cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/36601043
An international rights group says several global brands are among dozens of companies at risk of using forced labor through their Chinese supply chains.
Here you can download the report (pdf).
Over the past decade, the Chinese government has expanded exploration, mining, processing, and manufacturing of critical minerals in the China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The emergence of the Region as an extractive hub relies, in part, on state-imposed forced labour transfer programmes, targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups. This model not only subsidises operational costs for Chinese producers but also fuels systemic repression, through family separation, forced “re-education,” land dispossession, and the destruction of communities.
This research connects the Region’s system of state-imposed forced labour to major Chinese producers of four key minerals: titanium, lithium, beryllium, and magnesium. The report then traces the supply chains of XUAR-made minerals to global brands, including leading paint companies, thermos producers, aerospace applications, and defence and nuclear tools and components.
In addition to the human cost of exposure to the Region, environmental and trade concerns are also at stake. The use of coal as the main energy source and the lack of environmental standards, paired with opaque distribution networks, allow tainted goods to enter global markets at artificially low prices, creating an unfair playing field for responsible businesses.
Key findings:
11,6% of the world’s titanium sponge (the critical input in titanium metal) is produced in the Uyghur Region.
Lithium exploration, mining, processing, and especially downstream battery production are increasing rapidly in the XUAR.
The region is the top source of beryllium in China, accounting for over 50% of domestic supply.
The PRC produces 92% of the world’s raw magnesium. The XUAR is one of only five province-level jurisdictions that produces raw magnesium – and its output is growing significantly.
For each of the four minerals studied, major mining and processing companies are participating in the state labour transfer programs, which scholars and legal experts identify as forced labour.
77 companies in the critical minerals and downstream manufacturing sectors are operating in the XUAR and are at risk of participating in forced labour programmes in the titanium, lithium, beryllium, and magnesium industries.
15 companies have sourced directly from XUAR-based entities in the past two years.
68 downstream customers have connections to Chinese suppliers with operations in the XUAR.
18 parent companies may be sourcing inputs from their subsidiaries in the XUAR.
All companies mentioned in the report were invited to respond to our findings. Their responses can be found in the Corporate Response Annex.