BOSTON/LISBON: A group of religious and socially conscious investors and other funds are ramping up pressure on Western companies over alleged human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region, highlighting the challenges for brands trying to maintain their business ties amid rising tensions.
The Human Rights section of H&M’s website hmgroup.com on Friday no longer carried a link to a 2020 statement on Xinjiang. The statement could still be accessed through the page’s direct address.Inditex's statement on forced labour on its website was no longer available as of last Thursday. Hugo Boss said last week on Chinese social media that it would continue sourcing Xinjiang cotton. Company spokeswoman Carolin Westermann said on Friday an undated English-language statement on its website stating that"so far, HUGO BOSS has not procured any goods originating in the Xinjiang region from direct suppliers" was its official position and that the Chinese statement was not authorised.
The Investor Alliance for Human Rights has more than 160 institutional investors and other organisations as members, representing more than US$5 trillion in assets under management currently, its website said.