Forced labor of Uyghurs: the automobile industry in turmoil

Several manufacturers are accused of having used forced Uyghur labour after having supplied themselves in China for steel, aluminium or even batteries for their cars.

The list is long: Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Tesla, Ford and General Motors, Toyota and Honda, Stellantis and its brands Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep, use materials such as aluminum, steel and products such as batteries or electronics for their vehicles, manufactured in China. And this is in the context of forced labor of Uyghurs, according to the British University of Sheffield Hallam.

“If you bought a car in the last five years, some of its parts were probably made by Uyghurs, forced to work” assures the study conducted by the British university, after six months of investigation. The academics relied on sources such as annual reports of companies, but also government guidelines and Chinese state media and customs records.

The investigation in question points to the use of forced labor in Xinjiang in multiple sectors, from PVC building materials, to solar panels. “The world’s largest steel and aluminum producers have moved to the Uighur region thanks to Chinese government subsidies and incentives,” it reveals. China has been accused by human rights organizations of forced “labor transfers” to work in international supply chains in various sectors.

Featured photo : © BMW

What's Your Reaction?

Excited

Happy

In Love

Not Sure

Silly

Hélène Cougot

Passionnée depuis son plus jeune âge par l’art et la mode, Hélène s’oriente vers une école de stylisme, l’Atelier Chardon-Savard à Paris, avec une option Communication. Afin d’ajouter des cordes à son arc, elle décide de compléter sa formation par un MBA en Management du Luxe et Marketing Expérientiel à l’Institut Supérieur de Gestion à Paris dont elle sort diplômée en 2020. Elle a notamment écrit des articles lifestyle et beauté pour le magazine Do it in Paris et se spécialise en rédaction d’articles concernant le luxe, l’art et la mode au sein du magazine Luxus Plus.********** [EN] Passionate about art and fashion from a young age, Hélène went to a fashion design school, Atelier Chardon-Savard in Paris, with a Communication option. In order to add more strings to her bow, she decided to complete her education with an MBA in Luxury Management and Experiential Marketing at the Institut Supérieur de Gestion in Paris from which she graduated in 2020. She has written lifestyle and beauty articles for Do it in Paris magazine and specializes in writing articles about luxury, art and fashion for Luxus Plus magazine.