Arlington, V.A. – Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) is the leading facility-based certification organization for sewn products. WRAP is a not-for-profit that has focused for the past 18 years on verifying and improving labor conditions in factories around the world. One of WRAP’s core principles is that forced labor of any kind has no place in the sourcing and manufacture of apparel, footwear and accessories.
Last week we were surprised to hear reports from several media outlets that a WRAP certified factory, Hetian Taida, located in Xinjiang in northwestern China, was using forced labor from a government run reeducation camp. Immediately upon learning of these serious allegations, we launched an investigation, which included sending one of our senior auditors to do a full on-site audit of the facility. Based on the findings of this investigation, we have concluded that this facility is not engaged in the use of forced labor.
During the investigation, we confirmed that this facility is not located within the premises of the reeducation camp, nor even in immediate proximity to it. Instead, it is in a completely separate industrial park, which houses other production facilities as well, and is easily accessible without any physical barriers or any other kind of excessive security. The investigation included interviews with a significant portion of the workforce at the facility, which confirmed they were not drawn from the reeducation camp. The vast majority of the workers reside in a dormitory, located in a separate building within the industrial park. This dormitory was also visited and found to house regular living quarters allowing for free movement.
As with any manufacturing facility, the audit revealed the need for improvement in some areas, and WRAP will be continue working with the facility to address these, but given the findings of our investigation, we are satisfied this particular facility is not engaged in the use of forced labor.
Our organizational focus is on facility-based certification and we can only speak to conditions in the specific facilities we have audited. The issue of forced labor remains one of very high significance and WRAP continues to be a strong proponent of responsible journalism aimed at raising awareness of this topic. While the allegations regarding this particular facility are untrue, we support the need to bring greater attention to this matter and endorse the warnings those publications cite to buyers about the need to ensure, through proper due diligence, that their supply chains remain free of forced labor. We are honored to serve as a resource in this regard.
