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Sportswear industry shamed by new allegations on working conditions
Just four months before the Olympic baton is passed from Beijing to London, the Playfair2008 alliance (supported by the TUC and Labour behind the label) has released a damning, name-and-shame indictment of factory working conditions in the sports wear industry.
Olympics merchandise made using exploited labour
New research published today (Monday) shows that licensed goods bearing the logo of the 2008 Beijing games have been made in factories where child labour and gross exploitation are rife.
As members of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) gather in London for a progress report on the 2012 games, the report
IOC on thin ice over workers' rights
During this Olympics we especially express our dismay at the International Olympic Committee's lack of commitment to ensuring that the Olympic ideals of respect, dignity and fair play are respected by the global sportswear industry.
Social audits: turning a blind eye
"The retailers and their suppliers are playing an elaborate game. They only want to reassure consumers, not to improve conditions" - Dr Liu Kaiman, Institute of Contemporary Observation, Shenzen
Multi-stakeholder initiatives: necessary, but not sufficient
The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is an important tool for companies to address workers' rights issues like those covered in this report. ETI is a multi-stakeholder forum for companies, trade unions and labour rights groups to share experiences and concerns, and to work together to solve problems in global supply chains.
Purchasing practices
Over the past 15 years, campaigners have had considerable success persuading clothing companies to take responsibility for the rights of workers in their supply chains. Yet the very structure of buying in the garment industry, along with the demands of company buyers, often means that suppliers are unable to meet both the terms of the order and those of their customer’s code of conduct. Let’s look at some of the purchasing practices responsible.
Model Code of Conduct
Company codes of conduct are a mixed blessing. On the one hand, they mean that the company has set out to define its principles, and they give consumers and campaigners something to hold the company accountable to. On the other hand, in itself and without the proper monitoring and independent verification, a code is nothing but a piece of paper. With that in mind, this model code of conduct, developed by Labour Behind the Label and our partners in the European Clean Clothes Campaign, sets out not just the principles, but also the means by which companies can ensure - and prove - that they are being adhered to.
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