Apple has imported clothes, thought to be uniforms for staffers at its retail stores, from a Chinese company accused of using forced labor and facing U.S. sanctions as a result. Shipping records unearthed by the Tech Transparency Project show that Changji Esquel Textile, which has been accused of human-rights violations in the Xinjiang region, including forced labor by Uighur Muslims, sent a shipment of women’s cotton and elastane knit shirts to “Apple Retail stores” in California as recently as a month before the U.S. government in July imposed sanctions on the company. Until recently, Esquel’s website listed Apple as a “major customer,” and in 2014 it was reported that Apple and Esquel were using 100 metric tons of recycled cotton waste to make sustainable uniforms. Last month Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook told Congress he would not tolerate forced labor or modern-day slavery in the company’s supply chains. Esquel has denied allegations of abuse. Esquel supplies many major U.S. clothing companies, including Patagonia, Nike, and Tommy Hilfiger. Apple said in a statement: “Esquel is not a direct supplier to Apple but our suppliers do use cotton from their facilities in Guangzhou and Vietnam. We have confirmed no Apple supplier sources cotton from Xinjiang and there are no plans for future sourcing of cotton from the region.”
