An official website of the United States government. For some products and industries, it may be easier to track sources and seek certifications of product origin. For more information, visitwww.bis.doc.gov. The companies that broker this Uighur labor advertise that the workers are used to working in adversity, that they will stay the length of the contract. report from the Tech Transparency Project, including internment camps, constant surveillance, mass sterilization, and forced labor, Tesla faced criticism for opening a showroom in the Xinjiang region, Mark Zuckerberg says Meta now has a team building AI tools and personas, Whoops! Written by USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel. It is a deep concern that I have learned Nike is a recipient of Chinese products manufactured using enslaved labor by forced transfer of Uyghur workers from East Turkestan (Xinjiang) to labor camps in different parts of the country. Companies Prepare for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Stephan Becker, Benjamin Cote, Aaron Hutman, Moushami Joshi, Toochi Ngwangwa Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP + Follow. Fila LL Bean Hugo Boss Lacoste Li-Ning The North Face Skechers Tommy Hilfiger Victoria's Secret Zara Zegna Anta Jansport Clothing Brands Versace Jimmy Choo Michael Kors Chanel Costco Hanes Hermes Gucci Balenciaga Yves Saint Laurent 83 global companies and brands are directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur forced laborers in these factories. We hope that by sharing this film we can serve as a catalyst to inspire action against a deep issue in our society and encourage people to help shape a better future.. Preparing for June 21, 2022 Primark uses sweatshops to make very low-price clothing. The paper also described government incentives such as tax breaks and subsidies for Chinese companies to take Uighurs. A lock 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 UFLPA also requires the interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, chaired by the Secretary of Homeland Security, and in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and Director of National Intelligence, to develop and submit to Congress a strategy for supporting CBPs enforcement of Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 with respect to goods, wares, articles, and merchandise produced with forced labor in the Peoples Republic of China. Almost all global clothing brands are implicated in the use of cotton sourced from Chinese-occupied East Turkestan (Xinjiang) as well. He said Apple earlier this year ensured . Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. SHARE. The UFLPA now would effectively apply the presumption of forced labor to all goods made in the XUAR without the need for CBP to issue WROs. Law Firms: Be Strategic In Your COVID-19 Guidance [GUIDANCE] On COVID-19 and Business Continuity Plans. CBP issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) against cotton products and tomato products produced in Xinjiang based on information that reasonably indicates the use of detainee or prison . Xinjiang Junggar Cotton and Linen Co., Ltd. Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (including three aliases: XPCC; Xinjiang Corps; and Bingtuan) and its subordinate and affiliated entities, Aksu Huafu Textiles Co. (including two aliases: Akesu Huafu and Aksu Huafu Dyed Melange Yarn), Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co., Ltd. (including three aliases: Anhui Hefei Baolongda Information Technology; Hefei Baolongda Information Technology Co., Ltd.; and Hefei Bitland Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd.), Hefei Meiling Co. Ltd. (including one alias: Hefei Meiling Group Holdings Limited), KTK Group (including three aliases: Jiangsu Jinchuang Group; Jiangsu Jinchuang Holding Group; and KTK Holding). Take action against global brands and companies complicit in forced labor by not buying their products. The law places the burden of proof on companies to demonstrate that any imports "mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part" in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regionor involving entities. Following a public comment period, the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force will describe how companies can adequately demonstrate that their imports originating from China are not made with forced labor. Products linked in whole or in part to these entities will be treated by CBP as having the same prohibitions as any products from the XUAR. A comprehensive listing of entities in the XUAR that use forced labor, entities that work with the XUAR government to facilitate the use of forced labor, a list of products produced by those entities, a list of entities that exported those products, a list of entities that source material from the XUAR and a plan for updating those lists. July 21, 2022 July 20, 2022 RealClearWire. As we made clear during this months G7 summit, the United States is committed to employing all of its tools, including export controls, to ensure that global supply chains are free from the use of forced labor and technology is not misused to abuse human rights, said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. 4 Vocation Skills Education Training Center (VSETC), Tanyuan Technology Co. Ltd. (including five aliases: Carbon Yuan Technology; Changzhou Carbon Yuan Technology Development; Carbon Element Technology; Jiangsu Carbon Element Technology; and Tanyuan Technology Development), Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) and its subordinate and affiliated entities. To sign up for updates or to access your subscriber preferences, please enter your contact information below. Call To House Republicans On Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Middleman Investigation. