American Eagle

Clothing
Written By Lina K

In March 2020, American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) was named in ASPI’s report as one of at least 82 global brands whose supply chains were highly likely to contain Uyghur forced labour. One of several Chinese companies identified in ASPI’s report as having ties to Uyghur forced labour and labour transfers listed AEO as one of its customers.

In November 2020, AEO issued a statement on the use of forced labour in its supply chain, stating that it was “extremely concerned regarding the allegations of forced labor in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in China; therefore, we prohibit the manufacture of any product or the use of any raw material from this region.”

American Eagle was also identified in a report from the Helen Kennedy Centre (HKC), published in November 2021, as one of many international brands whose supply chains were linked to textile companies known to source cotton from Xinjiang, who also own subsidiaries documented to have employed state-sponsored labour transfers. AEO has not responded to the report’s findings.

Reading:

Featured
Investigation
Laundering Cotton: How Xinjiang Cotton is Obscured in International Supply Chains
Investigation

An investigation into how forced-labor-produced cotton and cotton-based goods from the Uyghur Region wend their way into international supply chains. Based on international trade and customs data, the report concludes that at the same time as Xinjiang cotton has come to be associated with human rights abuses and to be considered high risk for international brands, China's cotton industry has benefited from an export strategy that obscures cotton's origin in the Uyghur Region.

Investigation
Investigation
Uyghurs for Sale: ‘Re-education’, forced labour and surveillance beyond Xinjiang
Investigation

(First published 1 March 2020) The Chinese government has facilitated the mass transfer of Uyghur and other ethnic minority citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang to factories across the country. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 82 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen.

Investigation
Statement
American Eagle: A Message to Our Suppliers: Cotton & Country of Origin Policy
Statement

American Eagle's statement on Xinjiang.

Statement
Lina K
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