UK’s Marks and Spencer to ban Xinjiang cotton over China's alleged abuses on Uighur

British supermarket chain Marks and Spencer (M&S) will ban the use of cotton from the Xinjiang region in protest of China's alleged treatment of its Muslim Uighur minority.

M&S said it is one of the first companies that signed the call to action on human rights abuses and among the few retailers that do not work with any supplier or source from Xinjiang.

According to M&S, their move supports efforts to ensure fair treatment of workers and that human rights are respected.

M&S noted 80 percent of China’s cotton is grown in the Uighur region, covering almost 20 percent of global production.

International human rights groups have decried forced labor in Xinjiang, in northwest China.

Jasmine O’Connor, the Executive Director of Anti-Slavery International, said they welcome the leadership shown by M&S in assuring its consumers that it will not ignore the abuses of Uighurs.

Two years ago, US firm Badger Sportswear said it would stop sourcing clothing from the Chinese apparel company Hetian Taida over concerns it used forced labor from Xinjiang internment camps.

Last month, French footballer Antoine Griezmann immediately terminated his partnership with Chinese telecom giant Huawei on suspicions that it was involved in Chinese surveillance of the Uighur minority.

The Uighur is the main ethnic group in Xinjiang, a region of China that borders Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Experts and human rights groups reported that at least one million Uighurs were detained in recent years in political re-education camps in Xinjiang.