USFIA - United States Fashion Industry Association

USA-ITA Joins Industry Letter to Uzbekistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs

On March 12, 2013, USA-ITA, now the United States Fashion Industry Association, joined other apparel and retail industry associations in sending a letter to Abdulaziz Komilov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is in Washington, D.C. this week, expressing “deep concerns regarding the continued use of systematic forced labor of children and adults in the cotton sector of Uzbekistan.” The letter urged the Uzbekistan government to invite the high-level ILO tripartite observation mission to conduct unfettered monitoring during the cotton harvest and take immediate and effective time-bound measures to eradicate forced and child labor in the cotton sector. The letter is available here.

USA-ITA Joins Letters on Reports that China Will Buy Cotton from Uzbekistan

USA-ITA joined forces with U.S. and Canadian apparel and retail associations to send a joint letter to the Honorable Cui Tiankai, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China and to the Honorable Jiang Hui, Chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile and Apparel to request information on what the Chinese are doing to ensure that any cotton purchased from Uzbekistan is free of forced and child labor.

USA-ITA Joins Statement on Cotton Harvest in Uzbekistan

On September 9, 2013, USA-ITA (now the United States Fashion Industry Association) joined the Cotton Campaign and over two dozen other trade and human rights organizations in releasing a statement on the start of the cotton harvest in Uzbekistan, which still utilizes forced and child labor. The statement applauds the International Labour Organization (ILO) for preparing to deploy teams to monitor the harvest, but urges the ILO to “make every effort possible to obtain independent information, publicly report all findings and any interference by Uzbek Government, and validate the findings and monitoring process with the International Trade Union Confederation and International Organisation of Employers.” For more information on this issue, visit www.cottoncampaign.org.

USDA Cotton Updates for Africa, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Turkiye, and Vietnam

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) published eight Cotton and Product Updates last month:

Africa:The USDA FAS in Dakar provides updates about the cotton harvest for Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Interestingly they say that MY 2024/25 consumption is anticipated to increase by 4% with the “relaunching of the textile industries” in all three countries.

Brazil: The USDA FAS in Brasilia reports that Brazil surpassed the U.S. in cotton production and exports for the first time on record and the MY 2024/25 planted area is expected to reach a new record due to favorable prices and lower production costs.

China remains Brazil’s main cotton importer, having bought 674 thousand bales (147 thousand MT) since August 2024. … Vietnam surged ahead, importing 312 thousand bales (68 thousand MT) in October, followed by strong showings from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.

China: The USDA FAS in Beijing share detailed information about cotton production and consumption in China.

Chinese industry contacts maintain a cautiously optimistic outlook for a moderate rebound in exports in the fourth quarter of 2024 and beyond. Uncertainties include unstable external demand recovery, competition from other textile and apparel exporting countries, and intensified geopolitical risks. Industry contacts have shared with FAS China staff that if the United States imposes higher import duties on Chinese-origin products, it could reduce PRC exports. … In volume terms, industry data indicate in the first three quarters of 2024, the United States market took 11 percent of China’s cotton textile and apparel exports, which was 22 percent of the U.S. import market (by volume). India was the second largest supplier to the United States, taking 18 percent of the market by volume. Chinese industry sources believe China’s exports to the United States might be replaced by India and other suppliers in case additional duties are imposed on Chinese products. Additionally, Chinese industry contacts report that the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) remains a key reason for unstable trade of textile and apparel products between China and the United States.

Since China supplies cotton yarn to many manufacturers in Asia, we also share the following chart showing a rebound in yarn production.

Finally, we share a chart that shows where China’s textile and apparel exports went during the first nine months of 2024. ASEAN countries have a larger share than the U.S. or the EU.

USDA2 1.7.25

India:The USDA FAS in New Delhi forecasts the MY 2024/25 cotton production will remain unchanged and exports of cotton products will continue to grow.

Preliminary textile export data published by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry shows cotton-based yarn, fabrics and home textile shipments rose nearly seven percent by value in October, as compared to last year, while readymade garment shipments are up by 35 percent.

USDA also highlights the BharatTex trade show in February. USFIA members are invited to attend.

Mexico:The USDA FAS in Mexico City reports that the planting area in MY 2024/25 is expected to decrease as farmers switch to more profitable crops due to drought conditions and constraints on planted area and yield. USDA highlights the importance of sustainability for Mexican textile producers.

