Patagonia cheers MLB fleeing Georgia over voting law while continuing China operations despite Uyghur abuse
Company announced in 2020 it was exiting Xinjiang, saying it was 'horrified' by reports
Outdoor clothing company Patagonia is praising Major League Baseball for pulling its All-Star Game out of Georgia while it continues to make and sell clothes in a country that brutally represses religious minorities.
In a statement Monday, Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert urged other business leaders to commit to "reaching out to business partners to facilitate speaking out against further state laws that would restrict voting access."
Under that objective, he said: "MLB has pulled the All-Star Game from Atlanta, and we need more businesses to take a stand and we can use our business networks to expand our advocacy. Opting to stay silent while the constitutional rights of voters in Georgia and across our country are being threatened is tantamount to supporting these unjust laws."
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Meanwhile, Patagonia owns a store in China's capital, Beijing, and has a number of other facilities in the repressive nation.
Tourists enter the Patagonia outdoor clothing shop in Vail, Colorado. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images) (Getty)
When contacted, Patagonia referred FOX Business to its statement last year about exiting Xinjiang, where reports have surfaced of horrific detention and persecution of Uyghurs. The company said it was "horrified" by the reports.
"In accordance with guidance from the Fair Labor Association (FLA), we are actively exiting the Xinjiang region," said Cara Chacon, vice president, social and environmental responsibility in July.
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"To achieve this, Patagonia has done the painstaking and important work of mapping the source of our products to the farm level, and we are constantly working to ensure that all of our products are built without human rights abuses and with the smallest environmental footprint possible."
"We have also communicated to our global suppliers that both fiber and manufacturing in Xinjiang is prohibited. Our supplier vetting process is enforcing this mandate, and we encourage you to review the FLA's March 9, 2020, directive for more information."
Patagonia said Monday it is donating $500,000 to the Black Voters Matter Fund, as well as $500,000 to The New Georgia Project.