A Ralph Lauren store in Berlin. The fashion label Ralph Lauren is suspected in Canada of supporting forced labor by the Uyghur minority in China in part of its supply chains. The Canadian regulator has “determined that the complaint against Ralph Lauren warrants an investigation,” said Sheri Meyerhoffer, the agency’s ombudsman. Human rights activists are alarmed.
In Canada, the Responsible Business Agency (Core) on Tuesday launched an investigation into Ralph Lauren’s Canadian subsidiary over allegations that the fashion company supports Uyghur forced labor in its supply chains in China. She decided “that the complaint against Ralph Lauren warrants an investigation,” said Sheri Meyerhoffer, ombudswoman for the supervisory authority, with regard to a complaint filed jointly by 28 civil society organizations in June 2022.
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The complaint calls on Ralph Lauren to sever ties with three Chinese companies suspected of using slave labor from the Uyghur Muslim minority in their supply chains.
The US group Ralph Lauren then stated that its Canadian subsidiary “is not responsible for decision-making” and that all operations would be overseen by the company’s headquarters.