Xinjiang cotton

In March 2021, Chinese social media began to buzz with the news that European fashion companies such as H&M had publicly disavowed the use of cotton produced in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, citing allegations that forced labour was being used in its production. Although some of these statements had been made the previous year, the rise in awareness led to public boycotts of the brands, and some of the products being removed from Chinese-owned online marketplaces.