Jacob Zinkula
Firms in recent years have been suspected of using materials linked to human-rights abuses in China.
In three reports analyzed by Insider, 106 were named, many of them household names.
In 2021, the US banned imports of products made wholly or partly in the Chinese Xinjiang region.
If you’re buying a car, electronics, clothing, or beverages from one of dozens of major household names, you could be buying products made in part by forced labor in the Xinjiang region of China.
That’s despite efforts by companies over the past year to diversify their supply chains and comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law after evidence emerged of human-rights abuses committed by the Chinese government against Uyghur Muslims, including forced labor, government surveillance, forced sterilization, and reeducation camps. Some have called the treatment a genocide.
Many companies are still intertwined with China, however. A new investigation from Britain’s Sheffield Hallam University found “massive and expanding links” between major car companies and China’s Xinjiang region.
The 78-page report says “every major car brand” — including Ford, GM, Tesla, and Toyota — is at “high risk” of sourcing parts from companies linked to these human-rights abuses. Volkswagen, BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and NIO were the other car companies referenced in the report.
“There was no part of the car we researched that was untainted by Uyghur forced labor,” the team’s lead researcher, Laura Murphy, told The New York Times. “It’s an industry-wide problem.”
And 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. Insider reached out to all the major brands listed below for comment. The final slide contains an exhaustive list of companies that could be linked to forced labor, according to the reports.
Courtesy of Nike
As recently as January 2020, a Qingdao factory that makes Nike shoes employed roughly 600 ethnic-minority workers from Xinjiang, a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found. According to the report, the Xinjiang workers were mostly Uyghur women.
The same report identified Nike among the companies that had been “potentially directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through abusive labour transfer programs as recently as 2019.”
Another 2020 report from the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers, named Nike among the companies “suspected of directly employing forced labor or sourcing from suppliers that are suspected of using forced labor.”
That year, Nike said in a statement that it “does not source products” from Xinjiang and that it “confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region.”
The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images
In 2021, an investigation by The Information found that seven of Apple’s suppliers were linked to suspected forced labor of Uyghur Muslims and other persecuted groups.
The 2020 report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said Apple’s suppliers in China had used thousands of Uyghurs across four factories for labor as part of a forced relocation program.
Apple has previously denied using suppliers that rely on the forced labor of Uyghurs. The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Elaine Thompson/AP
A March report from the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project accused Amazon of working with suppliers linked to forced Uyghur labor.
The report said five of the companies on Amazon’s 2021 supplier list had publicly known links to forced-labor programs called “labor transfers,” which have forcibly moved Uyghurs to other parts of China.
The report added that it found evidence of third-party Amazon sellers listing products containing Xinjiang cotton, which has been banned from US imports since September 2020.
In March, an Amazon spokesperson told Insider: “Amazon complies with the laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which it operates, and expects suppliers to adhere to our Supply Chain Standards.”
The company did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Dominic Lipinski – PA Images / Contributor / Getty Images
The 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report named Costco among the companies suspected of having ties to forced labor in Xinjiang.
A 2019 Associated Press report linked a Chinese company that made baby pajamas sold at Costco to the forced labor of ethnic minorities.
In 2019, Costco officials told the AP: “We believe [the baby sleepers] were made in a factory other than the one that was the subject of the CBP detention order.
“As the facts develop, we’re prepared to consider what action we should take relative to the issue of a supplier to our supplier owning factories that may have problems.”
In 2021, CEO Craig Jelinek said the following regarding the allegations: “We take our code of conduct very seriously, and we do many audits, not only our suppliers, make sure that they’re doing audits, but we also as a company do audits. We also have the ability for a whistleblower line for anybody to bring this to our attention.”
The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report identified Google among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
The company declined to comment for this story.
Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
In 2021, Reuters reported that a Microsoft supplier arranged for the transfer of at least 400 Uyghur workers to its plant, in what human-rights groups have called a forced-labor arrangement.
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report identified Microsoft among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
Human-rights groups have tied the company to sugar sourced from Xinjiang, and the 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report named Coca-Cola among the companies suspected of having links to forced labor in Xinjiang.
Coca-Cola has previously said it “strictly prohibits any type of forced labor in our supply chain.”
When reached for comment, the company said: “The Coca-Cola Company strictly prohibits any type of forced labor in its supply chain, and its policies apply to direct and authorized suppliers.
