‘Substantial volume’ of clothing tied to Uyghur forced labour entering EU, says study
The report identifies dozens of well-known brands as having “significant ties” to Xinjiang, via Chinese companies involved in forced labour transfer programmes.
Tailoring Responsibility: Tracing Apparel Supply Chains from the Uyghur Region to Europe
This report provides critical insight into how forced labour-made apparel is moving from the Uyghur Region into high-street and high-end brands operating and selling within the EU.
Laundering Cotton: How Xinjiang Cotton is Obscured in International Supply Chains
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.
Uyghurs for Sale: ‘Re-education’, forced labour and surveillance beyond Xinjiang
(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.
H&M’s latest statement on Xinjiang cotton is very careful not to mention Xinjiang
China’s consumer boycotts of foreign brands over Xinjiang cotton are presenting major global companies such as H&M, Zara owner Inditex, and Nike with some unpalatable options to choose from—further annoy a major supplier and consumer market, or appear not to care greatly about human rights. Some are attempting to mollify Beijing by deleting old statements voicing concern about the alleged use of forced labor in the region, where researchers estimate as many as 1 million ethnics Uyghurs have experienced internment in detention camps since at least 2017. Others are telling different stories to different audiences, possibly in the hope that no one notices. H&M is trying a tack so carefully middle of the road that it’s hard to know quite what it’s saying.
Why Chinese shoppers are boycotting H&M, Nike, and other major retailers
Chinese consumers, e-commerce sites, and social media platforms are boycotting prominent international retailers, such as H&M, Nike, and Uniqlo, in the wake of sanctions against the Chinese government, backed by the United States, the European Union, Britain, and Canada.
China steps up pressure on brands to reject reports of Uyghur abuses
H&M, Nike, Adidas and other brands are caught in a spiraling conflict over allegations of forced labor in the production of cotton in China's Xinjiang region.
What Is Going On With China, Cotton and All of These Clothing Brands?
Last week, calls for the cancellation of H&M and other Western brands went out across Chinese social media as human rights campaigns collided with cotton sourcing and political gamesmanship. Here's what you need to know about what's going on and how it may affect everything from your T-shirts to your trench coats.
How brands are responding to China’s Xinjiang boycotts: deleting past statements or all-out flip-flops
Some of the world’s largest apparel companies are facing an unprecedented reckoning in China as state media outlets and social media campaigns call for consumer boycotts in protest of the brands previously saying they were concerned about reports that China uses forced labor to produce cotton in its Xinjiang province. Now, some companies are deleting those statements or telling different stories about their products depending on whether the audience is Western or Chinese.
Xinjiang Cotton: Li Ning, Anta Shares Surge While Nike, Adidas, Burberry Hit With Backlash
The number of fashion brands caught in the crossfires of a heavy political storm in China over Xinjiang cotton is ballooning quickly. Foreign firms that have previously stated their concerns about cotton imports from the region are having their goods dragged down from online marketplaces in China because of it.
China Retaliates Against Clothing Brands After Western Sanctions
The clothing brand H&M has come under a sudden, intense storm of criticism in China over a statement it made more than half a year ago, where it distanced itself from cotton sourced from China's Xinjiang region.
Inditex accused of turning a blind eye amid rising tensions in China boycott crisis
On Thursday, China, backed by the Chinese government itself, started retaliating against the Western boycott of cotton produced in the ‘Uyghur labor camps’ of Xinjiang, calling for its own boycott against international fashion companies. The boycott primarily affected Swedish retail giant H&M on Thursday, but is now also being launched against the parent companies of Nike, Adidas and Uniqlo, which decided to stop using cotton sourced in Xinjiang in their apparel, in light of the recent accusations of human rights violations by the Chinese authorities.
Nike, Adidas join brands feeling Chinese social media heat over Xinjiang
Nike and Adidas came under attack on Chinese social media on Thursday over past comments the fashion brands have made about labour conditions in Xinjiang, part of a diplomatic row between China and the West.
Here’s what foreign brands have to say about Xinjiang
Nike. The Gap. Uniqlo. Major clothing and footwear brands are under attack in China after Europe, the U.S. and other countries sanctioned Chinese officials this week over alleged human rights abuses. The companies, under pressure from activists, have tried to distance themselves from reports of forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. Such statements have drawn attacks from state media and others.
Die, H&M, die:' brand grapples with Chinese boycott and social media firestorm over Xinjiang 'forced labor' comments
Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M is facing boycotts by Chinese online e-commerce platforms and customers alike after a statement on its "concerns" regarding the use of "forced labor" to produce Xinjiang cotton resurfaced this week.
U.S. ban on China’s Xinjiang cotton fractures fashion industry supply chains
Last month, Chinese cotton yarn maker Huafu Fashion sent a warning to investors. “Multiple American brands have canceled orders,” Huafu said in a Shenzhen stock exchange filing, citing U.S. sanctions. “It’s brought negative effects to the company.” Huafu — which said it lost at least $54.3 million last year vs. a net profit of $62.5 million in 2019 — is one of the few suppliers to publicly acknowledge the sanctions’ effects. But thousands of companies worldwide are affected after the United States blacklisted 87 percent of China’s cotton crop — one-fifth of the world’s supply — citing human rights violations against Muslim Uighurs in China’s northwest Xinjiang region.
Uighurs in Sweden join global call to end forced labour in China
The Sweden Uighur Education Association has endorsed a call to major global brands, including Sweden's H&M and Electrolux, to help end human-rights abuses in China by severing ties to any factory accused of using forced labour.
Western Companies Get Tangled in China’s Muslim Clampdown
Western companies, including brand name apparel makers and food companies, have become entagled in China's campaign to forcibly assimialte its Muslim population. Adidas AG, Hennes & Mauritz AB, Kraft Heinz Co., Coca-Cola Co. and Gap Inc. are among those at the end of the long, often opaque supply chains that travel through China's northwest region of Xinjiang.