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. 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). Any dollar that goes to these brands is a dollar that goes into the factories profiting off of Uyghur forced labor. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. CBP guidance for XUAR WROs, and standards like the ILO Indicators of Forced Labor can provide reference points. Amazon is allegedly employing suppliers in China with links to forced labor, according to a report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), a research group owned by the nonprofit watchdog organization Campaign for Accountability (via NBC News). Please immediately end any sourcing from companies complicit in using forced labor, and discontinue any business relations with them. ASPI stated that it had found 27 factories in 9 Chinese provinces that are using Uyghur labor transferred from Xinjiang since 2017. This situation poses new risksreputational and legalfor companies and consumers purchasing goods from China, as products made in any part of the country, not just in Xinjiang, may have passed through the hands of forced labourers, the authors said. Demand Nike and other listed companies to stop sourcing their products from Uyghur forced labor. I understand that in some of these poor countries it may not be clear who may be violating human rights in some way but there should be minimum due diligence standards. The UFLPA mandates a review and strategy-development process expected to result in the identification of additional parties whose products will be presumed to derive from forced labor and banned from import. (See here.) 83 global companies and brands are directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur forced laborers in these factories. We take allegations of human rights abuses seriously, including those related to the use or export of forced labor. You may opt-out by. The Act, codified under 22 U.S.C. 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 . A number of previous reports have implicated these companies in the past for example, Luxshare and Lens Technology were both linked to forced labor in bombshell reports from The Information and The Washington Post, although those reports pertained to Apples questionable history of suppliers. Dont pretend theres not a problem in America. It is bothersome that millions of people, including myself, may be owning clothing that are made by modern day slaves. 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. They are grouped into different categories and listed below. Chinas population of Uyghurs, the countrys Muslim ethnic minority, is largely concentrated in the Xinjiang region of China. Apples supply chain has previously been linked to forced labor in China. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 82 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said the company has confirmed that Lens Technology has not received any labor transfers of Uighur workers from Xinjiang. The Save Uyghur Campaign would like to recognize BBC News for the release of The, Background Date of Birth:February 26th, 1973 National Identification Number: 65010319730226283X Chinese Official Name: , Background Date of Birth: January 6th, 1987 National Identification Number: 652924198701060014 Chinese Official Name: Alimu, General contact / Media queries info@justiceforall.org, 27 E. Monroe St. #700, Chicago IL 60603, USA, In March 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published a report titled. Crypto company Gemini is having some trouble with fraud, Some Pixel phones are crashing after playing a certain YouTube video. In any future CBP enforcement action related to such merchandise, CBP will take into consideration the fact that you have been provided this notice in determining appropriate administrative remedies. Withhold Release Orders and Findings List, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, Best Practices for Applicability Reviews: Importer Responsibilities, Guidance on Executive Summaries and Sample Tables of Contents, https://www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor/UFLPA, Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The paper also described government incentives such as tax breaks and subsidies for Chinese companies to take Uighurs. Any violation of our policies has immediate consequences, including possible business termination. 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 . U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Issues Withhold Release Order (WRO): CBP has issued a WRO on silica-based products made by Hoshine Silicon Industry Co., Ltd., a company located in . (LockA locked padlock) 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 exporting labor from Xinjiangwere not made using forced labor. 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. In the last fiscal year, 835 companies were found . An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Here's the complete list of companies who have not taken steps in agreement with the Call to Action to End Uyghur Forced Labor: Abercrombie & Fitch (Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister Co., Ruehl No. In March, Apple cut ties with another supplier over allegations it was connected to coercive government labor programs. Stop sourcing from Qingdao Taekwang immediately. Persons wishing to import affected products to the United States will need to supply evidence demonstrating that those products were not made with forced labor, and meet pending compliance standards. Enforcement Priorities (Photo by Anna Fifield/The Washington Post via Getty Images), Nike, Adidas, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung are among 83 multinationals that have been linked to forced labor by Uighurs in factories across China, according to a new study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). These workers were transferred from labor camps in the Xinjiang region of western China, WaPo reported. The complexity and opacity of supply chains in China will complicate the due diligence process, as some products and materials made with forced labor in Xinjiang are repurposed in intermediary factories elsewhere in China, obscuring their origin. Two other companies, GoerTek and Hefei BOE Optoelectronics, are indirectly involved, and allegedly utilize suppliers that have been accused of using forced labor. Please note that this notice may serve as an aggravating factor should CBP take enforcement action upon determining future violations of the Act. Build a Morning News Brief: Easy, No Clutter, Free! One of the suppliers operated in Xinjiang, the region of China predominantly populated by Uyghurs and where the most egregious human rights violations have reportedly taken place. 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. Effective June 21, 2022, in an effort to address forced labor concerns, U.S. law will broadly prohibit imports of products from Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), along with additional companies determined to be related to supply from that region. While some of the enforcement specifics of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act will be clarified over the next six months, it is clear that grand statements from corporations are no longer enough. There are watchtowers with cameras pointed in all directions and high barbed wire fences atop the walls. 