Official websites use .gov Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Fact Sheet, Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Importer Overview, H.R. 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. As the TTP notes, China uses what it calls labor transfers to transport Uyghurs from the Xinjiang region to factories throughout China, forcing them into labor programs the TTP says are often coercive and connected to a network of mass internment and reeducation camps., Five suppliers have been publicly denounced for being connected to the forced labor. 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 . 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 . Enforcement Priorities Those factories claim to be part of the supply chain of 83 well-known global brands., The Fair Labor Association has also written a statement calling to an end of all forced labor in East Turkestan: The Fair Labor Association (FLA) is deeply troubled by credible reports of forced labor and other violations of fundamental human rights in the Xinjiang region of China. 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. To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra: [HOT] Read Latest COVID-19 Guidance, All Aspects [SCHEDULE] Upcoming COVID-19 Webinars & Online Programs, [GUIDANCE] COVID-19 and Force Majeure Considerations, [GUIDANCE] COVID-19 and Employer Liability Issues. CBP is urging importers to be proactive and closely review their supply chains to ensure any goods or materials are not sourced from the XUAR in violation of the Act. As always, our focus is on making sure everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and we will continue doing all we can to protect workers in our supply chain, Rosenstock added. This enhanced enforcement already is underway. 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). On December 23, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) to prevent goods made with forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China from entering the U.S. market. The Washington Postreported Tuesdaythat Apple supplier Lens Technology uses Uighur workers in its factories, according to documents obtained by the Tech Transparency Project. Companies in the labor transfer program are often in labor-intensive industries, so they asked: is the growing and labor-intensive P.P.E. Meta backs new tool for removing sexual images of minors posted online, Mark Zuckerberg says Meta now has a team building AI tools and personas, Whoops! Primark is an Irish fast-fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, also operating in the United States. Call To House Republicans On Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Middleman Investigation. 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. They added: The tainted global supply chain that results from these practices means that it is now difficult to guarantee that products manufactured in China are free from forced labour., This is a BETA experience. Products made with such labor will be covered by the laws rebuttable presumption, even if they are produced in other regions of China. Are These Fashions Linked to Forced Labour? Brands Can't Confidently The US Department of Commerce said the . They are grouped into different categories and listed below. A lock ( 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. An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) was signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2021. (Washington, DC) - The United States government should vigorously enforce a new law that aims to prevent imports linked to forced labor by Uyghurs and other persecuted groups in China, Human . Whenever CBP determines that an exception is appropriate, it is required to make a report to Congressional committees within 30 days. Apple found no evidence of forced labor anywhere we operate, a spokesperson told The Information. A lock 'Virtually entire' fashion industry complicit in Uighur forced labour These Companies Are Linked to Forced Uighur Slave Labor Amazon Accused of Using Suppliers With Ties to Forced Labor The Chinese government forcibly relocates Uyghur men and women away from their homes and existing jobs to cotton fields. Check the documents below for UFLPA Applicability Review best practices, as well as guidance on executive summaries and sample tables of contents for Applicability Review submissions. Apple said it looks for forced labor as part of every assessment it conducts. (Amazon and Facebook told The Information they wouldnt work with suppliers using forced labor; Google and Microsoft didnt respond. BuzzFeed News reported finding more than 100 detention facilities located beside factories. ASPI stated that it had found 27 factories in 9 Chinese provinces that are using Uyghur labor transferred from Xinjiang since 2017. Amazon is reportedly using Chinese suppliers with ties to forced labor 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). In 2022, No Excuse For Forced Labor In Your Supply Chain Yili Zhuowan Garment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. 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. In January 2021, CBP issued a region-wide ban on all XUAR-produced cotton and tomato products, irrespective of the associated company. UFLPA Entity List | Homeland Security - DHS For further inquiries, please contact the UFLPA Entity List Team atFLETF.UFLPA.EntityList@hq.dhs.gov. Almost all global clothing brands are implicated in the use of cotton sourced from Chinese-occupied East Turkestan (Xinjiang) as well. Lenovo also pointed to a 2018 audit by the Reliable Business Alliance in which OFILM scored very well. Photo Uyghur Muslims by the Uyghur Human Rights Project. Do not buy products made with the tears of modern-day Uyghur slaves. Earlier this year, Tesla faced criticism for opening a showroom in the Xinjiang region and was also mentioned as an alleged customer of the aforementioned Lens Technology company in the TTP report from December 2020. In addition, CBP is subject to reporting requirements that likely will discourage easy granting of exceptions. A 2014 draft contract for Xinjiang laborers in Guangdong province obtained by the AP shows the government there offered companies 3000 RMB ($428.52) per worker, with an additional 1000 RMB ($142.84) for "training" each . 