Another challenge facing domestic cotton consumption is incorporating sustainable practices in clothing manufacturing, with some textile producers beginning to adopt circular economy practices for new clothing production. For instance, clothes that were never sold are now recycled and incorporated into the production of new fabrics and clothes. Cotton consumption could decrease as consumer preferences shift towards clothing produced using sustainable practices. However, the prices of such fabrics and clothes could be higher than conventional manufactured clothes. While the effects on cotton consumption are unknown, the impact will be highly price dependent.

Pakistan: The USDA FAS in Islamabad revised the cotton production forecast downward. But there is a positive story about Pakistan’s exports of textile and apparel products.

Textile exports during the first quarter of 2024/25 were the highest of any quarter since September 2022. Despite ongoing concerns about new taxes, high energy and financing costs, and reports of some mills halting operations, the increased pace of exports indicates renewed strength in textile sector performance and in cotton demand.

Turkiye: The USDA FAS in Ankara projects that cotton production will increase to 865,000 MT due to larger planting area and better weather conditions. However, they report difficult times for some textile and apparel producers.

Some companies from the Turkish textile and apparel industries are shutting down, partially closing, or going bankrupt because of low demand for finished garments by brands from Turkiye, while some others are moving investments to lower-cost production countries, like Egypt.

They are more positive about BCI cotton.

The production of cotton under the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is estimated at about 117,000 MT (about 551,000 bales) for MY 2023/24, according to the Better Cotton Practices Association of Turkiye (IPUD). BCI production is increasingly important as the Turkish textile and apparel industry seeks to produce sustainable and traceable products to meet the demands of high-end consumers in Europe and the United States.

Vietnam:The USDA FAS in Hanoi forecasts a 4% increase in cotton imports based on global demand for textiles and garments. Australia, Brazil, and the U.S. remain Vietnam’s largest cotton suppliers.

Vietnam textile and apparel exports started to rebound in May 2024 and reached a peak of $4.5 billion in August. Although exports in September and October were lower than the August peak, they remained robust. Industry experts expect that demand for textile and apparels, including yarn, from major markets will bounce back due to the interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve as well as a decline in exports from major competitors including China and Bangladesh. Vietnamese textile and garment producers continue to make significant changes in their sourcing and manufacturing processes to comply with recent U.S. and EU regulations related to traceability, sustainability, forced-labor prevention, and climate protection.

USFIA & BCI Collaborate to Promote Responsible Cotton Sourcing

On September 1, 2015, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) announced that they will collaborate to promote responsible cotton sourcing and exchange member benefits. The partnership allows BCI and USFIA to mutually benefit from each other’s expertise. BCI will provide information about supporting responsibly grown cotton to USFIA members. In turn, USFIA can support BCI members in navigating the complex sourcing issues in the United States and around the globe. Through publications, educational events and networking opportunities, USFIA will enable BCI to connect with key stakeholders across the value chain, including US and international service providers, suppliers and industry groups. The press release is available here.

USFIA & Cotton Incorporated to Promote Responsible Cotton Production

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and Cotton Incorporated have several opportunities for you to learn about Cotton LEADS™, which promotes responsible cotton production and sourcing. USFIA will offer two opportunities for you to learn more about the program: the annual conference as well as a free webinar.

Introduced in late 2013, the Cotton LEADS™ program offers retailers, brands, and manufacturers a way to increase their awareness of responsible production practices and encourage continual improvement in their supply chains. A joint program of the U.S. and Australian cotton industries, the Cotton LEADS™ program is built on five principles of responsible production: continual improvement, national-level efforts, international collaboration and transparency in the supply chain.

More than 220 companies, including Target Corporation, Fruit of the Loom, Brooks Brothers, Esquel, Texhong, Fountainset, and other leading retailers, brands, and manufacturers worldwide have signed on as partners to encourage the efforts of these two countries and the use of responsibly-produced cotton in their supply chains. There is no cost for partner companies or their suppliers. Partner companies benefit from the engagement with leading efforts to deliver responsible cotton production and increased awareness of the positive, responsible efforts occurring in their cotton supply chains.

On November 5^th, Cotton Incorporated CEO Berrye Worsham will speak about the program at the 26^th Annual Textile & Apparel Importer Trade & Transportation Conference in New York. Click here to register for the conference.

On November 20^th, Mark Messura, Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain Marketing for Cotton Incorporated, will present a free, one-hour webinar to go into more detail into the program and Cotton Incorporated’s commitment to sustainability, and provide information on how you can become a partner. Click here to register for the webinar.

For more information about the Cotton LEADS™ program visit www.cottonleads.org.

