LONDON - British retailer Marks & Spencer on Wednesday became one of the first major brands to back a drive to stop forced labour in cotton and garment sourcing from China’s Xinjiang region.
The United Nations estimates China has detained at least 1 million Uighurs and other minorities in camps in Xinjiang, where many of them are said to be put to work in textile factories. M&S said it did not work with any supplier in or source from Xinjiang but publicly supported the call to action to “help play its part in driving meaningful change at scale”.
Anti-slavery organisations welcomed the announcement by M&S and urged other global retailers to follow suit. U.S. clothing company Eileen Fisher last year was one of the first to sign up. While most brands say they do not have relationships with factories in Xinjiang, their supply chains are likely tainted by cotton picked by Uighurs that is exported across China and used by other suppliers, according to campaigners and researchers.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.