abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Story

23 Jul 2020

China: Civil society organisations call on apparel brands & retailers to cut ties with suppliers allegedly using forced labour of ethnic minorities

Minority rights groups, civil society organisations and labour unions around the world have come together to call on apparel brands and retailers to cut ties with suppliers using the forced labour of ethnic minorities in the Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang.

According to the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China, as many as 1.8 million members of Muslim minorities have been detailed in the region. The report alleges that they have been subject to torture, political indoctrination and forced labour in mass internment camps.

The products produced through this forced labour are reportedly found in international apparel supply chains, with an estimated 1 in 5 cotton garments sold globally containing cotton and/or yarn from the region. Many global apparel brands allegedly maintain partnerships with Chinese suppliers that use forced labour through the Chinese government’s labour transfer programme.

Civil society organisations are calling on apparel brands and retailers to take meaningful action to ensure that their supply chains do not benefit from or facilitate forced labour in the region.

Company comments are included in the articles linked below.

Timeline

Privacy information

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies. You can set your privacy choices below. Changes will take effect immediately.

For more information on our use of web storage, please refer to our Data Usage and Cookies Policy

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

Analytics cookie

ON
OFF

When you access our website we use Google Analytics to collect information on your visit. Accepting this cookie will allow us to understand more details about your journey, and improve how we surface information. All analytics information is anonymous and we do not use it to identify you. Google provides a Google Analytics opt-out add on for all popular browsers.

Promotional cookies

ON
OFF

We share news and updates on business and human rights through third party platforms, including social media and search engines. These cookies help us to understand the performance of these promotions.

Your privacy choices for this site

This site uses cookies and other web storage technologies to enhance your experience beyond necessary core functionality.