Physical verification is the missing layer in many traceability systems today. Existing traceability gives important visibility, but it takes forensic analysis to go further, validating origin claims at the product level and confirming that source materials are exactly what they are claimed to be.” — Gemma Lynch, Oritain
This gap means brands may appear compliant on paper yet remain vulnerable to enforcement actions — including seizure and destruction of goods under the upcoming EU Forced Labour Regulation (EUFLR), set to take full effect on December 20, 2027.
Consumer Trust Collapse and Material-Specific Skepticism
Consumer confidence in brand sustainability claims has eroded sharply: only 3% of consumers trust marketing claims, according to the report. Leather products face even deeper scrutiny — 55% of consumers regularly question whether a leather item is genuine. This reflects the complexity of leather supply chains, where hides pass through multiple processing stages and jurisdictions, rapidly weakening documentation-based visibility beyond tier one.
Gemma Lynch noted:
“Documentation plays an important role, but it does not always give confidence in the origin of the raw material once hides start moving through intermediaries… That’s the missing piece, not because anyone is necessarily doing anything wrong, but because the system gets more complex very quickly.” — Gemma Lynch, Oritain
Brands cannot credibly assert origin or responsible sourcing claims without verifying the physical provenance of raw materials — a task requiring forensic science, not just paperwork.
Regulatory Shifts and the Verified Ecosystem Response
Regulatory pressure is intensifying globally. The US Section 301 tariffs now target countries that inadequately enforce forced-labour import prohibitions, prompting many nations to tighten domestic rules. Meanwhile, the EUFLR will ban and destroy products made with forced labour — even those already on retail shelves — starting in 2027. Despite high cotton-tracing rates among US and UK brands, some continue to face legal exposure, underscoring the insufficiency of documentation-only systems.
Oritain’s Membership model aims to close this gap by connecting over 1,800 leading retailers, brands, manufacturers, and suppliers around a shared source of truth: forensic origin verification combined with contextual insights and improved data access. As Gemma Lynch stated:
“Trust comes from an ecosystem, connected by credible, independent evidence rather than just good intentions or documentation.” — Gemma Lynch, Oritain
This verified ecosystem supports resilient decision-making on sourcing, compliance, and risk — moving beyond isolated tools toward networked confidence.
Source: Just Style
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
