Apple, BMW, Sony among brands accused of using forced Chinese labor

Top brands have been accused of getting supplies from factories using forced labor. The brands include Adidas, Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Mercedes-Benz, Puma, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen.
The Chinese government has transferred 80,000 or more Uyghurs out of camps in Xinjiang and into factories across the country, according to a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
The institute said that “Uighurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors”, and added that “some factories across China are using forced Uighur labor under a state-sponsored labor transfer scheme that is tainting the global supply chain”.
The report found that companies using forced Uyghur labor in their supply chains could find themselves in breach of laws which prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labor or mandate disclosure of forced labor supply chain risks.
Such firms “should conduct immediate and thorough human rights due diligence on their factory labor in China, including robust and independent social audits and inspections”, it says.
Both Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler said that none of the companies mentioned were “direct suppliers”. Adidas said it had instructed suppliers last year “not to source products or yarn from the Xinjiang region”.
The Chinese government explained it was transferring “surplus” Xinjiang labor to other regions in the name of poverty alleviation. An estimated one million mostly Muslim ethnic minorities have been held in detention camps in Xinjiang. Beijing has labelled the camps as “help centres”, which the Communist Party claims are designed to combat religious extremism. However, recently leaked documents show instead, that the centers are forced ideological re-education camps.