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. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. An official website of the United States government. 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? This report estimates that more than 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang to work in factories across China between 2017 and 2019, and some of them were sent directly from detention camps, a summary of the report said. The companies supplied Apple with antennas, cables, and coatings, among other products and services, according to The Information. Coca-Cola, Nike, Apple, and other corporationsfought to weakenthe bills language, theNew York Timesreported in late November, arguing that the bill would harm the supply chains they rely on in China. I am a journalist writing about China manufacturing and trade. These Brands Sell Products Made By Slaves In Chinese Concentration For the most up-to-date information on CBPs UFLPA implementation, please see our website at https://www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor/UFLPA. Official websites use .gov / Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. Uighurs placement in factories outside Xinjiang has been conducted under a central government policy known as Xinjiang Aid. Factory bosses receive cash compensations for each Uighur worker they employ. Apr 9, 2022. 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). Here, they are paid at most 15 cents a day to pick cotton. These legal developments also dovetail with broader ESG and corporate responsibility trends. Whenever we find or receive proof of forced labor, we take action.. 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 Peoples Republic of China, or produced by certain entities, 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 Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added five Chinese entities to the Entity List for accepting or utilizing forced labor in the implementation ofthePeoples Republic ofChinas campaign of repression against Muslimminority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region(XUAR). China: Mounting concerns over forced labour in Xinjiang We will continue doing all we can to protect workers and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect, the spokesperson said. Further complicating the matter are Chinas poverty alleviation and pairing assistance programs, some of which forcibly relocate Uyghur and other minorities as laborers outside of Xinjiang. An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The entities to be added to the Entity List in connection with participating in the practice of, accepting, or utilizing forced labor involving Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in the XUAR are: Hoshine Silicon Industry (Shanshan) Co., Ltd. Xinjiang Daqo New Energy Co., Ltd. Xinjiang East Hope Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd. The list of well-recognized names includes Apple, Nike, Amazon, Samsung, Zara, H&M, Microsoft, Mercedes-Benz, Uniqlo, and more. German companies accused of profiting from forced Uighur - euronews 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. 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!. (See here.) A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. These parties can include companies outside of the XUAR. Apple and Nike urged to cut 'China Uighur ties' - BBC News UK must fix modern slavery laws to help protect Uighurs in China, say Major brands try to determine if cotton in their clothes is from Uighur Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State June 21, 2022 Starting today, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin to implement the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act's provisions to prohibit imports made by forced labor into the United States of products made in Xinjiang. The tech industry at large relies on suppliers in China, and The Information reports that these companies have also worked with Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Facebook, among others. China Companies in Xinjiang Uses Forced Muslim Uyghurs Labor: Report Take action against global brands and companies complicit in forced labor by not buying their products. However, a vast majority of implicated brands and companies have not taken any steps to address their ties to Uyghur forced labor. 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. You may opt-out by. Beginning on June 21, 2022, the UFLPA will require U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to presume that all goods from the XUAR and from entities listed pursuant to the UFLPA are made with forced labor and banned from import to the United States under Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930. 83 global companies and brands are directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur forced laborers in these factories. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Versace Jimmy Choo Michael Kors Chanel Costco Hanes Hermes Gucci Balenciaga Yves Saint Laurent Bottega Veneta Alexander McQueen Kate Spade, BMW General Motors Jaguar Land Rover Volkswagen, Muji Kohls Macys Nordstrom Target Tesco TJ Maxx Marshalls HomeGoods Walmart Sams Club Flipkart Bonobos Walt Disney, Acer ASUS Dell HP Huawei Lenovo LG Microsoft Oppo Samsung Sony Xiaomi Cisco Electrolux. 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. Thus far, the U.S. government has deployed Withhold Release Orders (WROs), export control restrictions pursuant to the Entity List, and sanctions designations under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which have targeted several large Chinese companies including the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), as well as categories of products. They are grouped into different categories and listed below. 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. As of April 2021, the following global companies and brands are profiting from their use of modern day Uyghur slavery. