World’s largest car manufacturers may be linked to the forced labor of Uyghurs, researchers say

Many of the world’s largest car manufacturers may be linked to the forced labor of Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group based in Xinjiang, China, according to new research from Sheffield Hallam University.

Tesla, Volkswagen, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Stellantis — which includes brands like Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep — were found to be at high risk for exposure to steel and aluminum processing factories that employ forced Uyghur labor, the researchers say.

Carmakers use steel and aluminum from China — which subsidizes production in the Xinjiang region — to create car frames, wheels, brakes, and bodies, according to the researchers. They are also tied to Chinese manufacturers that produce copper and nickel, as well as tires, interiors, batteries, and windshields for cars, researchers said.

Working conditions in Xinjiang-based metal factories are “utterly appalling,” Kendyl Salcito, one of the researchers involved in the study, told Insider.

The report recommends governments enact laws that ban imports linked to forced labor and for car companies to end relationships with suppliers based in Xinjiang.