Clothes made using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region easily enter the European Union. That’s according to a new report from a British university and Uyghur advocacy groups in which researchers used public resources to study supply chains in China.
The report names four major Chinese clothing manufacturers operating in Xinjiang or with ties to the province and supplying their clothing to European brands. It is known that Uighurs, a Muslim minority in the region, are subjected to large-scale forced labor in Xinjiang under the pressure of the Chinese government.
Kyrgyz, Kazakhs and North Koreans also have to work there. Forced labor is carried out in so-called “re-education camps” and prisons in the region, but minorities are also employed in “normal” companies within and outside the province, often far from their place of origin. The government in Beijing denies that forced labor exists.
On every shopping street
Clothes from these Chinese companies appear on almost every Dutch shopping street: both fast fashion chains and luxury brands. Researchers establish links between four manufacturers and 39 clothing brands, including Mango, Primark, H&M, Vero Moda, Inditex (Zara) and Decathlon. Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Burberry and Prada are also mentioned.
Many of these brands have stated that there is no evidence of forced labor in their supply chains and that they will not tolerate forced labor. Some brands admit to doing business with one of the companies mentioned, but reiterate this to researchers. German Oliver, for example, writes: “As far as we know, the production processes and materials used have no connection with Xinjiang.”
But researchers argue that independent audits of suppliers in Xinjiang, and therefore forced labor checks, are nearly impossible for brands due to the Chinese government’s control over the region.
Mapping the supply chain also becomes more difficult for brands due to their own suppliers. Chinese companies mentioned in the report regularly change their names, adjust their corporate structures and ensure they are not associated with forced labor online in Xinjiang. They sometimes also operate from offices in Vietnam or Sri Lanka.
One of the four Chinese companies told investigators through a lawyer that the report’s findings were “inaccurate and defamatory.”
US blacklist
The report shows that clothing produced using forced labor is exported to the EU without restrictions. “EU rules do not protect consumers from unknowingly purchasing products made by Uyghurs using forced labor,” the researchers said.
There is talk of stricter policies in Europe; The research was also funded by the Socialist Group in the European Parliament.
For example, there is a proposal on the table that would require large companies to exercise “due diligence” in their activities in the European market. Part of this is tackling human rights abuses in supply chains. Researchers advocate accepting this recommendation. The EU should also ban the import of all products produced using forced labour.
The USA had already passed a similar law in 2022. Today the US government announced that it has blacklisted three more Chinese companies. This brings to 30 the number of Chinese suppliers no longer allowed to export products to the US due to (suspected) forced labor.
Source: NOS
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
