These legal developments also dovetail with broader ESG and corporate responsibility trends. The entities to be added to the Entity List in connection with participating in the practice of, accepting, or utilizing forced labor involving Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in the XUAR are: Hoshine Silicon Industry (Shanshan) Co., Ltd. Xinjiang Daqo New Energy Co., Ltd. Xinjiang East Hope Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd. The ASPI found that 27 factories across nine Chinese provinces used the labor of Uyghurs forcibly transferred from Chinese-occupied East Turkestan since 2017. Thus, it may be challenging for an importer to obtain an exception. It establishes a rebuttable presumption that the importation of any goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, or produced by certain entities, is prohibited by . or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Dont accept innocent lives being taken from us., Nike has a long history of standing against bigotry, hatred and inequality in all forms, a Nike spokeswoman said in a May statement. What Is the U.S. Government Doing About Uyghur Forced Labor? Amazon suppliers must not use forced labor slave, prison, indentured, bonded, or otherwise, its standards read. Companies Prepare for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA The report estimates that more than 80,000 Uighurs were transferred to work in factories across China between 2017 and 2019. Adding to these challenges, the efforts to comply with or plan for the UFLPA may cause a number of companies to consider their policies for supply chain ethics and due diligenceissues that may tie into broader environment, social and governance (ESG) efforts. Meet The Company Bridging Synthetic Biology Innovation With The World Of Insurance To Ensure Safe Food Production, Theres A New Species Of Magic Mushroom - Named After Paul Stamets, Absci Takes Its Generative AI Antibody Design Platform To Europe, Meet The Startup Thats Putting Ice Factories In Shipping Containers For Winn-Dixie Supermarkets. Lenovo also pointed to a 2018 audit by the Reliable Business Alliance in which OFILM scored very well. 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. Please immediately end any sourcing from companies complicit in using forced labor, and discontinue any business relations with them. Chinese Solar Companies Tied to Use of Forced Labor As always, our focus is on making sure everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and we will continue doing all we can to protect workers in our supply chain, Rosenstock added. Check the below Frequently Asked Questions to see if your questions about UFLPA Enforcement may be answered here. An April 2021 report co-authored by Human Rights Watch and Stanford Law School details "crimes against humanity," including mass detention, forced labor, torture, and cultural and religious erasure. What to Know - Effective June 21, 2022, 180 days after enactment of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), a rebuttable presumption will apply that goods produced in whole or part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) are produced with forced labor and banned from US importation, unless the importer can provide "clear and convincing . Whenever we find or receive proof of forced labor, we take action.. Written by USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel. The coalition has published an extensive list of brands it claims continue to source from the region, or from factories connected to the forced labour of Uighur people, including Gap, C&A,. As for population statistics, China lists Xinjiang's population at 24.5 million, including 12 million Uyghurs and 11 million Chinese as well as one million Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Huai, and other ethnic. The TTP pinpoints five companies on Amazons supplier list (available as a CSV file in the small print below the pages supply chain map) that have been publicly denounced for being directly or indirectly connected to the forced labor of Chinas Uyghur population in the Xinjiang region. Companies will need to comply with the law 180 days after its December 23, 2021 enactment. 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. LockA locked padlock Two other companies, GoerTek and Hefei BOE Optoelectronics, are indirectly involved, and allegedly utilize suppliers that have been accused of using forced labor. For more information, visitwww.bis.doc.gov. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Lop County Meixin Hair Products Co., Ltd. Nanjing Synergy Textiles Co., Ltd. (including two aliases: Nanjing Xinyi Cotton Textile Printing and Dyeing; and Nanjing Xinyi Cotton Textile), No. Chinese parents who have more than a few children are often sent to detention camps or subjected to huge fines, the publication found, and police instill terror into families by raiding homes searching for hidden children. Enforcement Priorities Here are some of the 83 brands listed in the report as being connected to those factories using forced labor. Companies using uighur labor 2022 - uwgh.tamc.info The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) was signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2021. The ECCHR said that the companies have been complicit "directly or indirectly" in the forced labour of members of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China's Xinjiang province. However, existing CBP guidance for WROs indicates a demanding standard for documentation and tracing. In anticipation of the rebuttable presumption becoming effective on June 21, 2022, an implementation strategy and guidance for the trade community will be issued to ensure compliance with the Act. 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. Lets Examine. Six of the seven suppliers were said to participate in work programs operated by the Chinese government, The Information reports, which human rights groups describe as frequently offering cover for forced labor. (See here.) 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. Meta backs new tool for removing sexual images of minors posted online, Mark Zuckerberg says Meta now has a team building AI tools and personas, Whoops! The presumption applies unless the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) determines that the importer of record has complied with specified conditions and, by clear and convincing evidence, that the goods, wares, articles, or merchandise were not produced using forced labor. Apples supply chain has previously been linked to forced labor in China. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Dont pretend theres not a problem in America. Companies doing business in China should consider the following to prepare for the new requirements. 83 global companies and brands are directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur forced laborers in these factories. Earlier this year, Tesla faced criticism for opening a showroom in the Xinjiang region and was also mentioned as an alleged customer of the aforementioned Lens Technology company in the TTP report from December 2020. In January, the Trump administration said China was committed genocide against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.. Implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Apple lists both . China is using the 2022 Winter Olympics to "legitimize its human rights abuses," a human rights . 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. July 21, 2022 July 20, 2022 RealClearWire. Demand Nike and other listed companies to stop sourcing their products from Uyghur forced labor. China's Uighur crackdown expands to forced work in factories, some Major brands try to determine if cotton in their clothes is from Uighur CBP has released importer guidance to assist the trade community in preparing for the implementation of the UFLPA rebuttable presumption that goes into effect on June 21, 2022. 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. Let the companies know youre using your power as the consumer to advocate for human rights by tagging them in social media and pushing them to address their complicity in Uyghur forced labor. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Becomes Law - ArentFox Schiff Importers of record will have a path to overcome that rebuttable presumption by showing that the items are not mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part by forced labor and demonstrating other elements of compliance. , which revealed a vast network of companies complicit in the use of Uyghur forced labor throughout China. Specifically, this will include: (i) a list of entities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region that mine, produce, or manufacture wholly or in part any goods, wares, articles and merchandise with forced labor; (ii) a list of entities working with the government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to recruit, transport, transfer, harbor or receive forced labor or Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz or members of other persecuted groups out of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; (iv) a list of entities that exported products described in clause (iii) from the Peoples Republic of China into the United States [being products mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part by entities on the list required by clause (i) or (ii)]; (v) a list of facilities and entities that source material from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region or from persons working with the government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region or the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps for purposes of government labor scheme that uses forced labor. It is bothersome that millions of people, including myself, may be owning clothing that are made by modern day slaves. Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. Apple supplier Lens Technology used forced Uighur laborers - The CBP is urging importers to be proactive and closely review their supply chains to ensure any goods or materials are not sourced from the XUAR in violation of the Act. 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 In one case, a batch of graduates from a so-called vocational training center in south Xinjiang were transferred directly to a factory in the eastern Anhui province, according to a government report. However, a vast majority of implicated brands and companies have not taken any steps to address their ties to Uyghur forced labor. They include. Thus far, the U.S. government has deployed Withhold Release Orders (WROs), export control restrictions pursuant to the Entity List, and sanctions designations under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which have targeted several large Chinese companies including the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), as well as categories of products. TheAP investigation, based on interviews with 30 former detainees, family members, a former detention camp instructor, government statistics and state documents, found that the Chinese government seeks to dramatically lower the birthrates of Uighurs and other minorities while encouraging other populations to produce more children.