Levi's Vacates Better Cotton Initiative Board Seat. Is Xinjiang to blame?
Levi Strauss’s sustainability czar has exited the board of the Better Cotton Initiative, cutting short a four-year term that was scheduled to end next year, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people close to the matter. BCI, which declined to “provide input on this topic,” updated its website early Friday to strike Levi’s from its so-called BCI Council. BCI’s leadership, members of the Geneva-based not-for-profit told the Wall Street Journal, remains deeply divided over its response to suspected human-rights abuses, including forced labor, in China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
US Tech Products Enable Chinese Surveillance in Xinjiang, Researchers Find
U.S. technology companies are still supplying China’s surveillance state with equipment and software for monitoring populations and censoring information, including in the Xinjiang region, despite damning revelations that have led to genocide accusations against Beijing, according to researchers.
In the midst of the Uyghur scandal, the managing director of Sandro, Maje and Claudie Pierlot resigns
The SMCP group, which owns the Sandro, Maje and Claudie Pierlot brands, has just announced the departure of its managing director Daniel Lalonde. If the textile giant says that his resignation has “nothing to do” with the scandal of the Uyghurs, the group is nevertheless facing a crisis. In early July, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation targeting him for “concealing a crime against humanity”.
Reports of forced labor are driving brands to abandon Chinese cotton
Early last year, amid mounting reports of forced labor and human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), U.S. outdoor apparel maker Patagonia resolved to stop sourcing cotton from China. From April 2020 on, the brand’s global suppliers had to vet and eliminate any links to the world’s largest cotton producer. The decision wasn’t easy. China accounts for roughly 20% of global cotton supply, and Xinjiang produces some of the highest-grade cotton in the world.
Zara, Uniqlo and Skechers Investigated Over Alleged Uyghur Forced Labor
Leading fashion brands are facing a French probe over allegations they profited from exploiting forced labor in the Chinese Uyghur community to manufacture their products. A French prosecutor’s office started the investigation last month looking at accusations that Claudie Pierlot parent SMCP SA, Zara owner Inditex SA, Skechers and Uniqlo profited from human rights crimes against the Muslim ethnic group, according to an official from the French Prosecution Office.
France investigates fashion brands over forced Uyghur labour claims
French prosecutors have opened an investigation into four multinational fashion retailers on suspicion of concealing and profiting from crimes against humanity in China’s Xinjiang region by sourcing goods produced using forced Uyghur labour. Judicial sources confirmed to French media on Friday the investigation concerned Uniqlo France, owned by Fast Retailing; Inditex, which owns Zara and Bershka; SMCP, the owner of the French fashion labels Sandro and Maje; and the footwear company Skechers.
Perth’s billion-dollar train deal linked to exploited Uighur workers in China
A billion-dollar train deal between Western Australia and manufacturing giant Alstom is the latest government contract in Australia to face scrutiny for its use of Chinese suppliers linked to exploited Uighur workers. It comes weeks after revelations Melbourne’s transport authority advised the Victorian government to continue buying parts from a contractor using Muslim workers to avoid additional costs and delays in its $2.4 billion train project.
Victoria continued to use Uighur-linked firm to avoid delays on $2.4b rail project
Victoria’s Transport department advised the Andrews government to continue with the purchase of train parts from a Chinese supplier linked to exploited Uighur workers because it would have cost too much to find a different contractor on the $2.4 billion train project.
Report: Apple suppliers in China tell ethnic minorities not to apply for jobs
A new report claims that Apple's suppliers in China are discriminating against ethnic minorities, telling them not to apply for jobs in the company's supply chain. According to The Information, ads "explicitly" stated that members of minority ethnic groups were not to Apple, one advert for an iPhone cover glass manufacturer stating "Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hui, Yi, Dongxiang from Tibet or Xinjiang regions aren't accepted." The report says positions explicitly stated that the work was to be carried out for Apple. By contrast, the report says some suppliers will accept workers from "government labor programs" because they received special benefits as a result:
New rules threaten German investments in Xinjiang
German companies will likely have to end their business activities in China's western region of Xinjiang or face fines under new supply chain rules targeting human rights violations committed against the Muslim Uyghur minority, according to a Bundestag research paper.
Asked about Xinjiang, Burberry says pleased with China performance
The chief operating officer of Burberry said the British luxury brand was pleased with its performance in mainland China when asked about any backlash to Western accusations of abuses in Xinjiang.
Seven Apple Suppliers Accused of Using Forced Labor From Xinjiang
An investigation found that Apple’s suppliers participated in labor programs suspected of being part of China's alleged genocide against Uyghurs. The newly uncovered evidence stands in contrast to Apple's statements that it hasn't found evidence of forced labor
Apple suppliers linked to Uyghur forced labor in new report
Several Apple suppliers may have used forced labor in China, according to The Information. Working with two human rights groups, the publication identified seven companies that supplied products or services to Apple and supported forced labor programs, according to statements made by the Chinese government. The programs target the country’s Muslim minority population, particularly Uyghurs living in Xinjiang.
Adidas is trying to have it both ways on Xinjiang
Adidas is trying to win back Chinese shoppers after it was caught up in an uproar in March with several Western companies over their stances on China’s Xinjiang region. US and European authorities say forced labor of Uyghurs and other Muslim groups is widespread in the region’s giant cotton industry, charges fiercely denied by the Chinese government and consumers who boycott companies they accuse of slandering China.
Puma sees sales hit from China backlash and freight delays
German sportswear company Puma (PUMG.DE) expects a consumer backlash against Western brands in China and congestion at ports to hit its sales though it gave an upbeat outlook for 2021 following a strong first quarter.
How a Chinese Surveillance Broker Became Oracle's "Partner of the Year"
A network of local resellers helps funnel Oracle technology to the police and military in China.
There’s a good chance your cotton T-shirt was made with Uyghur slave labor
China is by many measures now the world’s largest economy, and in the wake of this boycott, major global apparel companies including Inditex and PVH have removed policies against forced labor from their websites. So far these companies are in the minority, but they own global brands such as Zara, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. As long as there is a market for goods sourced from the Uyghur region, the Chinese government will be emboldened to keep operating the mass detention camps where Uyghur people are being held in indentured servitude.
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.
Huawei removes Nike and Adidas from its app store amid Xinjiang cotton controversy
Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei Technologies Co has suspended downloads of sportswear brands Nike and Adidas from its app store amid a public uproar in China over their position on the alleged use of forced labour by Xinjiang cotton producers.