Date published: 12 April 2021

Fashion Revolution statement on Uyghur forced labour
China is a major producer of cotton. Estimates suggest that around 20% of theglobal cotton market is grown in China, of which more than 80% originatesfrom an area known as the Uyghur Region, a territory in the northwest of thecountry that is home to approximately 11 million Uyghur people, a Muslim
ethnic minority.
Since 2017, China is widely reported to have detained more than one million
Uyghur people in detention facilities that the government describes as
vocational training centres. Government officials claim that the centres arevoluntary and part of a programme to end poverty and tackle religious
extremism. The government describes the Uyghurs as volunteers, but multiple
investigations suggest that they are coerced into the programme, in which
there has been various reports of overcrowded cells, surveillance, forcedseparation, sexual abuse, forced sterilisation and torture. Leaked documents
indicate that this could be the largest mass detainment of an ethnic-religious
minority since the second world war.
In response, the End Uyghur Forced Labour Coalition, comprised of over 180
global human rights groups and trade unions, is calling on leading clothing
brands and retailers “to ensure that they are not supporting or benefiting fromthe pervasive and extensive forced labour of the Uyghur population and other
Turkic and Muslim-majority peoples, perpetrated by the Chinese government.”
The Coalition estimates that as many as 1 in 5 cotton products sold across theworld are tainted by Uyghur forced labour. The coalition has found thatapproximately 1.8 million Uyghur people work in involuntary labour camps incotton farming, processing plants, textile and garment factories.
Fashion Revolution supports the Coalition’s Call-to-Action which calls for
clothing brands and retailers to exit the Uyghur region at every level of their
supply chain, from cotton to finished product, by committing to take thefollowing steps (please visit the website to read more specific detail entailed ineach step):
1. Identify and map their suppliers and sub-suppliers that have links to any
production facilities located in the Uyghur Region making apparel andother cotton-based goods.
2. Upon identification of any business relationships linked to the region,
disengage with these business relationships and instruct all suppliers in
China and globally to end sourcing from the Uyghur Region.

Date published: 12 April 2021

3. Engage with the Coalition to provide a timeline for complying with theabove within no more than 365 days, to report on progress and to agree
to appropriate remedial action, including but not limited to compensation
to affected workers.
Fashion Revolution believes that traceability and transparency is foundational
to holding brands and retailers accountable for their human rights andenvironmental impacts. Our 2020 Fashion Transparency Index found that only
24% of 250 brands publish their second tier suppliers (the places wherematerials are processed) and only 7% publish their third tier suppliers (wherethey source raw materials). Our 2020 report Out of Sight: A Call forTransparency from Field to Fabric also found that just 1 of 62 brands wasdisclosing all textile production sites in their global supply chain. In order forbrands to root out forced labour from their supply chains, they first must traceand disclose their suppliers.
Fashion Revolution acknowledges the significant challenge for clothing brands
and retailers to identify the source of cotton and trace its journey through thesupply chain. However, brands and retailers have a clear responsibility to lookat their supply chain to identify human rights risks and impacts. Mapping anddisclosing their supply chains is an imperative first step towards addressingthese risks and impacts. For this reason, we encourage all clothing brands
and retailers to sign the End Uyghur Forced Labour Call to Action.
Citizens can take action in various ways, including:● Download a poster and use social media to ask fashion brands#WhoMadeMyClothes? And #WhoMadeMyFabric? to demand
greater transparency of their supply chain. Send an email or tweet tobrands and ask them to endorse the End Uyghur Forced Labour Call toAction.
● Sign the petition from Freedom United to call on the Chinese
government to free Uyghurs from forced labor.
● Write to your local policymaker and ask them to address the Chinese
government’s treatment of Uyghurs and apply political pressure to end
forced labour in the Uyghur Region.
About Fashion Revolution
Fashion Revolution is an organisation campaigning for systemic change in theDate published: 12 April 2021

fashion industry. We stand for a fair, safe and sustainable fashion systemthroughout the entire supply chain. Since 2013, we have mobilised millions ofcitizens to stand up for the people who make our clothes, providing the tools
and resources for everyone to make a difference. As a global movement innearly 100 countries, we hold brands and policymakers accountable whileempowering citizens to take meaningful action.
We believe that fashion can be a force for good, playing an important part inconserving and restoring the natural environment while creating fulfilling
employment around the world. Our work includes conducting industry-wide
research, advocating for policy transformation from government, and raisingwidespread public awareness of the challenges and solutions. This work will
not stop until the fashion industry values people and the planet over profit andgrowth.
For more information about this issue, please contactpress@fashionrevolution.org or visit www.fashionrevolution.org