More than ever, apparel brands are tasked with adapting to a global environment that they have no control over. With higher sustainability standards among consumers and growing ethical concerns about textile origins, brands can no longer remain ignorant to the nature of the raw materials they are sourcing.

Raw material provenance, in particular, became a flashpoint when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) on all cotton merchandise and tomatoes originating in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where it is widely believed that the goods are being produced with forced labor.

As a result, importers are being held responsible for ensuring the products they plan to import do not exploit any forced labor, or face financial consequences. This puts them at major risk, but brings to light the need to invest in supply chain authentication capabilities, said Wayne Buchen, vice president of strategic sales at molecular-based supply chain security company Applied DNA Sciences.

Listen to Buchen discuss Applied DNA Sciences' work with agricultural commodities merchants to tag cotton in the U.S., aiming to help more brands build a more secure supply chain while they wean off Xinjiang-based cotton.

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