H&M, Nike and other Western brands are facing a boycott in China for allegations against the alleged use of forced labor to produce cotton in the Xinjiang
region.A boycott rages via social media in China against Western brands H&M and Nike but also Burberry, Adidas and New Balance.
On Wednesday, Chinese state television launched a boycott campaign against the clothing brand H&M.
The reason is a statement from the Swedish company dating back to 2020 in which it stated that it no longer wanted to supply itself with cotton from Xinjiang due to the suspicion that Uighurs were subjected to forced labor.
After that, Chinese newspapers attacked other Western brands such as Burberry, Adidas, Nike and New Balance for the same reasons. So much so that some Chinese celebrities are canceling the contracts signed with Nike and H&M.
Shares Nike plunged more than 3% on Thursday on Wall Street, while Adidas fell more than 6%. In London, Burberry lost over 4%. H&M shares also fell nearly 2% in Sweden.
But why did those company statements resurface on Chinese social media after so long
The tug-of-war between the fashion world and the Beijing authorities comes after the introduction of sanctions against Chinese officials. Last Monday, the European Union, the United States, Great Britain and Canada announced sanctions for alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang.
All the details. THE CHINESE BOYCOTT
The anger of Chinese users explodes on social media, launching appeals to boycott the Nike sports brand, in the aftermath of those against the Swedish clothing giant H&M. And now some celebrities are also canceling the contracts signed with the two brands.
The attacks began on Wednesday when the party’s Youth League drew attention on social media to a statement from H&M in March 2020 that the clothing giant would stop buying cotton from Xinjiang in northwest China. WHAT H&M HAS DONE
The Swedish company, the second largest clothing retailer in the world, said it was “deeply concerned” about reports of forced labor in China’s Northwest region. FORCED LABOR IN XINJIANG
Last year, H&M announced the end of its collaboration with a Chinese manufacturer accused of forced labor against ethnic minorities in the region. H&M CLOTHING GARMENTS GONE FROM CHINESE E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS
On Thursday morning, the search for “H&M” yielded zero results on e-commerce platforms, including Alibaba’s Taobao, JD.com and Pinduoduo, Meituan Dianping’s store listing app, Tencent’s and Baidu’s map apps .
Unlike some Western countries, where it sells online primarily via its own app or website, H&M relies on a network of third-party e-commerce platforms for distribution in China. In the country of the Dragon, some “super apps” have replaced individual apps and websites.
Mainland China was one of the four largest sales markets for H&M in 2020, during which the fashion giant managed 445 physical stores in 146 city ​​of the country. WHAT H&M CHINA HAS DECLARED
As TechCrunch points out, H&M appears to have withdrawn its controversial 2020 statement.
A statement from H&M China said that the global company has always managed its supply chain in an “open and transparent way.” He stressed that “his decision does not represent any political stance”, confirming his medium-long term investments in the Asian country. THE ATTACK ON BURBERRY, ADIDAS, NIKE, NEW BALANCE AND ZARA
But the boycott does not only concern the Swedish brand.
Yesterday the Global Times, a party tabloid, pointed the finger at Burberry, Adidas, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger and New Balance for making “sharp remarks” on Xinjiang cotton two years ago. In a separate article, the newspaper reported an alleged statement from Zara that reported having “a zero tolerance approach to forced labor”. INCRIMINATED NIKE COMMUNICATION
As for H&M, an old press release regarding work in Xinjiang has also started circulating for Nike on social media.
“We are concerned about reports of forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and related to it”, reads the Nike statement, specifying that “it does not source products from Xinjinag and that it has received confirmation from its suppliers that they are not used. fabrics or yarns from that region “.
At the moment it is unclear when Nike’s top management published the offending statement, as it does not report a date.
China replied, calling the allegations “completely unfounded” and warning that it will not allow anyone to discredit it. CHINESE CELEBRITIES ARE ALSO ARRANGED
According to China Global Television Network, Wang Yibo, star of “The Untamed” with 38 million followers on Weibo, said he opposes “any act to defile China”. Wang, a popular singer and actor, then announced the termination of sponsorship deals with H&M and Nike.
Same decision by Chinese actress Tan Songyun, 23 million followers on Weibo.
As NbcNews reports, Burberry has seen its iconic Scottish motif removed from the clothes worn by the characters of the popular video game “Honor of Kings,” according to a post on the game’s official Weibo account. THE BETTER COTTON INITIATIVE
Already at the beginning of 2020, other well-known brands such as Adidas, New Balance and Burberry, members of the Better Cotton Initiative, had suspended supplies of raw materials from Xinjiang due to a lack of guarantees on the non-use of forced labor in the supply chain. WHY RIGHT NOW
It’s unclear why H&M and Nike’s Xinjiang statement from last year resurfaced. Nor whether Chinese internet giants have received orders from the government to remove H & M’s online stores and offline information.
What is certain is that diplomatic tensions between China and Western countries have increased this week. Xinjiang, along with other issues, is at the center of sanctions against Beijing.
