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Nike, Patagonia, C&A named in Dutch criminal filing on Chinese forced labour in Xinjiang
- The filing by a non-profit group says the companies’ use of Chinese suppliers frequently accused of using forced labour breaks Dutch law
- It is the third such filing in Europe, after complaints in France and Germany
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Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels
A criminal complaint has been filed in the Netherlands, accusing blue-chip Western apparel brands including Nike, Patagonia and C&A of profiting from the alleged use of forced labour in the far-western Chinese region of Xinjiang.
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The filing this week by the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), a non-profit advocacy group, argued that the companies’ use of Chinese suppliers frequently accused of using forced labour breached Dutch law.
It is the third such filing in Europe made by the ECCHR, after complaints in France and Germany.
French prosecutors opened an investigation into four fashion retailers suspected of concealing “crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang in July after the ECCHR complaint. In Germany, prosecutors have declined to pursue charges against the named corporations, instead opening an investigation into conditions in Xinjiang.
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Each of the companies in the Dutch filing have headquarters in the Netherlands and, the filing argued, are therefore bound by “the standards for employment applicable in Dutch society”. The filing also names Dutch fashion companies State of the Art and We Fashion.
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