60% of consumers avoid untrusted origins; 90% of analysed brands impacted by prohibited cotton

LONDON, May 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Oritain, global leaders in forensic origin verification, today released its inaugural 2026 Global Supply Chain Intelligence Report. The findings reveal a critical inflection point: as regulatory and economic scrutiny and consumer scepticism intensify, traditional supply chain visibility is no longer sufficient to operate with confidence.

The report identifies a widening "Verification Gap" between supply chain documentation and reality. Using cotton as a spotlight commodity, the data shows that after three years of steady progress, exposure to prohibited cotton has surged back to pre-2021 levels.

Oritain's analysis of 1,000 garments annually for 5 years across 40 brands highlights a fundamental shift for leadership. While nearly 94% of UK and 87% of US companies now trace their cotton supply chains, Oritain found that 90% of brands analysed in 2025 recorded at least one prohibited cotton result, up from 64% in 2024.

"Risk isn't disappearing, it's re-emerging," said Alyn Franklin, CEO at Oritain. "As brands pivot manufacturing regions, upstream material exposure hasn't disappeared – it's appearing in new manufacturing hubs. Without independent verification, risk travels quietly through complex trade routes and only surfaces when goods are stopped and costs escalate."

Key Insights

• Prohibited cotton exposure has returned to pre-2021 levels, a challenge traditional paper trails cannot solve.
• There is a trust deficit. 60% of consumers avoid products from untrustworthy origins, while only 3% trust marketing claims.
• Beyond cotton, 69% of consumers support mandatory ethical sourcing proof of leather, reinforcing calls for its inclusion within the EUDR.
• Consequences are no longer theoretical. 80% of UK and 37% of US brands surveyed have already experienced material impact, including border delays, financial penalties, disrupted production.

The report concludes that the future of resilient trade lies in programmatic forensic verification. By moving from reactive compliance to a continuous, science-based model, businesses can substantiate claims with defensible evidence.

"Visibility without verification no longer holds," Franklin added. "Oritain provides the science and network intelligence that allows organisations to build trust that is measurable, defensible and scalable."

About Oritain:

Oritain is a global leader in forensic origin verification. Using isotopes and trace elements combined with advanced statistical modelling, Oritain verifies the provenance of products across fashion and cotton, leather, timber, coffee, meat, and dairy to help organizations achieve regulatory compliance and reduce reputational risk.

Read more here.

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