“Independent 3rd party audits are regularly conducted on all system facilities as well as our direct and authorized suppliers globally. We are confident that we are in compliance with our prohibition of forced labor policy.”
Scott Olson/Getty Images
The 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report named Patagonia among the companies suspected of having ties to forced labor in Xinjiang.
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report also identified Patagonia among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
When reached for comment, Patagonia pointed to two public statements it made in 2020 regarding the allegations and its plans to exit the Xinjiang region. It also pointed to a May New York Times article that includes more details on the steps the company has taken in recent years to improve its supply chain.
Sarah Belle Lin/Insider
Adidas is one of several companies that have pledged not to use cotton produced in the Xinjiang region, after a Center for Global Policy report found some of it is produced with forced labor. Earlier this year, however, German researchers said they found traces of Xinjiang cotton in Adidas shirts.
The shoemaker was also among the companies suspected of using forced labor in the 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report.
Earlier this year, an Adidas spokesperson told The Guardian the company “sources cotton exclusively from other countries and takes a variety of measures to ensure fair and safe working conditions in its supply chain.”
Adidas did not respond to a request for comment.
Nintendo
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report identified Nintendo among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
When asked about the company’s inclusion in the report, Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, said last year: “We as a company are aware of the news report that Uighurs might have been forced into labor at factories in our supply chain.
“However, as for the factory identified in the report, as far as we investigated, we could not confirm records of it being one of our business partners.”
The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Calvin Klein
The 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report named Calvin Klein among the companies suspected of having ties to forced labor in Xinjiang.
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report also identified Calvin Klein among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
The company said in 2020: “We are deeply troubled by the reports of mistreatment and coercive labor practices involving Uighur and other minorities inside and outside Xinjiang Province. Per our policies, forced labor is considered a zero-tolerance issue.”
That year, Calvin Klein said it would cut ties with any factories connected to cotton production in Xinjiang over the next 12 months.
The company did not respond to a request for comment.
REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
The 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report named Kraft Heinz among the companies suspected of having ties to forced labor in Xinjiang.
The company did not respond to a request for comment.
GAP
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report identified Gap among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
Gap issued the following statement in 2020: “At Gap Inc., we have strict policies against the use of involuntary labor of any kind in our supply chain. Any instance of forced detention and labor or suppression of an individual’s human rights is unacceptable to us.”
The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Seth Wenig/AP
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report identified Abercrombie & Fitch among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
The company did not respond to a request for comment.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report identified Victoria’s Secret among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
When reached for comment, Victoria’s Secret pointed to the statement L Brands — its former parent company — made in 2020 in response to its inclusion in the report.
“L Brands has a strict policy against the use of forced labor of any kind and will only work with suppliers that share our commitment to ethical and responsible business practices,” the statement said. “We recently required all of our suppliers to re-certify that they have received, read and understand our no forced labor policy, including the prohibition on the use of cotton from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), and any other form of forced labor.
“In 2019, we took immediate action to evaluate our factory database and confirmed that no production of our finished goods occur in the XUAR. Through this certification process we learned that we obtained a de minimis amount of cotton yarn from one supplier who has ties to the XUAR.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we ended our relationship with that supplier earlier this year.”
Ann Matica/Insider
The 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report named H&M among the companies suspected of having ties to forced labor in Xinjiang.
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report also identified H&M among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
H&M declined to comment for this story.
L.L.Bean
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report identified L.L.Bean among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
When reached for comment, the company said the following:
“Our L.L.Bean Supplier Code of Conduct strictly prohibits the use of forced labor of any kind. Our global compliance programs and auditors cover every country where a factory makes L.L.Bean-branded product, including China, to ensure that code is upheld. Consequently, in August of 2020, L.L.Bean made the decision to exit Xinjiang and remove all Chinese cotton from our assortment. We have full confidence in our due diligence and supply chain mapping process, which maps down to the cotton bale level, to state that none of our products are made with Chinese cotton or use forced labor.”
Ralph Lauren
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report identified Ralph Lauren among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
In 2020, the company said: “Ralph Lauren Corporation is committed to conducting its global operations ethically and with respect for the dignity of all people.
“We are deeply troubled by the reports of forced labor in and from Xinjiang. Our company has zero tolerance for forced labor of any kind, and if we find that any facility, anywhere in the world, is not acting in accordance with our Operating Standards, we take appropriate remedial and disciplinary action.
“Ralph Lauren does not source any yarn, textiles or products from Xinjiang.”
