Even though the U.S. has implemented the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and numerous brands have publicly sworn off suppliers linked to the Uyghur Region or Uyghur forced labor system, which includes Uyghurs transferred to factories across China, major companies in multiple sectors are still for the large part implicated by their supply chains.
Uyghur forced labor everywhere
From clothing to gadgets, Uyghur forced labor goods are in our homes and possibly on our wish lists for the holidays. The latest evidence-based report on Uyghur forced labor goods was released two weeks ago on the auto industry finding that virtually every car company was, in some way, tainted by Uyghur forced labor.
But, as Business Insider reports, it’s not just cars.
Many more household brands have been suspected of having links to forced labor in the Xinjiang region. Insider compiled a list of the 93 other companies named in one or both of the following reports: the 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China and a 2020 report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Even more companies, many of them not well-known in the US, have been named in other reports.
Many companies have challenged their inclusion in these reports, while others say they have taken steps in recent years to improve their supply chains.
There are so many major brands on this list that it would be easier to try and name brands that weren’t tied to the Uyghur forced labor system.
Zara, Nike, Uniqlo & more
Among the companies named and contacted by Business Insider are the four brands Freedom United supporters have been writing to – Zara, Nike, Uniqlo and Apple – without satisfactory response. Unsurprisingly, Business Insider was also unable to elicit a response.
Other major companies include Amazon, Google, Nintendo and Coca Cola.
Join the campaign to end Uyghur forced labor
This will not be the last report linking major companies to Uyghur forced labor. A Freedom United community of over 90,000 people as well as our colleagues across the world, led by Uyghur rights activists, have been reporting on the Uyghur forced labor system and campaigning for its end for years.
There is enough evidence proving that it is past time governments and businesses cut ties with Uyghur forced labor.
Join us today by writing to fashion brands, signing the petition or learning more about the issue.
Freedom United is interested in hearing from our community and welcomes relevant, informed comments, advice, and insights that advance the conversation around our campaigns and advocacy. We value inclusivity and respect within our community. To be approved, your comments should be civil.
I will buy nothing that comes from the CCP which
controls everything that come out of that Godforsaken land.