Cotton manufacturers in Xinjiang have faced massive business losses since last year after a growing number of Western fashion brands announced that they would stop using the material produced in the northwestern Chinese region over concerns of forced labor, a state-run media outlet reported.

A textile factory in Xinjiang’s Yuli County, which processes cotton bought from local farmers and then sells it to overseas markets, has lost most of its clients since last year, China Central Television reported on Saturday.

Some cotton exporters in the autonomous region have lost hundreds of millions of yuan after many fashion brands ceased sourcing from Xinjiang, the factory’s executive, Zhang Biao, was quoted as saying.

Zhang expressed concern that cotton farmers and factories would be hit hard if the ban on Xinjiang-grown cotton continued in the long term. One farmer started worrying about losing his 100,000 yuan (USD15,300) annual income after textile factories stopped sourcing from his farm this year, the report said.

Last week, China’s state-controlled media outlets stirred up sentiments against international brands, including H&M and Nike, as the European Union, the United States, Britain and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials and an entity in Xinjiang over human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslim minorities.

Mainland media outlets and netizens singled out H&M over a statement made last year regarding its concerns about cotton produced in Xinjiang. They soon expanded their ire toward other brands, calling for boycotts of companies associated with the Better Cotton Initiative, a trade body that promotes sustainable cotton production and includes Nike, Adidas, Puma and others among its members.

Mainland academic Zhu Ying of the Southwest University of Political Science and Law told hawkish media outlet Global Times that China should impose sanctions on the BCI and file lawsuits in international courts to sue fashion brands that have rejected Xinjiang cotton.

The BCI’s China branch said on Friday it had found no signs of forced labor related to cotton production in Xinjiang. The organization’s office in Shanghai had conducted second-party credibility audits and third-party verifications to come to its conclusion, CCTV reported, citing a representative from the Shanghai office.

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