‘Sorry, China, I’m not buying it’

Dear ZARA,

Over one million Uyghurs and other members of predominantly Muslim ethnic groups have been placed in ‘re-education camps’ in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Families are torn apart, with their children placed in state orphanages.

Those released are often sent to clothing factories. One such Kazakh woman said: “The clothes factory was no different from the [re-education] camp. There were police, cameras, you couldn’t go anywhere.”

Credible reports have implicated dozens of Western brands, including Zara, in using these factories in their supply chains.

Will you ensure you don’t use Uyghur slave labour?

Write to ZARA

Urge them to ensure that they don’t use Uyghur slave labour.

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If you select Yes we will only contact you with updates on our work. Are you still sure you want to select No?

Javier

Losada Montero

Inditex (ZARA’s parent company)

Dear Javier Losada Montero,

I am writing as a supporter of CSW, a human rights organisation specialising in Freedom of Religion or Belief. We would like Inditex to demonstrate its ‘zero-tolerance approach to forced labour’ by committing to the Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labour’s Call to Action.

Since around 2017, between one and three million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups have been placed in ‘re-education camps’ in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. They are incarcerated for ‘crimes’ such as ‘unusual beards’, possessing a religious book, or meeting with others to pray. Many of those released are sent to clothing factories that supply Chinese and Western brands.

The entire clothing industry is potentially tainted by forced Uyghur labour, and credible reports have implicated dozens of companies – including Inditex. The onus is on each corporation, including Inditex, to make a clear statement and ensure that it is not part of the problem.

I am aware that Inditex has conducted an internal investigation which claims to ‘confir[m] that Inditex does not have commercial relations with any factory in Xinjiang’. If this is the case, I can see no reason why Inditex would not then sign the Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labour’s ‘Brand Commitment to Exit the Uyghur Region’ (https://enduyghurforcedlabour.org/call-to-action). Marks & Spencer has now made its commitment public and a number of brands and retailers, including major global fashion brands, have also privately committed pending public announcement.

As a company that does not tolerate forced labour, I urge you to do so and thereby commit to:

•	Stop sourcing cotton, yarn, textiles and finished products from the Uyghur Region, directing all factories that supply you with textiles and finished goods not to use cotton or yarn from the Uyghur Region.

•	Cut ties with companies implicated in forced labour – those that have operations in the Uyghur Region and have accepted government subsidies and/or government-supplied labour at these operations.

•	Prohibit any supplier factories located outside of the Uyghur Region from using Uyghurs or Turkic or Muslim workers supplied through the Chinese government’s forced labour transfer scheme.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}

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‘Sorry, China, I’m not buying it’

Write to ZARA

Urge them to ensure that they don’t use Uyghur slave labour.

#2 CSW manifesto