American Eagle
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.