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. DHSs New Criminal Enforcement Initiative to Prosecute Corporations for Forced Labor, Slavery in Supply Chains: CBP Petitions Raise New Forced Labor Compliance Risks, Recent DOJ Action Creates Uncertainty for Information-Sharing Programs, NLRB Invalidates Common Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Clauses in Severance Agreements, U.S. Attorneys Offices Adopt New Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy, Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). 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 . Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Fact Sheet, Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Importer Overview, H.R. For further inquiries, please contact the UFLPA Entity List Team atFLETF.UFLPA.EntityList@hq.dhs.gov. An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Products made with such labor will be covered by the laws rebuttable presumption, even if they are produced in other regions of China. Looking for U.S. government information and services? 6256 - Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, DHS Press Release on UFLPA Public Comment Period, Federal Register Notice Seeking Public Comment. The Washington Postreported Tuesdaythat Apple supplier Lens Technology uses Uighur workers in its factories, according to documents obtained by the Tech Transparency Project. Two top congressional Democrats, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., urged players to drop endorsement deals with Chinese sportswear companies that use cotton from Xinjiang . Do not buy products made with the tears of modern-day Uyghur slaves. 1307, CBP is authorized to issue WROs to ban imports on goods and merchandise produced wholly or in part from forced or indentured labor, including child labor or convict labor. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), hereafter referred to as the Act, was signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2021. 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. BOE Technology Group, which supplies screens to Apple, and O-Film, which makes iPhone cameras, both use Uighur labor, either directly or through contractors, the report found. This enhanced enforcement already is underway. Two other companies, GoerTek and. Check the below Frequently Asked Questions to see if your questions about UFLPA Strategymay be answered here. A number of countries have also imposed sanctions on Xinjiang, with the US moving ban imports from Xinjiang altogether in December. The Act 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 Peoples Republic of China, or produced by an entity on a list required by clause (i), (ii), (iv) or (v) of section 2(d)(2)(B) of the Act, is prohibited by Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and that such goods, wares, articles, and merchandise are not entitled to entry to the United States. The enforcement strategy, and how much companies will need to do to satisfy the law, remains to be seen. Here are some of the 83 brands listed in the report as being connected to those factories using forced labor. Companies in the labor transfer program are often in labor-intensive industries, so they asked: is the growing and labor-intensive P.P.E. 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. Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said the company has confirmed that Lens Technology has not received any labor transfers of Uighur workers from Xinjiang. Click Share This Page button to display social media links. A lock 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. Companies doing business in China, especially those with supply chain touchpoints in Xinjiang, should consider how the new law will affect them. Some Uighurs have allegedly been placed in these factories straight from the internment camps in Xinjiang, where experts estimate more than 1.5 million members of ethnic minorities are being held. Apple found no evidence of forced labor anywhere we operate, a spokesperson told The Information. 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 . Lenovo also pointed to a 2018 audit by the Reliable Business Alliance in which OFILM scored very well. A Chinese-dominated mining company has procured millions of dollars in American subsidies to extract lithium in the United States - but, given a dearth of U.S. processing capacity, the mineral is likely to be sent to China with no guarantee that the end product would return as . Most fashion brands can't promise their products aren't implicated, with concern spreading from fast-fashion and sportswear giants to major luxury groups. ChatGPT Swears It Can Optimize Your Inventory. (See here.) Xinjiang workers have also been placed in factories that are part of Apples supply chains, including a plant in Guangzhou visited by Apple CEO Tim Cook in December 2017. 1307) are not entitled to entry at any of the ports of the United States. Even more to the point, how about forced labor right here in the U.S. with our prisons (especially the privatized ones), with our vagrancy laws, our with our use of cheap underpaid and unpaid foreign labor from the very groups that conservatives want to deport unless, of course, these conservatives can make more unbegotten money from their forced labor? An investigation by the Associated Press published in June found that the Chinese government is committing demographic genocide against Uighur Muslims through forced abortions, birth control, mass detentions, and imprisonment. Official websites use .gov WASHINGTON Nike and Coca-Cola are among the major companies and business groups lobbying Congress to weaken a bill that would ban imported goods made with forced labor in China's Xinjiang. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. The report accuses Amazon of continuing to work with these suppliers, despite evidence of their association with Uyghur labor camps. However, a vast majority of implicated brands and companies have not taken any steps to address their ties to Uyghur forced labor. 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. Keep in mind also this is part of the problem with China, it is hard for other countries or supply chains to compete with no labor costs. or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. An official website of the United States government. 