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Abercrombie & Fitch, adidas, Amazon, BMW, Gap, H&M, Inditex, Marks & Spencer, Nike, North Face, Puma, PVH, Samsung and UNIQLO to respond; their responses are provided. This op-ed was originally published by the New York Times on January 20, 2021. Although journalists have in the pastlinked Western companies to forced Uighur labor, this is the first time the problem is made apparent on such a large scale, enveloping factories and supply chains across the country. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Thereport listedpopular clothing companies Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Gap, Calvin Klein, H&M, L.L.Bean, Lacoste,Nike, The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren, Puma, Skechers, Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, and Victorias Secret, as well as General Motors, Goertek, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagon, and more. This action targets these entities ability to access commodities, software, and technology subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and is part of a U.S. Government-wide effort to take strong action against Chinas ongoing campaign of repression against Muslim minority groups in the XUAR. A number of countries have also imposed sanctions on Xinjiang, with the US moving ban imports from Xinjiang altogether in December. The UFLPA will replace the existing case-by-case implementation of WROs on companies operating in and product categories from the XUAR with a broad U.S. import ban and rebuttable presumption of the involvement of forced or otherwise prohibited labor. Many Chinese have called for boycotts,. To directly support Save Uyghurs campaign to safeguard fundamental human rights, donate to our cause now. Yili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. The Washington Postreported Tuesdaythat Apple supplier Lens Technology uses Uighur workers in its factories, according to documents obtained by the Tech Transparency Project. BuzzFeed News reported finding more than 100 detention facilities located beside factories. Byler said the Chinese government's use of forced labor in the Xinjiang region has long been established, but has stepped up since 2017, when the most recent crackdown on Uighurs began. The report did not document factories using Uyghur labor. Share this article with your friends, and let them know which companies to avoid as well. U.S. remote-control maker Universal Electronics Inc told Reuters it struck a deal with authorities in Xinjiang to transport hundreds of Uyghur workers to its plant in the southern Chinese city of . Several Apple suppliers may have used forced labor in China, according to The Information. , which revealed a vast network of companies complicit in the use of Uyghur forced labor throughout China. abercrombie & fitch, acer, adidas, alstom, amazon, apple, asus, b ai c motor, bmw, bombardier, bosch, byd, calvin klein, candy, carter's, cerruti 1881, changan automobile, cisco, crrc, This cotton is then exported around the world. We will continue doing all we can to protect workers and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect, the spokesperson said. The 83 foreign and Chinese companies that ASPI has identified as directly or indirectly benefiting from the potentially abusive transfer programs for Uighurs include clothing brands such as Adidas, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger and Uniqlo; carmakers such as BMW, General Motors, Jaguar and Mercedes Benz; and tech giants such as Apple, Google, Huawei and Microsoft. Companies need to implement robust preventative and transparency measures, with their compliance departmentsnot their communications departmentsleading the way. All importers are expected to review their supply chains thoroughly and institute reliable measures to ensure imported goods are not produced wholly or in part with convict labor, forced labor, and/or indentured labor (including forced or indentured child labor). An official website of the United States government. CBP guidance for XUAR WROs, and standards like the ILO Indicators of Forced Labor can provide reference points. CBP's UFLPA importer guidance is available at CBP.gov. Additional license requirements apply to exports, re-exports, and transfers (in-country) of items subject to the EAR to listed entities, and the availability of most license exceptions is limited. In a spring 2020 report report titledUyghurs For Sale, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that at least 83 popular, household-name brands are potentially directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through abusive labour transfer programs as recently as 2019.. Several Apple suppliers may have used forced labor in China, according to The Information. The UFLPA also appears to envision a supply chain compliance program meeting certain minimum standards. The problem is not Apples alone. Best practices for compliance and supply chain due diligence still are evolving. Apple . A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The report listed popular clothing companies Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Gap, Calvin Klein, H&M, L.L.Bean, Lacoste, Nike, The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren, Puma, Skechers, Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, and Victorias Secret, as well as General Motors, Goertek, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagon, and more.