A Canadian human rights watchdog, the Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE), has released an initial assessment report investigating Zara Canada’s supply chain associations with Chinese companies accused of using forced labor from the Uyghur community in China. The investigation was prompted by complaints filed by a coalition of 28 Canadian organizations in June 2022, alleging that Zara Canada has been implicated in the use of forced labor through its suppliers. These suppliers include Huafu Top Dyed Melange Yarn Co. Ltd., Shandong Zoucheng Guosheng, and Xinjiang Zhongtai Group.
Zara Canada has denied the allegations and has declined to participate in mediation, asserting that the complaint is inadmissible because the alleged human rights violations are not directly related to its operations. The complainants cited reports by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (HKCIJ) to support their accusations. According to the ASPI report, Zara is one of Huafu’s long-term customers, while the HKCIJ study highlighted a high risk of Uyghur forced labor at Xinjiang Zhongtai Group. The complainants also noted that Zara’s parent company, Inditex, had previously stated that it did not have commercial relations with any factory in Xinjiang, which contradict reports by ASPI and HKCIJ.
The International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China, one of the 28 complainants, released a report in November 2020 accusing Adidas, Nike, and Amazon, among other Western brands, of benefiting from Uyghur forced labor in Xinjiang. The report also raised concerns about the exploitation of other ethnic and religious minority groups in China, such as Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan Buddhists, and Christians. Zara Canada has been approached for comment by The Epoch Times, but there has been no response so far.