Statement in open court read in Smart Shirts Limited v Sheffied Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University today retracted false claims it had published about Hong Kong clothing business Smart Shirts Limited, in a statement in open court read before Mr Justice Nicklin.
The University had alleged, in a report published in December 2023 and in a preceding email circulated within the fashion industry, that Smart Shirts was sourcing materials which were the product of forced labour from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (and that there were grounds to investigate that it knew this to be the case). This was false, as Smart Shirts uses an extensive tracing system to demonstrate the legitimate provenance of the material it uses to produce clothing for a range of international customers, including well-known UK high street brands. The University’s researchers had declined an offer by Smart Shirts to explain and demonstrate this tracing system prior to publication, and refused to alter the report despite Smart Shirts protestations, leading to it issuing libel proceedings.
Preliminary issues as to meaning were determined in November 2024. Permission to appeal was granted against the Judge’s findings, after which the parties agreed to remit the matter for a re-trial of the preliminary issues, which led to a further determination in May 2025.
In today’s court statement the University acknowledged that the allegations were untrue. It stated that it had not intended to suggest that Smart Shirts used any materials produced by forced labour, as it had found no evidence that this was the case. It stated that the allegations should not have been included in the report and expressed its regret that they had been published. It has now withdrawn the report and undertaken not to repeat the false allegations.
5RB‘s William Bennett KC and Richard Munden, instructed by Wedlake Bell, acted for Smart Shirts.