A bill aimed at putting pressure on tech supply chains by making companies prove goods from China’s Xinjiang region weren't produced using forced labor will likely soon become law.
The House and Senate have both passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act — named for the western region's Turkic Muslims, who have been subject to what the U.S. describes as a genocide — and the White House has indicated President Biden will sign it. The bill bans imports from the region, where Chinese authorities have set up detainment camps.
To bring in goods from Xinjiang, companies must convince U.S. border officials "by clear and convincing evidence" that the products weren't made using forced labor — an exacting standard.
Apple had previously lobbied on other versions of the bill in what media reports described as an effort to weaken its provisions. The company sources parts from all over the world, but Australian researchers last year found four sites in Apple's supply chain that appear to have made use of forced Uyghur labor. Some of the sites appeared to supply other tech companies as well.
Apple at the time said it condemns forced labor and that it had investigated its suppliers in China and found "no evidence of forced labor on Apple production lines." The company said it would monitor the issue.
Its lobbying included efforts to "educate policymakers on how Apple prevents forced labor in its supply chain," according to the filings.
Climate TRACE's data show emissions at the facility-level.Image: Climate TRACE