Are we indirectly contributing to the forced labor of Uyghurs?

This is a question we can easily ask ourselves. Is the garment I am wearing made from the forced labor of Uyghurs? The question is unfortunately entirely rhetorical. Indeed, anyone who wears a garment or accessory that, at some point in the production chain, includes cotton fiber produced in China, participates in it.

The facts are stated. Approximately 1 in 5 items comes from the forced labor of Uyghurs.

This is explained by the fact that China is already the world's largest producer of cotton. It alone produces 6 million tons of cotton per year, and 85% of this harvest comes from Xinjiang (the Uyghur province).

The probability is also higher if it is long-staple cotton, as it is picked by hand.

There are approximately 500,000 forced laborers. For clothes that cost no more than 10€. Fast fashion has a cost. The cost of human life (but we've known that for years).

A quick reminder: Uyghurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims who live in the Xinjiang province.

Key dates:

2017: The Uyghur diaspora raises alarm about detentions. Beijing denies.

May 2018: 1 million out of 12 million are subjected to extra-judicial internment; Beijing calls them training centers. 300,000 people have received heavy prison sentences.

What does this entail? Family separation and prevention of births. Indeed, there are reports of forced sterilization (which is a criterion for genocide).

We have consistently used the expression "forced labor"; in this case, it is more a matter of modern slavery.

What options for the consumer?

First, choose GOTS-certified cotton, because the GOTS label guarantees good working conditions.

Avoid as much as possible products made in China or containing Chinese cotton (though this seems difficult to trace).

In reality, recognize that the consumer's voice matters. We are agents of change. So let's act.

Source :

Uyghurs: modern slavery in Chinese cotton fields

"If my father is imprisoned because of me, he will die"

Uyghurs: cotton made in "forced labor" in ready-to-wear clothing