AMSTERDAM - The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) has filed a criminal complaint against Patagonia, Nike, C&A and State of Art who it accuses of profiting from forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China.
ECCHR accuses the companies of "directly or indirectly abetting and profiting" from the forced labour of Uyghur Muslims in the region, which supplies more than a fifth of the world's cotton, and says they "might therefore be involved in crimes against humanity".
The non-profit previously launched similar legal action in Germany against brands and retailers, including Hugo Boss and Lidl, over similar allegations. It is also supporting a similar case brought by NGOs in France.
