UK companies are struggling to keep pace with supply-chain compliance demands, according to Oritain’s 2026 Global Supply Chain Intelligence Report, which says 80% of firms faced regulatory or compliance problems in 2025.
The report suggests a growing disconnect between paperwork and proof. Nearly 94% of UK companies now say they can trace their cotton supply chains, yet Oritain said its market analysis found that 90% of brands examined in 2025 showed at least one outcome cons...
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istent with risk, up from 64% a year earlier.
At the heart of the findings is cotton, a commodity that sits under a dense web of trade rules and sustainability scrutiny. Oritain said its multi-year forensic programme examines about 1,000 garments across 40 brands each year, alongside consumer research and intelligence gathered from manufacturing regions and supplier networks. Its conclusion is that more tracing has not necessarily meant more certainty about where raw materials actually came from.
The commercial consequences appear to be mounting. Among UK respondents, 44% said supply-chain problems had already led to reputational harm or public relations fallout, while 65% said weaknesses further up the chain had stopped them from reaching their own sustainability targets.
The report also says exposure to cotton prohibited under law has climbed back to levels last seen before 2021, reversing several years of improvement. Oritain argues that this points to a system-wide problem rather than a handful of isolated breaches.
Alyn Franklin, Oritain’s chief executive, said the pattern showed risk was shifting rather than fading. He said that as manufacturers moved across regions, upstream material exposure was reappearing in different hubs, and that without independent checks the problem could remain hidden until goods were delayed, costs rose and delivery schedules slipped.
The report also highlights a tough consumer environment. It found that 60% of consumers avoid products from origins they do not trust, while just 3% trust marketing claims. Government oversight and scientific verification were rated as the most credible forms of assurance. In leather, 69% of consumers backed mandatory proof of ethical sourcing.
Oritain’s message is that supply-chain management is moving from documentation to evidence. In its view, traceability can show intent, but not necessarily withstand enforcement. The company says businesses now need continuous, independent verification if they are to avoid border seizures, financial penalties, production disruption and lost commercial relationships.
The report said 80% of UK brands surveyed and 37% of US brands surveyed had already suffered some material impact from supply-chain failures. For Oritain, that is a sign that visibility alone is no longer enough.
Source: Noah Wire Services
