BBC "Uniqlo Confirms No Kidney Cotton"

Tadashi Yanai, chairman of Fast Retailing, the parent company of fashion brand Uniqlo, said for the first time that the company does not use cotton from Xinjiang, the BBC reported.

"We don't use (Xinjiang) cotton," Yanai told the BBC in Tokyo, Japan, when asked about transparency in the production of Uniqlo's products.

"What lights up the cotton we use...The BBC reported that Yanai, who continued, stopped responding, saying, "Moreover, it becomes too political, so let's stop here."

There is a controversy that Xinjiang cotton is produced by forced labor by the minority Uighurs.

The U.S. bans Chinese textile companies from importing goods suspected of forced labor, and many global companies, including H&M, Nike and Adidas, have stopped using Xinjiang cotton, but China is fiercely protesting.

In the meantime, Chairman Yanai has not confirmed or denied whether Xinjiang cotton is used in Uniqlo clothing, saying, "I want to remain neutral between the U.S. and China."

Uniqlo has maintained its popularity in the Chinese market thanks to Yanai's failure to take sides.

Uniqlo is being pursued by companies like Xu Yin and Temu in China, but Yanai pointed out that fast fashion has no future.

"Fast fashion companies' clothes are made without much thought and thrown away in the middle of the season, a waste of the planet's resources," Yanai said.

In addition, Uniqlo added that she will make essential clothes that can be worn for many years.