USFIA Joins Cotton Campaign Comments on Uzbekistan

On January 30, 2015, the Cotton Campaign submitted comments to the U.S. Department of State in support of maintaining Uzbekistan’s Tier 3 ranking in the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report, which will be released in June. Tier 3 is for governments that do not comply with minimum standards to combat human trafficking and fail to take adequate steps to address the problem, and it carries the possibility of sanctions. USFIA joined the comments, which are available on the Cotton Campaign website.

USFIA Joins Cotton Campaign Comments to State Department on Uzbekistan

The United States Fashion Industry Association signed onto comments developed by the Cotton Campaign to the U.S. State Department concerning Uzbekistan's placement in the 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report (J/TIP). The main message is that Uzbekistan should again be placed in Tier 3 in the 2014 report. In 2013, the Uzbek government once again used forced labor of children and adults on a massive scale as a matter of state policy, in violation of national laws and international standards. Uzbekistan does not meet the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, nor is it yet taking real steps to meet those standards. An upgrade to another placement would reward the government of Uzbekistan in spite of its continued, flagrant disregard of its national laws and international commitments. The Tier 3 placement would, on the other hand, communicate the need to end forced labor to the Uzbek government. Clear messages from the U.S. government, the European Union and multilateral agencies have contributed to key policy decisions by the Uzbek government.

USFIA Joins Cotton Campaign Letter to Government of Turkmenistan

On May 25, 2016, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a Cotton Campaign letter to the President of Turkmenistan, urging him to take action to end forced labor in the cotton sector. This year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) reports “deep concern the widespread use of forced labour in cotton production which affects farmers, businesses and private and public sector workers, including teachers, doctors and nurses, under threat of losing their jobs, salary cuts, loss of land and extraordinary investigations.” The letter was delivered prior to Turkmenistan’s participation in the ILO Conference, which is taking place in Geneva from May 30-June 10, 2016. The letter is available here.

USFIA Joins Cotton Campaign Letter to ILO

On July 21, 2015, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a Cotton Campaign letter to the International Labour Organization (ILO), which calls on them to press the Uzbek government to end its practice of forced labor during their scheduled roundtable meeting in August. At the meeting, the ILO plans to present the findings of the survey of recruitment practices it is currently conducting and to propose a plan of action to eradicate forced labor in the agriculture sector to the Uzbek government. The letter is available on the Cotton Campaign website.

USFIA Joins Cotton Campaign Statement Asking Uzbekistan to End Forced Labor in Cotton Sector

On September 8^th, the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) joined a Cotton Campaign statement on the start of the annual cotton harvest in Uzbekistan. The Cotton Campaign is a global coalition including trade unions, human rights NGOs, socially responsible investors, and business groups. The Cotton Campaign urges the Uzbek government to take immediate steps to stop the practices that are “modern day slavery” and, most importantly, allow independent organizations and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to monitor labor conditions in the fields. The statement is available on the Cotton Campaign website.

Uzbek Cotton Boycott: As Decision Approaches, Fashion Needs Assurances

In a thought leadership piece published in Sourcing Journal, U.S. Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) President Julia Hughes and American Apparel and Footwear Association President (AAFA) Nate Herman addressed the assurances the fashion industry still needs to end the cotton boycott in Uzbekistan. Since 2007, 300 companies from North America and Europe have signed onto the Uzbek Cotton Pledge committing to not knowingly source cotton from Uzbekistan until forced labor has been eliminated.

Read the full piece in Sourcing Journal here.

Uzbekistan Cotton

Issue Summary

Since 2009, reports have suggested that the Uzbekistan cotton industry utilizes forced and child labor in the cotton fields. In October 2011, the European Union Parliament blocked a textile trade deal with Uzbekistan because of the country’s continued use of forced child labor in the cotton industry. The textile deal would have lowered the tariffs on EU imports of Uzbek cotton, which currently represent ¼ of Uzbekistan’s exports.

Following continued advocacy efforts by the global industry, including the United States Fashion Industry Association (formerly USA-ITA), on June 19, 2013, the U.S. Department of State finally downgraded Uzbekistan to Tier III in the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2013, which indicates that a government is not making significant efforts to combat human trafficking and opens up the possibility of sanctions. The report notes that the country is “a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and women and children subjected to sex trafficking.” Regarding the use of forced and child labor in the cotton sector, the report says:

“Internal labor trafficking remains prevalent during the annual cotton harvest, in which children and adults are victims of government-organized forced labor. There were reports that working conditions in some fields during the cotton harvest included verbal and physical abuse and lack of freedom of movement. According to a variety of sources, the Government of Uzbekistan enforced a decree resulting in a sweeping reduction of the number of children under 15 years of age in the 2012 cotton harvest, but the government continued to subject older children and adult laborers to forced labor in that harvest. Some reports contend that the numbers of older children and adults subjected to forced labor in the harvest were higher than in previous years in several of Uzbekistan’s regions. Some activists allege that children were forced to weed cotton fields in the spring of 2012.”