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. As your company has previously imported merchandise from locations or entities potentially subject to the Act, you are being notified that subsequent entries of such merchandise may result in, among other things, suspension or removal from the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program, seizure, forfeiture and/or penalties, or other appropriate action under the customs laws. The laws rebuttable presumption means companies whose supply chains touch Xinjiangor utilize Xinjiang-exported laborwill have to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that their products are free of forced labor. "Apple has zero tolerance for forced labor," Rosenstock said. Primark uses sweatshops to make very low-price clothing. In March 2020, a damning report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute revealed that the Chinese government was forcing hundreds of young Uyghur women to. This statute expands on those earlier efforts and is likely to impact a large number of U.S. companies, non-U.S. companies engaged in manufacturing or distribution in the United States, and other importers. In advance of June 21st, CBP will be issuing letters to importers identified as having previously imported merchandise that may be subject to the Act to encourage those importers to address any forced labor issues in their supply chains in a timely manner. Apple and Amazon arent the only US-based companies with ties to Xinjiang and forced labor, either. The companies were listed over human rights violations and abuses of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, according to a US government filing on Wednesday. Coca-Cola and Nike both pushed back on the NYT report in statements to the Daily Caller, arguing that they did not lobby against the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act or source products from Xinjiang. Companies Prepare for the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Stephan Becker, Benjamin Cote, Aaron Hutman, Moushami Joshi, Toochi Ngwangwa Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP + Follow. A number of companies and brands have been linked to labor forced on Uighur Muslims by the Chinese government, according to multiple reports. These workers were . Any violation of our policies has immediate consequences, including possible business termination. -- the side where the Uighur workers enter and exit, and live in dorms -- looks almost like a prison. Stop sourcing from Qingdao Taekwang immediately. In March, Apple cut ties with another supplier over allegations it was connected to coercive government labor programs. This op-ed was originally published by the New York Times on January 20, 2021. 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. All work must be voluntary, and workers must be free to leave work and terminate their employment or other work status with reasonable notice.. Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. Primark has been involved in child labor and modern slavery scandals before. Amazon complies with the laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which it operates, and expects suppliers to adhere to our Supply Chain Standards, Amazon spokesperson Erika Reynoso said in a statement to The Verge. Interagency Convening on Equitable Economic Growth, Workforce Development - Employer Practices, Commerce Department Adds Five Chinese Entities to the Entity List for Participating in Chinas Campaign of Forced Labor Against Muslims in Xinjiang. 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. 83 global companies and brands are directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur forced laborers in these factories. The report did not document factories using Uyghur labor. We invited Apple, Esprit, and Fila to respond; they did not. Here are some of the 83 brands listed in the report as being connected to those factories using forced labor. U.S. officials said the Labor Department had seen a nearly 70% increase in child labor violations since 2018, including in hazardous occupations. In June remarks, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincysaidhe was outraged, sad, frustrated, angry over the death of George Floyd and promised that the company stands with those seeking justice and equality., Nike has also spoken out against racism in the U.S., particularly in a May 2020 ad thaturged viewersFor once, dont do it. The ASPI found that 27 factories across nine Chinese provinces used the labor of Uyghurs forcibly transferred from Chinese-occupied East Turkestan since 2017. report from the Tech Transparency Project, including internment camps, constant surveillance, mass sterilization, and forced labor, Tesla faced criticism for opening a showroom in the Xinjiang region, Mark Zuckerberg says Meta now has a team building AI tools and personas, Whoops! The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act: What U.S. Companies with China (Photo by Anna Fifield/The Washington Post via Getty Images). 13 Fashion Brands That Still Use Sweatshops In 2023 We hope that by sharing this film we can serve as a catalyst to inspire action against a deep issue in our society and encourage people to help shape a better future.. This action targets these entities ability to access commodities, software, and technology subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and is part of a U.S. Government-wide effort to take strong action against Chinas ongoing campaign of repression against Muslim minority groups in the XUAR. The UFLPA includes a process for importers to show via clear and convincing evidence that an imported item from the XUAR or linked to additional listed entities was not mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part by forced labor. In addition to providing such evidence, Section 3(b) of the UFLPA requires (A) compliance with forthcoming guidance under Section 2(d)(6) on due diligence, effective supply chain tracing, and supply chain management measures to ensure that such importers do not import any goods mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part with forced labor from the Peoples Republic of China, especially from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; and (B) cooperation with CBP in completely and substantively answering inquiries and information requests. A number of companies and brands have been linked to labor forced on Uighur Muslims by the Chinese government, according to multiple reports. Task Force Strategy Report and Potential for Additional Parties Subject to Prohibitions