Brief: A Six-Month Review of C4ADS Fractured Veins Report

What is the context?

In October 2023, C4ADS – a U.S.-based non-profit investigative and research organisation — published its Fractured Veins report (available here). The Report relies on publicly available mining licences and Chinese corporate data to map the gold mining and processing industry in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), and its ties to global supply chains and financial systems. It reveals alarming ties between forced labour-tainted gold and end-user Western companies.

Our Briefing

In collaboration with C4ADS, BHRC has prepared a briefing paper where we highlight the key findings of the report, as well as take stock on the past six months since the publication of this ground-breaking report.

We discuss the 6-month review of actions taken by policymakers and private sector actors, aiming to evaluate progress and impact and offer tailored recommendations for industry stakeholders to moving forward effectively.

Our recommendations provide practical steps for the private sector to better identify and assess and take action to address the well documented use of forced labour in XUAR and eliminate their exposure to it.