**Canadian corporate watchdog probes Ralph Lauren over alleged use of forced labor in China**
**New York, United States** – Ralph Lauren is facing an investigation by a Canadian corporate watchdog over allegations that the company has been using forced labor in its Chinese supply chain.
The allegations were first made in a report published in July 2023 by the Canadian clothing advocacy group, Fashion Revolution. The report alleged that Ralph Lauren suppliers in China had used forced labor from Uyghur workers in the Xinjiang region.
The Uyghur people are a predominantly Muslim minority group who have been subjected to widespread human rights abuses by the Chinese government, including mass detention, forced labor, and cultural genocide.
The Fashion Revolution report alleged that Ralph Lauren suppliers had sourced cotton from farms in the Xinjiang region, where Uyghur workers are allegedly forced to work in harsh conditions without pay.
Ralph Lauren has denied the allegations, stating that it has a zero-tolerance policy for forced labor and that it conducts regular audits of its suppliers to ensure that they are compliant with its standards.
However, the Canadian corporate watchdog, the Canadian Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (CCRP), has launched an investigation into the allegations. The CCRP is a government-funded organization that investigates allegations of human rights abuses by Canadian companies abroad.
The CCRP’s investigation will focus on whether Ralph Lauren has taken adequate steps to prevent and mitigate the risk of forced labor in its supply chain.
The investigation is still ongoing, and no findings have been released. However, the allegations against Ralph Lauren are a reminder of the importance of corporate due diligence in preventing human rights abuses in global supply chains.
**Fashion companies must take steps to ensure that their products are not made with forced labor**
The allegations against Ralph Lauren are not the first time that a fashion company has been accused of using forced labor in its Chinese supply chain.
In recent years, a number of other fashion companies, including H&M, Zara, and Nike, have been accused of using forced labor in their Chinese supply chains.
These allegations have led to growing pressure on fashion companies to take steps to ensure that their products are not made with forced labor.
In 2022, the United States passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans the import of goods made with forced labor from Xinjiang.
The European Union is also considering legislation that would ban the import of goods made with forced labor from Xinjiang.
These laws are a step in the right direction, but they are not enough. Fashion companies must also take steps to ensure that their suppliers are not using forced labor anywhere in the world.
Fashion companies can do this by conducting regular audits of their suppliers, training their suppliers on the issue of forced labor, and working with other stakeholders to combat forced labor in global supply chains.
Ralph Lauren is a global fashion company with a responsibility to respect human rights. We urge Ralph Lauren to cooperate fully with the CCRP’s investigation and to take all necessary steps to prevent and mitigate the risk of forced labor in its supply chain..
