Steel, aluminum or copper, batteries or electronics: Uyghur forced labor is found ‘significantly’ in the supply chain of virtually every major car manufacturer in the world, says a study by Britain’s Sheffield Hallam University.
“If you bought a car in the last five years, probably some of its parts were made by Uyghurs and others were forced to work in China,” summarize the four authors of this study published this Tuesday, the result of six months of research.
All major brands are affected, according to the researchers, citing in particular Volkswagen, BMW, Honda, Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Stellantis (including Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep), Tesla and China’s Nio .
All major manufacturers affected
The powerful US auto union UAW responded by “urgently calling on the auto industry to move its entire supply chain out of the” Xinjiang region of northeast China, home to many Uyghurs.
Human rights organizations accuse China of conscripting Uyghurs into forced “labor transfer” schemes linked to international supply chains in various sectors ranging from clothing to automobiles.
According to Beijing, which denies any persecution of this Muslim minority in the country’s far eastern province, these initiatives help reduce poverty by providing well-paid jobs to low-income rural residents.
The study published Tuesday is part of a series by Sheffield Hallam University documenting the use of forced labor in Xinjiang in multiple sectors, from cotton to PVC building materials to solar panels.
The scholars relied on sources such as company annual reports, websites and advertising campaigns, but also Chinese government guidelines and state media, as well as customs records.
Chinese subsidies
The study notes in particular that “the world’s largest steel and aluminum producers have moved to the Uyghur region thanks to Chinese government subsidies and incentives.”
According to the researchers, automakers responded that “deep supply chain traceability is out of reach and understanding the situation in the Uyghur region is challenging.”
But the industry must ensure the traceability of its supply chains to “make sure it is not complicit in the forced labor regime in the Uyghur region” or execute “a huge legal, ethical and reputational problem”, according to the academics.
Source: BFM TV