Ralph Lauren did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Robert Benson/Getty Images
The 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report named Tommy Hilfiger among the companies suspected of having ties to forced labor in Xinjiang.
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report also identified Tommy Hilfiger among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
In 2020, the company said it would “cease all business relationships with any factories and mills that produce garments or fabric, or use cotton grown, in Xinjiang within the next 12 months.”
Tommy Hilfiger did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
John Raoux / AP Images
The 2020 Congressional-Executive Commission on China report named Campbell Soup Company among the companies suspected of having ties to forced labor in Xinjiang.
Campbell said the following when reached for comment: “We do not source any ingredients from the Xinjiang region. Former Campbell subsidiaries in the Asia-Pacific region previously sourced a small amount of ingredients from Xinjiang. We divested those operations in 2019.”
Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report identified Uniqlo among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
In 2021, the company said it did not source any materials linked to human-rights violations in its supply chain.
Uniqlo did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Zara
The 2020 Australian Strategic Policy Institute report identified Zara among the companies that could have directly or indirectly benefited from forced labor in China.
Zara did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Mary Meisenzahl/Insider
These companies have also been suspected of having direct or indirect ties to Chinese forced labor in the aforementioned reports.
Acer, Alstom, Asus, BAIC Motor, Badger Sportswear, Bestway, Bombardier, Bosch, BYD, Candy Group, Carter’s, Cerruti 1881, Changan Automobile, Cisco, COFCO Tunhe, CRRC, Dell, Electrolux, Esprit, Esquel Group, Fila, Founder Group, GAC Group, Geely Auto, Goertek, Haier, Hart Schaffner Marx, Hetian Taida, Hisense, Hitachi, HP, HTC, Huafu Fashion Co., Huawei, iFlytek, Jack & Jones, Jaguar, Japan Display Inc., Lacoste, Land Rover, Lenovo, LG, Li-Ning, Litai Textiles, Mayor, Meizu, MG, Mitsubishi, Mitsumi, Nokia, Oculus, Oppo, Panasonic, Puma, SAIC Motor, Samsung, SGMW, Sharp, Siemens, Skechers, Sony, TDK, Toshiba, Tsinghua Tongfang, Urumqi Shengshi Huaer Culture Technology Co., Vivo, Xiaomi, Yili Zhuo Wan Garment Manufacturing Co., Zegna, Zhihui Haipai Internet of Things Technology Co., and ZTE.
Insider was unable to contact the following companies for comment: Hetian Taida, Litai Textiles, Mayor, GAC Group, MG, Tsinghua Tongfang, Urumqi Shengshi Huaer Culture Technology Co., Yili Zhuo Wan Garment Manufacturing Co., and Zhihui Haipai Internet of Things Technology Co.
Below, see the responses of the companies that chose to comment.
Bosch
“Bosch is committed to ensuring that its products are not produced wholly or in part by forced labor. Regarding the XUAR, Bosch does not mine, produce or manufacture products in that region. Materials and components from our direct suppliers also are not mined, produced or manufactured at sites in the XUAR.
“We have carefully scrutinized our supplier relationships and came to the conclusion that — contrary to what has been stated elsewhere — we had no partnership or supply relationship whatsoever with the company named in this context.”
Puma
“After we became aware of the report of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) in March 2020, we ordered an immediate investigation of our supply chain in China with regards to potential forced labor issues.
“Our analysis has shown that the allegations made against PUMA, as they were made in the ‘Uyghurs for Sale’ report were incorrect. Forced labor does not occur in PUMA’s value chain. PUMA has no direct or indirect business relationship with manufacturers in Xinjiang, the province in Western China where the Uyghurs live.
“Compliance with human rights, labor rights and environmental standards is a top priority at PUMA and has been specified in our Codes of Conduct for over 20 years.”
Alstom/Bombardier (Alstom acquired Bombardier in 2021. Both companies provided a comment and were considered separate companies for counting purposes.)
Alstom: “Following the publication of the ASPI report, Alstom and ex-Bombardier Transportation (BT) have undertaken a review of potential forced labour issues in the KTK Group factories supplying Alstom and ex-BT. Based on the scope and methodology of the audit, the documentation and information received from the Supplier and external audits undertaken, no human rights incidents were identified at the plant that supplies Alstom.
