Among the banned companies is Changji Esquel Textile Co, which Esquel Group launched in 2009. Esquel Group produces clothing for Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss. In a letter to Ross on Monday, Esquel Chief Executive John Chen asked for the unit’s removal from the list. “Esquel does not use forced labor, and we never will use forced labor,” Chen wrote. The companies added to the blacklist include Nanchang O-Film Tech, a supplier for Apple’s iPhone that hosted Apple chief executive Tim Cook in December 2017, according to O-Film’s website.

Source: The Standard July 21, 2020 14:15 UTC