Rebecca Manzi The PVH group, which includes brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, have decided to boycott cotton obtained through the exploitation of Uyghurs. In response, China sued PVH
@Reuters
The Uyghurs are a Muslim minority who live in China’s Xinjiang region and have been the plight of the longstanding conflict between economic interests and human rights. The Chinese government has repressed the Uyghur community severely, accused even of “cultural genocide” or “ethnocide” upon the Uyghurs.
These range from forced labor to mass detentions in internment camps, where people are subjected to physical and psychosocial torture, sexual violence, separation from their families, and erasure of their culture and religion, among other abuses of human rights.
Due to these controversies, PVH, a big company owning brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, in the year 2020 joined an opposition against Xinjiang cotton to avoid being involved in supply chains that are directly linked to abuses of human rights. However, this move was not very pleasing to the Chinese. In fact, China launched an investigation into PVH for having economically damaged the country without presenting solid evidence.
H&M faces backlash after boycotting Xinjiang cotton
PVH is not the first company to be hit over boycotting Xinjiang cotton. In 2021, Swedish brand H&M faced backlash it was removed from major Chinese e-commerce platforms as part of the fallout. The incidents mark increasing tensions between China and Western businesses as China uses economic policies as a counterattack to Western sanctions.
Other international organizations and Western governments have taken similar steps. For instance, the United States has passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act banning the imports of goods linked to the forced labor by Uyghurs.
Most brands still look the other way regarding Xinjiang
At the same time, many brands are in large part blind to the realities in Xinjiang: technology giants like Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Sony, and clothes manufacturers like Nike, Hugo Boss, Zara, Max Mara-the automotive industry with giants like Volkswagen and BMW also continue unhindered.
The situation is simply appalling. The companies that look away from the tribulations, physical and psychological abuses faced by the Uyghurs, who actually try to “rebel” against such injustices, more often than not are met with retaliation in an effort to suppress the truth of such abuses.
