C&A

Clothing
Written By Lina K

In September 2021, C&A was one of five retailers named in a complaint filed to German prosecutors by a human rights group for allegedly profiting from forced labour in Xinjiang.

In response, C&A denied purchasing any garments from Xinjiang-based manufacturers. It added that it has not been sourcing yarn or fabric from the region.

C&A was also named in a report from the Helena Kennedy Centre, published in November 2021, as one of many international brands whose supply chains were linked to textile companies known to source cotton from Xinjiang.

C&A responded to the findings, saying that it “does not tolerate forced labour […] in our supply chain” and that it “does not buy any clothing from manufacturers based in the province of Xinjiang, nor does it have any fabric or yarn factory under contract in this province”.

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
Reporting
Xinjiang forced labour: Retailers face legal action in Germany
Reporting

In September, a human rights group filed a complaint to German prosecutors alleging that five retailers, including C&A, Lidl, and HUGO BOSS, profited from forced labour in Xinjiang. Following an investigation, the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) submitted a case that also targeted two supermarket chains, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. Miriam Saage-Maass of the ECCHR said there was plenty of evidence to suggest forced labour was taking place.

Reporting
Reporting, Statement
German companies accused of profiting from forced Uighur Muslim labour in China
Reporting, Statement

Several German companies have been accused of "profiting" from the forced labour of Uyghur Muslims in China. The allegation was made by the Berlin-based NGO, The European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). High-profile brands including clothing chains Hugo Boss and C&A, and the discount chains Lidl, Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud were named in the complaint.

Reporting, Statement
Lina K
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