Bombardier: “Conducting business with integrity and the highest ethical standards is a top priority for Bombardier. Our company upholds this commitment by following a rigorous Supplier code of conduct, which strictly prohibits the use of forced or compulsory labour in any of our operations, or by our business partners. Bombardier considers the respect of human rights to be a fundamental corporate responsibility and a crucial value we carry in all of our activities.”
Dell
When reached for comment, Dell pointed to its Dell Technologies Supplier Principles, which it said provided information about its commitment to responsible business practices.
Badger Sportswear
“Badger Sportswear is deeply committed to socially responsible manufacturing and sourcing of our products. Four years ago, in January 2019 we adopted a policy prohibiting sourcing from the XUAR that encompasses all products and tiers of our supply chain.”
The company also pointed to a previous statement.
Esquel Group
“Esquel has never, and will never, use forced or coerced labor. We morally oppose the use of forced labor, which is completely contrary to our principles and the business practices by which we have operated for more than 40 years. We remain one of the few companies in the textile and apparel sector that is vertically integrated and able to provide our customers end-to-end traceability and extensive documentation on where they source their cotton.”
Alstom (Alstom completed its acquisition of Bombardier in 2021)
“Following the publication of the ASPI report, Alstom and ex-Bombardier Transportation (BT) have undertaken a review of potential forced labour issues in the KTK Group factories supplying Alstom and ex-BT.
“Based on the scope and methodology of the audit, the documentation and information received from the Supplier and external audits undertaken, no human rights incidents were identified at the plant that supplies Alstom.”
Siemens
“To state it very clearly: respecting human rights is of immense importance to our company and an integral part of our responsibility as a global business. As stated in our Business Conduct Guidelines, we reject all forms of oppression, forced labor and participation in human rights violations. Siemens has no manufacturing facilities in the Xinjiang province and does not produce there.”
“Regarding our suppliers: We take the respect for human rights very seriously and as a general principle, all Siemens suppliers must commit themselves to comply with our ‘Code of Conduct’ for Suppliers. This code is the basis for supplier selection and qualification. Siemens cooperates exclusively with suppliers who are committed to combating forced labor — and this applies globally. In addition, the auditing of our suppliers includes the topic of ‘respect of human rights’ and explicitly mentions ‘the prohibition of forced labor.'”
Japan Display Inc.
“After finding the report, we immediately conducted a fact-finding investigation, but did not find evidence that those suppliers were involved in the forced labor. Although no evidence was found at the investigation, we later received a report from the primary supplier that they had terminated business with the second-tier supplier in August 2020 and the third-tier supplier in October 2020, and started using other suppliers. We have confirmed this transition of suppliers, and will continue to monitor their labor practices on an ongoing basis.”
“We require compliance, from all of our suppliers, to the ‘JDI Supply Chain CSR Deployment Guidebook’, and require them to audit and report their CSR compliance via the JDI
Suppliers CSR Self-Audit Checklist.
“Also, in the JDI standard procurement contract, we prohibit all suppliers from using forced labor and also require the entire supply chain, including the second- and third-tier suppliers and contractors to the suppliers, to comply with JDI’s CSR principles and confirm the status of this compliance. We will continue to respect human rights and take a strong stand against forced labor.”
Jaguar
“As a global company with a global footprint, Jaguar Land Rover is committed to ensuring our entire supply chain upholds our corporate sustainability and social responsibility standards.
“We have an active ongoing program of human rights protection and anti-slavery measures, both for our own operations and our supply chains. This is detailed on our company website and includes an annual assessment of risk and follow-up.
“We are not aware of any substantiated reports of forced labor within our supply chains, and we are taking steps to drive further transparency and engagement to confirm our value chain meets the highest standards on Human Rights.”
Oculus
“We oppose all forms of human trafficking, slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labor, and all other trafficking-related activities and uphold this commitment by taking action through our Responsible Supply Chain program.
“Following the publication of ASPI’s report in March 2020, we immediately launched an investigation with our manufacturing supply chain partners and after thorough review, we confirmed that Hu Bei Yihong Precision Manufacturing is not part of our manufacturing supply chain.”
Xiaomi
“Xiaomi condemns all forms of coercive labor and rejects malicious suggestions otherwise. All our suppliers are required to comply with our Code of Conduct, which includes a range of industry-leading standards related to environment, health and safety, labor rights, business ethics, and management system.
“We also meet or exceed international standards, such as those found in the Responsible Business Alliance Code of Conduct; conduct regular independent audits of our suppliers; provide remediation where we find issues; and report our performance transparently.”