Canadian Watchdog Investigates Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren and Others on Forced Labor Allegations — Retail Bum

Three major fashion brands, including Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, and Diesel, along with Walmart Canada and mining company GobiMin, have become the target of a Canadian regulator’s investigation over their reliance on forced labor in their supply chains.

In June 2022, a series of complaints were filed by a coalition of 28 social organizations against the five companies, prompting the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) to look into the matter and subsequently publish initial reports on each of the organizations.

The complaints alleged that the companies have operations or supply chains in the Xinjiang region in China, benefitting from the forced labor of Uyghur Muslims in the country.

CORE noted that all five organizations have refuted the allegations but have either not provided a suitable response or did not participate in its assessment.

The Xinjiang region today produces a fifth of the world’s cotton. However, several investigations, including an official one conducted by the United Nations, found that cotton farming in the region is likely supported by some 1.6 million Uyghur Muslims who are held in incarceration camps by the Chinese government.

The findings of the U.N. investigation have prompted several major U.S. brands to publicly criticize the practice and stop working with suppliers based in the region.

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on August 29, 2023.