**Ralph Lauren faces Canadian probe over alleged forced labor in China**
**New York -** The Canadian government has launched an investigation into Ralph Lauren over allegations that the US fashion group uses forced labor in its supply chain in China.
The probe was launched by the Canadian Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (RCCR), an independent watchdog that monitors corporate compliance with UN norms on business and human rights.
The RCCR said in a statement that it had received “credible information” that Ralph Lauren was sourcing products from a factory in China’s Xinjiang province, where Uyghur Muslims are allegedly being subjected to forced labor in internment camps.
“The RCCR believes that there is a substantial risk that the products being sourced by Ralph Lauren from this factory are being produced using forced labor,” the watchdog said.
“We have therefore initiated an investigation under the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) mechanism to determine whether Ralph Lauren is meeting its corporate responsibility to respect human rights and to prevent and mitigate any complicity in human rights abuses.”
The CORE mechanism allows Canadian citizens or organizations to file complaints against Canadian companies for alleged breaches of international human rights standards.
If the investigation finds evidence of forced labor, Ralph Lauren could face sanctions, including fines or being banned from doing business in Canada.
Ralph Lauren has denied the allegations, saying that it has “a zero-tolerance policy for forced labor” and that it “conducts regular audits of its suppliers to ensure that they are meeting our standards.”
However, the RCCR said that its investigation had found “evidence to suggest that Ralph Lauren may not be doing enough to prevent and mitigate the risk of forced labor in its supply chain.”
The RCCR called on Ralph Lauren to “take immediate steps to investigate the allegations and to take appropriate action to address any human rights abuses that may be occurring in its supply chain.”
The investigation comes amid growing international scrutiny of the use of forced labor in China, particularly in Xinjiang province.
In March, the United States passed a law banning the import of goods from Xinjiang unless companies can prove that they were not made with forced labor.
The European Union is also considering similar legislation.
The RCCR’s investigation is the first known case of a Canadian company being investigated for alleged forced labor in China.
If the investigation finds evidence of forced labor, it could set a precedent for other Canadian companies to be held accountable for their human rights record in China.
**This investigation is a reminder that companies need to be vigilant in ensuring that their supply chains are free from forced labor. Companies that fail to do so may face legal and reputational risks.**.
