Select Committee · Business and Trade Committee

Forced labour in UK value chains

Status: Closed Opened: 18 Sep 2020 Closed: 27 Sep 2021 10 recommendations 7 conclusions 1 report

The BEIS Committee is holding an inquiry which will explore the extent to which business in the UK are exploiting the forced labour of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region of China. The Committee will investigate the risks that UK based businesses face when engaging supply chains that originate in China and what more the Government … Show more

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang and UK valu… HC 1272 17 Mar 2021 17 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
1 Conclusion Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labour in … Acknowledged

Given that evidence of serious human rights abuses in Xinjiang has been widely reported over...

Given that evidence of serious human rights abuses in Xinjiang has been widely reported over many years, we are appalled that companies still cannot guarantee that their supply chains are free from forced labour. We found that many companies asserted that they have robust procedures for prohibiting human rights abuses … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the committee's findings and expresses thanks, stating its commitment to ensuring UK organizations are not complicit in human rights violations in Xinjiang.
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Department for Business and Trade
2 Conclusion Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labour in … Acknowledged

It is clearly unacceptable that Boohoo was found to have only minimal data about the...

It is clearly unacceptable that Boohoo was found to have only minimal data about the different tiers in their supply chain, resulting in labour abuses in the UK. Boohoo and other companies need to accurately audit their supply chains both in the UK and around the world. We welcome Boohoo’s … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government offers a general acknowledgment, thanking the committee and stating its broad commitment to ensuring UK organizations are not complicit in human rights violations in Xinjiang.
Read full response →
Department for Business and Trade
5 Recommendation Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labour in … Acknowledged

We believe the Department must do more to meet its commitments to uphold human rights,...

We believe the Department must do more to meet its commitments to uphold human rights, particularly in relation to businesses with links to China. While transparency of supply chain legislation falls under the remit of the Home Office, business transactions are a BEIS responsibility. Despite mounting evidence, the Department has … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government thanked the Committee and stated its commitment to ensuring UK organisations are not complicit in human rights violations in Xinjiang, but did not outline specific urgent actions or how the Department will 'do more' as recommended.
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Department for Business and Trade

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
5 Nov 2020 Andrew Reaney · boohoo group, David Sävman · H&M Group, Elizabeth Kanter · TikTok, Hendrik Alpen · H&M Group, Jaycee Pribulsky · Nike, Maajid Nawaz · Quilliam International, Michael Warren · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Paul Scully MP · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Sean Cady · VF Corporation View ↗

Who gave evidence

9 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Andrew Reaney · Group Director of Responsible Sourcin boohoo group 1
David Sävman · Head of Supply Chain H&M Group 1
Elizabeth Kanter · Director of Government Relations and Public Polic… TikTok 1
Hendrik Alpen · Head of Sustainability Engagement & Head of Socia… H&M Group 1
Jaycee Pribulsky · Vice President for Global Footwear Sourcing & Man… Nike 1
Maajid Nawaz · Founder Quilliam International 1
Michael Warren · Director of Labour Markets Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 1
Paul Scully MP · Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour… Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 1
Sean Cady · Vice President, Global Sustainability and Respons… VF Corporation 1

Correspondence

22 letters
DateDirectionTitle
8 Jul 2021 To cttee Letter from the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets relat…
14 Jun 2021 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to TikTok relating to their invitatio…
10 Jun 2021 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to the Minister on the Government's r…
27 Apr 2021 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to The Walt Disney Company regarding…
27 Apr 2021 To cttee Letter from The Walt Disney Company to the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP in respons…
27 Apr 2021 To cttee Letter from the Corporate Justice Coalition regarding the Committee’s report on…
11 Dec 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Hikvision regarding the Forced lab…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Stella McCartney regarding the for…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to The North Face (VF Corporation) re…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Nike regarding the forced labour i…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to The Walt Disney Company regarding …
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Marks and Spencer regarding the fo…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Zara (Inditex), regarding the forc…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Victoria’s Secret regarding the fo…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Adidas regarding the forced labour…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Amazon regarding the forced labour…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to BooHoo Group regarding the forced …
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Gap (Gap Inc.) regarding the force…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to H&M Group regarding the forced lab…
16 Oct 2020 To cttee Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to IKEA regarding the forced labour i…