The report recommends that Uzbekistan take a number of actions, including allowing an international organization such as the ILO to conduct an independent assessment during the annual cotton harvest.

On July 15, 2013, the Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights and the Cotton Campaign released a report titled, “A Systemic Problem: State-Sponsored Forced Labour in Uzbekistan’s Cotton Sector Continues in 2012.” The report “presents evidence gathered by human rights defenders in Uzbekistan on their government’s system of forced labor during the 2012 cotton production cycle” and also serves as a “call to action to governments and companies to use their leverage to urge the Government of Uzbekistan to end forced labor in its cotton sector.”

USFIA Position

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and many of our member companies have been actively involved in bringing the issue to the attention of the Obama Administration, particularly by urging the U.S. Department of State to bring up the issue in meetings with Uzbek government officials and work toward ending child labor in Uzbekistan. USFIA is grateful that the U.S. Department of State downgraded Uzbekistan in the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2013, which will hopefully push the Uzbek government to finally take action.

Advocacy

USFIA and member companies have joined the Cotton Campaign, the Global Works Foundation, Human Rights Watch, and other organizations in sending letters to the Obama Administration, urging them to bring up the issue in meetings with Uzbek government officials.

On June 19, 2012, USFIA (formerly USA-ITA) joined the Cotton Campaign, a coalition of industry associations and human rights groups, in sending another letter to Secretary Clinton expressing concern that the U.S. failed to downgrade Uzbekistan for its widespread use of forced and child labor in the cotton industry in the Trafficking in Persons Report for 2012. The letter also called on the U.S. government to urge the Uzbek government to immediately invite the ILO to monitor the 2012 cotton harvest. On July 6, 2012, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca of the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons responded to the coalition. “We have repeatedly made it clear that our bilateral relationship cannot reach its full potential unless Uzbekistan demonstrates increased efforts to protect the rights of all of its citizens, including addressing forced labor,” wrote the Ambassador. “We will continue to urge the government to cooperate with the ILO and engage Uzbekistan’s authorities, as well as civil society, to bring about real change, and will sustain our efforts to encourage this outcome in a constructive and effective way.”

On March 12, 2013, USFIA joined industry associations in sending a letter to Abdulaziz Komilov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, urging the Uzbek government to invite the high-level ILO tripartite observation mission to conduct unfettered monitoring during the cotton harvest and take immediate and effective time-bound measures to eradicate forced labor of children and adults in the cotton sector. The letter was sent during Mr. Komilov’s visit to Washington, D.C.

On April 16, 2013, USFIA (formerly USA-ITA) joined a Cotton Campaign letter to Secretary of State John Kerry urging the Department of State to place Uzbekistan in Tier III in Trafficking in Persons Report for 2013 unless the Uzbek government invites a high-level, tripartite ILO observer mission to monitor this fall’s cotton harvest. Tier III indicates that a government is not making significant efforts to combat human trafficking and opens up the possibility of sanctions.

Previous advocacy efforts are available below.

WWD: Industry Groups Urge Reform of Uzbek Cotton Farming

WWD

By Kristi Ellis

“In our letter, we tried to not just complain about what is going on, but to provide constructive recommendations about what the government can do,” said Julia Hughes, president of USA-ITA. “Part of that is relatively simple — allow ILO monitors to be in Uzbek for the cotton harvest. That seems to be a relatively simple thing they could do. What everybody wants to see is positive movement. Perhaps it will not be resolved overnight, but at least we would see a change in policy direction.”

Click here to read the entire article on the WWD website.

WWD: U.S. Fashion Industry Association Partners With Better Cotton Initiative

By Kristi Ellis

The U.S. Fashion Industry Association said Tuesday it will partner with the Better Cotton Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting global standards for cotton production and sourcing, to better support responsibly grown cotton products.

“Our members, which include iconic global brands and major retailers, are committed to responsible sourcing at all levels in the supply chain,” said Julia Hughes, president of USFIA. “By collaborating with and learning from BCI, our members will be able to enhance that commitment from literally the ground up.”

Click here to read the entire article on the WWD website.