Brands complicit in sourcing from China Uighur Muslims forced labour factories urged to stop

By Alma Fabiani

Published Jul 27, 2020 at 02:11 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

In November 2019, the China Cables—classified government papers that proved that the Xinjiang province in the West of China was home to detention and concentration camps holding an estimated one million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslims—were leaked to The New York Times. In response, China continued to deny mistreatment and explained the camps were created to offer “vocational training and help fight terrorism and extremism.”

Now, more than 180 organisations are urging brands to end sourcing of cotton and clothing from Xinjiang and cut ties with Chinese suppliers that potentially benefit from the forced labour of the Uighurs and other Muslim groups. Which brands are (knowingly or unknowingly) benefiting from Xinjiang’s forced labour?

On Thursday 23 July, 72 Uyghur rights groups were joined by over 100 civil society organisations and labour unions from around the world decided last week to call out brands and retailers. Scott Nova, head of the US-based Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), who signed the letter that was sent, said: “Brands and retailers recognise there is a massive problem in the region, and that their supply chains are exposed to a grave risk of forced labour. We are cautiously optimistic that there will be commitments [from brands to pull out of Xinjiang] in the future.”

More than 80 per cent of China’s cotton comes from Xinjiang, which is home to about 11 million Uighurs. And while most fashion brands do not source from factories in Xinjiang, there are high chances that many of their supply chains are sourcing cotton picked by Uighurs detained in camps. This cotton is then exported across China and used by other suppliers.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London said that “the Chinese side has repeatedly responded to and rebuked false reports and accusations surrounding Xinjiang. The so-called ‘forced labour’ is just a concoction by some US and Western institutions and personnel. Nothing could be further from the truth.” But what did brands do to truly look into their supply chains?

In its press release, the WRC linked many important apparel brands and retailers to specific cases of Uyghur forced labour. Abercrombie & Fitch, adidas, Amazon, Gap, H&M, Muji, Nike, Patagonia, Zara and many other brands were named. Shortly after, the Thomson Reuters Foundation questioned more than 30 leading global retailers about their supply chains in China and the origins of the cotton they sourced.

Most of the brands did not respond directly to the questions, but said they had anti-forced labour policies and required their suppliers to comply with a code of conduct. Only one retailer declined to comment—Costco, based in the US.

Gap, Patagonia and Zara were included in the companies that responded. These said they did not source from factories in Xinjiang, but the majority could not confirm that their supply chain was free of cotton picked from the region.

Muji admitted it used cotton from Xinjiang but that independent auditors had found “no evidence of accusations of forced labour … at their mills.” PVH, which owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, said it would cut ties with any factories or mills that produce fabric or use cotton from Xinjiang within a year.

Less than two weeks ago, The New York Times revealed that some Chinese companies producing face masks for both domestic and export markets had used Uighur labour. Amid the growing diplomatic row between China and the US, will this new call to action be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back?

Keep On Reading

By Charlie Sawyer

Biden’s resistance to ceasefire could alienate gen Z voters and Trump’s Thanksgiving rant

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

French riots fuel far-right National Rally’s march into the mainstream. Why is no one reporting on it?

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Exploitation exposed: British farms accused of modern slavery amid Home Office cover-up

By Jennifer Raymont

Check out Margot Robbie’s best looks from the Barbie press tour and the dolls that inspired them

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Gen Z on TikTok are quitting vaping in solidarity with Congo

By Alma Fabiani

Creepy video of Ashton Kutcher goes viral amid backlash over support of Danny Masterson

By Charlie Sawyer

UK government makes shocking U-turn on single-sex bathroom policy

By Charlie Sawyer

Your favourite author has been labelled as anti-trans (and no, we’re not talking about JK Rowling)

By Charlie Sawyer

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner divorce: Joe Jonas seen wearing wedding ring amid internet rumours

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Why did Travis Scott’s Utopia concert at the Pyramids of Giza get cancelled? Wild theory goes viral

By Alma Fabiani

The rise of CringeTok and the end of coolness

By Charlie Sawyer

Drake addresses the Millie Bobby Brown age-gap controversy and potentially comes out as bisexual

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Watch videos of how Floridians are preparing for Hurricane Idalia to hit their homes

By Charlie Sawyer

How to get a refund on your student loan from SLC

By Bianca Borissova

What is the Skibidi toilet trend? Unpacking the gen Alpha meme making gen Z feel old

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Meet Kenya’s activists risking their lives to fight their country’s crackdown on LGBTQIA+ rights

By Alma Fabiani

How to unlock Netflix’s secret category codes to access hidden films and series genres

By Charlie Sawyer

How to invest in stocks, from one beginner to another

By Alma Fabiani

TikTok trends: Internet culture

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Netflix takes things too far with new AI reality TV show Deep Fake Love