Some Labubu Dolls Contain Cotton Banned By Forced Labor Law, Testing Shows
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- Pop Mart, a Chinese company famous for its Labubu dolls, has become a global brand, but tests confirmed that some dolls' clothing contains cotton sourced from the Xinjiang region, which is banned in the U.S. due to forced labor concerns.
- The U.S. government restricts imports of goods containing Xinjiang cotton under a 2021 law, and companies violating this law risk being blacklisted, which would prohibit all their products from entering the U.S. market.
- Pop Mart has pledged to investigate the presence of Xinjiang cotton in its supply chain, stating that only a small percentage of its dolls use cotton and that it plans to switch to alternative materials for products sold in the U.S.
- Nonprofit organizations have reported Pop Mart's alleged use of Xinjiang cotton and other labor violations to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which enforces import bans, though the agency has not commented publicly.
- The test revealing Xinjiang cotton in Labubu dolls was commissioned by the Campaign for Uyghurs, a group advocating against the persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