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. These categories appear likely to include additional manufacturers and intermediate supply chain participants outside of the XUAR. Apple, which has saidthat it is committed to donating to organizations that challenge racial injustice and mass incarceration, is not the only company to come under scrutiny for its links to slave labor. In addition, CBP is subject to reporting requirements that likely will discourage easy granting of exceptions. Official websites use .gov The TTP found that three Amazon suppliers Luxshare Precision Industry, AcBel Polytech, and Lens Technology have reportedly used forced labor themselves. The United Nations estimates that, since 2017, China has forcibly placed an estimated 1.5 million Uyghur and Turkic Muslims in prison camps across the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The ASPI found that 27 factories across nine Chinese provinces used the labor of Uyghurs forcibly transferred from Chinese-occupied East Turkestan since 2017. Following near unanimous passage by Congress, President Biden signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which seeks to untangle American supply chains from the forced labor of Uyghurs and other persecuted ethnoreligious minorities in China. LAIXI, CHINA - JANUARY 8, 2020: The fences along the side of the Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co. factory [+] -- the side where the Uighur workers enter and exit, and live in dorms -- looks almost like a prison. -- the side where the Uighur workers enter and exit, and live in dorms -- looks almost like a prison. Washington - Human rights activists, labor leaders and others urged the White House on Friday to put its weight behind a coming ban on products made with forced labor in the . The UFLPA Entity List can be found in the Strategy to Prevent the Importation of Goods Mined, Produced, or Manufactured with Forced Labor in the People's Republic of China and the Federal Register Notice on the Addition of Entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List. Whenever CBP determines that an exception is appropriate, it is required to make a report to Congressional committees within 30 days. Apple lists both . Hoshine Silicon Industry (Shanshan) Co., Ltd. Xinjiang East Hope Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd. Xinjiang GCL New Energy Material Technology Co., Ltd. Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC). 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. Zara and Uniqlo owners face investigation over profiting from alleged Uyghur forced labor in China BY Angelina Rascouet, Geraldine Amiel and Bloomberg July 2, 2021, 10:14 AM UTC Leading fashion. Check the below Frequently Asked Questions to see if your questions about UFLPA Enforcement may be answered here. This op-ed was originally published by the New York Times on January 20, 2021. A lock Between January 22, 2022, and June 21, 2022, the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force established under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of National Intelligence, will undertake a process that will result in a strategy for supporting enforcement of Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 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. 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. Please be aware that this is CBPs importer guidance, which provides transparency to CBPs operational approach, and not the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Forces Strategy, which will provide additional importer guidance, required by the UFLPA. In addition to alleging Amazons use of suppliers connected to forced labor, the TTP also found a number of accounts selling Xinjiang-sourced cotton, the sale of which has been banned by the US government last year. 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. Several Apple suppliers may have used forced labor in China, according to The Information. The companies were listed over human rights violations and abuses of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, according to a US government filing on Wednesday. Read the FLETF'sStrategy to Prevent the Importation of Goods Mined, Produced, or Manufactured with Forced Labor in the Peoples Republic of China. 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. This page was not helpful because the content, Strategy to Prevent the Importation of Goods Mined, Produced, or Manufactured with Forced Labor in the Peoples Republic of China, Notice on the Addition of Entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List. Apple, whichhas saidthat it is is committed to donating to organizations that challenge racial injustice and mass incarceration, has protested that it rigorously audits companies in its supply chain to make sure that Apples products arent derived from forced labor, saying in a statement to WaPo that Apple has zero tolerance for forced labor.. They include. Major international clothing brands like L.L. 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. Any dollar that goes to these brands is a dollar that goes into the factories profiting off of Uyghur forced labor. Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 currently prohibits the importation of all goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced or manufactured wholly or in part in any foreign country by forced labor. Under 19 U.S.C. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS These parties can include companies outside of the XUAR. 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. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP var today = new Date(); var yyyy = today.getFullYear();document.write(yyyy + " "); | Attorney Advertising, Copyright var today = new Date(); var yyyy = today.getFullYear();document.write(yyyy + " "); JD Supra, LLC. Many Chinese have called for boycotts,. (Photo by Anna Fifield/The Washington Post via Getty Images). One such ad, claiming to be able to supply 1,000 Uighur workers aged 16 to 18 years, read: The advantages of Xinjiang workers are: semi-military style management, can withstand hardship, no loss of personnel Minimum order 100 workers!. The Tech Transparency Projectsaid a glass supplier was using forced labor in December; Apple said it had seen no evidence of forced labor. 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 Chinese government forcibly relocates Uyghur men and women away from their homes and existing jobs to cotton fields. or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Companies will have limited time between now and June 21 to identify and manage both legal compliance and business risks. As of April 2021, the following global companies and brands are profiting from their use of modern day Uyghur slavery. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact, Immigration Expert Says Bidens Immigration Plans Could Provide Amnesty for Millions of People, At Princeton, a Racial Reckoning and a Free Speech Battle. We have not identified additional exporters at this time but will continue to investigate and gather information about additional relevant entities. The problem is not Apples alone. 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. 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. 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.. That timeline will be exacerbated by the expected announcement of additional prohibited companies on June 21, and the potential delay until that day of guidance from CBP on standards to demonstrate that imports are not connected to forced labor.

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