NGOs file legal case against brands over Xinjiang

PARIS – A group of NGOs have filed a complaint with the French authorities alleging that fashion retailers such as Zara owners Inditex, Uniqlo, SMCP and footwear brand Skechers are complicit in crimes against humanity due to their links with cotton supply chains in Xinjiang. The case, backed by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, claims the retailers are among many that “continue to subcontract part of their production or to market goods using cotton produced in the region, thus knowingly taking advantage in their value chain of the workforce in a region where crime against humanity are being perpetrated.”