Forced labor news and archive

Joint statement from AAFA, FDRA, NRF, RILA, USFIA in support of global approach to protect citizens in Xinjiang

The American Apparel & Footwear Association, Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, National Retail Federation, Retail Industry Leaders Association, and The United States Fashion Industry Association – representing a broad swath of the U.S. business community – applaud today’s announcement of a global approach to end the campaign of...

Mar 24, 2021

Fashion

AAFA testifies during ways and means committee hearing on forced labor in Xinjiang

American Apparel & Footwear Association President and CEO Steve Lamar testified today as part of the House Ways and Means, Trade subcommittee hearing on “Enforcing the Ban on Imports Produced by Forced Labor in Xinjiang.” The hearing focused on responding to continuing reports of forced labor in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)....

Sep 18, 2020

Report

Joint statement from AAFA, FDRA, NRF, RILA, AND USFIA on supply chains and Xinjiang

Our member companies have long maintained policies and compliance programs that seek to prevent, identify, and mitigate instances of forced labor. As an industry representing thousands of brands and retailers, ensuring that forced labor does not exist in our supply chains is a key priority. Following today’s launch of the NGO Call to Action, the...

Jul 27, 2020

BusinessFeatured

U.S. lawmakers seek to ban forced-labour goods from China

Earlier this month a U.S.-based labor rights group reported French casualwear brand Lacoste was producing gloves in a Chinese detention camp. The D.C.-based Worker Rights Consortium stated Uigher Muslims and imprisoned other ethnic minorities are being forced to sew the Lacoste-branded gloves, which the Chinese have dubbed as re-education camps....

Mar 20, 2020

Fashion

Joint statement from AAFA, NRF, RILA, USFIA, and FDRA on reports of forced labor in Xinjiang

As an industry representing brands and retailers, we do not tolerate forced labor in our supply chains. We work together to identify and eliminate forced labor, and conditions that can lead to forced labor, in the countries from which we source products. The industry continues to evolve and improve our existing approaches to identify, detect,...

Mar 11, 2020

Report

AAFA statement in response to CSIS report on China's Xinjiang Province

The American Apparel & Footwear Association released the following statement after the release of Connecting the Dots in Xinjiang: Forced Labor, Forced Assimilation, and Western Supply Chains from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): We are deeply concerned by reports on labor practices in Xinjiang province. Forced labor in...

Oct 18, 2019

Fashion Featured

Leading fashion firms call on Cambodian government to improve labour standards

Leading fashion companies including Nike, PVH, Levi Strauss, Esprit, Adidas and Under Armour have signed an open letter to the Cambodian government urging it to improve its labour standards. The companies, who claim to contribute 9.5 billion US dollars (7.26 billion pounds) to Cambodia’s exports through their work with the country’s suppliers,...

May 7, 2019

Fashion Featured

Garment factory workers in Vietnam forced to rely on excessive overtime

Garment factory workers in Vietnam are not able to earn a living wage without working excessive overtime, according to a report published this week by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), based on data collected over three years from 13,000 workers working across 38 factories. Although the average garment factory worker in Vietnam earns more than...

Apr 12, 2019

Fashion

How cotton picked with forced labor in Turkmenistan finds its way to the high street

A new report by Anti-Slavery International reveals how cotton picked with forced labor in Turkmenistan makes its way to high street shops across the world. Every year, tens of thousands of public sector workers, including teachers and doctors, are forced by the government to pick cotton at the harvest, under threat of punishment, according to...

Apr 8, 2019

BusinessFeatured

Forced labor, child work, low wages: the lives of home-based garment workers in India

While increased attention is (finally) being given to the poor working conditions faced by garment factory workers in countries such as India, Burma and Bangladesh, few people know there are millions of workers making garments in informal, home-based settings too. During times of increased seasonal demand, many factories outsource production to...

Feb 6, 2019

Fashion Featured

Major brands failing to tackle worker exploitation, study shows

Major clothing and footwear brands are failing to tackle the exploitation of vulnerable workers in their supply chains, according to a new report by Know The Chain. The benchmark test, which measured 43 global companies’ efforts to address forced labour, gave the apparel and footwear sector an overall average score of 37 out of 100. Adidas...

Dec 5, 2018

Report

123 apparel and footwear companies sign new “AAFA/FLA Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment”

123 apparel and footwear companies signed the new “AAFA/FLA Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment,” reflecting the industry’s commitment to the fair treatment of workers in the global apparel, footwear, and travel goods supply chain. Developed in conjunction with the American Apparel & Footwear Association and the...

Oct 23, 2018