Volkswagen audit of Xinjiang plant didn’t meet international standards, FT says

The audit that Volkswagen claimed cleared it of allegations of using forced labor in Xinjiang failed to meet international standards, The Financial Times’ Patricia Nilsson and Edward White report, citing the leaked report on its findings. VW said in December that an audit had found “no indications of any use of forced labor” at its plant in the western Chinese region, but the audit report, which was seen by The Financial Times, shows that Guangdong Liangma Law, the Chinese firm involved in the work, did not adhere to critical aspects of the SA8000 auditing standard. “The conclusion of press release is not substantiated by the audit,” said Judy Gearhart, professor with the Accountability Research Center at American University’s School of International Service, who helped develop the SA8000 rules.