Canada checks suspicion
Does Ralph Lauren support forced labor by Uyghurs?
08/16/2023, 07:05 am
Chinese companies that are supposed to use Uyghur forced laborers could be part of the supply chain of the fashion label Ralph Lauren. The Canadian authorities are currently examining this allegation. The US group of the luxury brand asserts that it has no influence on the choice of partner companies.
In Canada, the Responsible Business Agency (Core) has launched an investigation into Ralph Lauren’s Canadian subsidiary over allegations that the fashion company supports Uyghur forced labor in its supply chains in China. She decided “that the complaint against Ralph Lauren warrants an investigation,” said Sheri Meyerhoffer, ombudswoman for the supervisory authority, with regard to a complaint filed jointly by 28 civil society organizations in June 2022.
The complaint calls on Ralph Lauren to sever ties with three Chinese companies suspected of using slave labor from the Uyghur Muslim minority in their supply chains. The US group Ralph Lauren then said that its Canadian subsidiary “is not responsible for the decision-making” and that all operations would be overseen by the company’s headquarters.
Last month, Core launched similar investigations into Nike’s Canadian subsidiary and Canadian mining company Dynasty Gold. The Ottawa-based human rights organization Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project welcomed the investigation. “There is credible evidence that Ralph Lauren has relationships with numerous Chinese companies that use forced Uyghur labor in their supply chains,” it said.
For years, China has been accused of systematically repressing the Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the north-western province of Xinjiang. More than a million people are being held in camps in the region, according to human rights organizations. Among other things, Beijing is accused of forced sterilization and forced labour.