Decathlon, accused of benefiting the forced labor of Uigures in China, according to media

Decathlon, one company of the group Mulliez, He denied the accusations of half disclose and program Cash Investigation of the France 2 chain, which ensure that the brand is supplied in textile through Qingdao Jifa Group, which “relies on a forced labor network in China,” disclose in an article published Thursday.

In the documentary of Cash Investigationthat will be disseminated on Thursday night and that AFP was able to consult, a local manager indicates that cotton stored in a company produced for Decathlon can provenir de Xinjiang.

In that region, the Uigures constitute the main ethnic group.

In statements to AFP, the brand’s communication department confirmed that it is supplied through Qingdao Jifa but He stressed that Decathlon firmly “forms of forced work.”

“We are committed in day a day to guarantee the integrity and respect of the fundamental rights in our activities and in our value chain, and we will not hesitate to react and take all the necessary measures if the facts are demonstrated,” he said.

“100% of the cotton used by Decathlon in the manufacture of its products comes from sources committed to more responsible practiceswhich guarantee the absence of all forms of forced work, including biological and recycled cotton, “added the source.

Xinjiang was the scene of attacks that the authorities attributed to Islamists and separatists. In response, Beijing launched a great security campaign in that territory.

According to Oenegés and Western Studies, which AFP could not verify, the uigures inhabitants of that region would be a victim of forced labor.