The Uyghur people group are a Turkic ethnic group, most of whom identify as Muslim. They are the largest ethnic group of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in north-west China, and one of the 55 ethnic minorities officially recognised by China. Since 2015, China has systematically imprisoned and ‘re-educated’ almost the entire Uyghur and Kazakh population of XUAR. ‘Graduation’ from these internment camps requires people to work in factories near the camps in ‘labour transfers’ facilitated by Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) – the prefecture ‘state’ government of XUAR.

Use of forced Uyghur labour extends into almost every category of product China exports to Western countries. The internment and forced labour of almost the entire Uyghur population of XUAR is described by the Chinese government as a transformation of XUAR into a docile and lucrative ‘economic hub’ promoting ‘stability’.

Solar-grade polysilicon is a highly purified form of silicon derived from quartz rock, used primarily in solar cell production due to its semiconductor properties. Quartz is abundant worldwide, but refining it into solar-grade polysilicon is a labor- and energy-intensive process. Prior to 2005, the majority of polysilicon for solar panels was produced in the United States, Germany, and Japan. However, by 2023, China dominated global production, accounting for approximately 80% of the world's solar-grade and electronic-grade polysilicon. This polysilicon is formed into ingots, sliced into wafers, and used to manufacture solar cells.

China's dominance in polysilicon production is driven by two key factors: access to low-cost coal-powered energy, which meets the high energy demands of polysilicon refining, and the use of forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Around 45% of global polysilicon production occurs in Xinjiang, with another 35% or so from other Chinese regions. Reports, including those from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) enforcement, confirm that forced labor, particularly of Uyghur and other minority groups, is prevalent in Xinjiang's polysilicon industry, tainting much of the supply chain.

Approximately 95% of solar cells rely on polysilicon-based technology. Alternatives, such as thin-film solar panels, exist but hold a declining market share due to polysilicon's superior efficiency, enabling higher energy output from smaller panels.

Much of the green technology supply chain is rife with human rights abuses (from polysilicon production in China, to cobalt mining in the Congo). This should not discourage the use of renewable technology. After all, fossil fuels companies have had an extremely negative impact on the environment and most other ethical measures.

The pursuit of fossil fuels around the world has been a leading cause of land theft, dispossession, violence and oppression of many people groups (particularly indigenous people groups) for over a century. The major modern fossil fuel companies (Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and BP) originated with the exploitation of a particular area and people group. They gained privileged access to the oil reserves of the colonies, from Nigeria (Shell) to British-occupied Persia (BP).

The sad reality of human rights abuses in the supply chain of green/renewable technologies cannot be addressed by advocating for continued use of fossil fuels or a 'slower' transition. After all, it is also indigenous communities and poor countries who are most at risk from the negative impacts from climate change. What is needed is for governments, businesses and our society to focus on a 'just transition' to renewable energies, by calling out these abuses and addressing them.