Canadian Forced Labor Complaint Against Ralph Lauren Closed
The Canada Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) terminated its review of human rights complaints against Ralph Lauren Canada, the agency announced last week. The company participated in a confidential dispute settlement process with the parties that filed the complaint against the company; in June 2024, the complainants notified CORE of their decision to withdraw the complaint given "satisfactory responses" from Ralph Lauren.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
CORE began investigating Ralph Lauren Canada after a complaint was filed in June 2022 alleging that the company had a relationship with a Chinese supplier that uses Uyghur forced labor, the agency said in its Nov. 28 news release. After an initial assessment report, the CORE decided to investigate the company (see 2308210048). The complainants and Ralph Lauren signed a nondisclosure agreement at a preliminary meeting in November 2023, the CORE said.
Ralph Lauren Canada became inactive as a Canadian company in 2022 and representatives from the U.S.-based parent company, Ralph Lauren Corp., responded on behalf of its Canadian subsidiary throughout the dispute resolution process.
There will not be follow-up action with respect to Ralph Lauren Canada, "considering that [it] is no longer an active company in Canada," the CORE said in a final report. However, the CORE advised all Canadian companies operating abroad to "establish and regularly review their responsible business policies and practices to fulfill their responsibilities to respect human rights."