The following are ncouraging responses from an e-mail campaign to retailers inquiring if children or oppressed workers are involved in the manufacture or distribution of their products, and if not, could they display so on their labels.
Consumers have the choice in where they work. However, children and oppressed workers do not.
So far, I have heard from Nike, Skechers, Fila, New Balance, and Ralph Lauren.
Start e-mailing your favorite retailers. Stores should hold their vendors accountable as well.
Thank you for contacting SKECHERS and advising us of your concerns. SKECHERS belongs to the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America and, as such, adheres to their guidelines concerning responsible factory
operation. Compliance with these guidelines is documented and monitored by announced and unannounced visits by inspectors. A copy of the FDRA recommended factory practices can easily be obtained by way of writing to
the organization or internet search. You may visit their website here: http://www.fdra.org
Thank you,
Melanie
Thank you for your recent message to Ralph Lauren.com.
Ralph Lauren has built its brand around the consistent production of high quality products, from apparel and home furnishings to fragrances and accessories. In keeping with the company’s reputation for excellence, Ralph Lauren continually seeks to conduct its business according to the highest ethical and legal standards. We take very seriously our responsibility for ensuring a safe and healthy working environment for the people who make our products.
Ralph Lauren requires all licensees, vendors, contractors, and sub-contractors to adhere to strict operating guidelines, which cover the following: health and safety, wages, benefits, working hours, transparent record keeping, freedom of association, subcontracting, customs compliance, product safety, conflicts of interest/anti-bribery, environmental sustainability, as well as, prohibitions on child labor, forced labor, prison labor, discrimination, and harassment.
Improving labor and human rights conditions is an ongoing challenge that requires many organizations to work together to make a difference. Ralph Lauren and our licensees are committed to helping our vendors and contractors provide safe, healthy and humane working conditions around the world.
Thank you also for your labeling suggestion, we will take that under consideration.
Sincerely,
David Uricoli
Senior Director
Global Human Rights Compliance
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns about our business practices. We appreciate the opportunity to share our approach with you.
Nike products are made by more than one million workers in more than 900 contract factories in 48 countries around the world, from Indonesia to Canada, China to the United States.
At Nike, we believe we have a responsibility to conduct our business in an ethical way and hold our business partners accountable to certain established standards in the conduct of their business. We believe the workers in our supply chain should be treated fairly and with respect. We are committed to transforming our working relationships with contracted factories to incentivize changes that benefit their workers. Our recent Sustainable Business Performance Summary (http://www.nikeresponsibility.com) details some of the drivers we have in place, such as the Sustainable Manufacturing Index.
Nike was one of the first brands in our industry to sign onto the Fair Labor Associations definition of ‘fair’ wage. When measuring compliance, Nike expects progress from its factories toward better worker compensation systems that seek to meet the FLA definition of “fair wage.” that is beyond minimum wage and meets the employees’ basic needs and discretionary incomes.
Nike requires its suppliers to pay at least the local minimum wage and legally owed benefits to workers. Nike believes that a responsibly competitive industry that invests in its workforce will bring about locally relevant wage increases for workers over the long term.
We also recognize that excessive overtime is a serious issue, in terms of both hours worked and days on the job without a break. We have worked to assess the root causes of excessive overtime, and have uncovered just how complex the issue is. Working with other stakeholders in our industry we are developing clear strategies around supply chain planning so we can put new methods and systems in place to avoid situations that create pressure.
One of the areas where we believe we have made tremendous progress is in enforcing the minimum working age in our supply chain. Nike has very strict guidance in our Code of Conduct regarding child labor. Any contract factory found to have an underage worker is immediately sanctioned and a remediation plan put in place. Our suppliers have implemented a robust system to make sure all workers have proper documentation that confirms their age.
We hold Nike and our suppliers to a very high standard. We have aligned our Code of Conduct and corporate ethics policies with the UN International Bill of Human Rights and the eight ILO core conventions.
We believe Nike has made real, measurable progress in the last 15 years. However, there is still much to be done. We will continue to hold ourselves accountable for the standards we set and the progress that still needs to be made.
Sincerely,
Mike
Nike
Hello,
We do not use child labor or workers in oppressed conditions to manufacture our products. We have passed your note along to our developers to see if this is something we could include on our site.
Fila USA
Thank you for reaching out to New Balance and for expressing your concern regarding this sensitive issue. New Balance is firmly committed to ensuring that the people who make our products are treated with dignity and respect, wherever in the world they may be. To that end, we strive to work with suppliers who share our commitment to provide safe and healthy work environments and abide by international labor standards.
We will be sure to pass along your comments to the Responsible Leadership offices. If you have any specific questions, you are welcome to contact them directly at RLReport@newbalance.com.
Just as we are committed to the quality of our brand, we thrive off of the loyalty and continued support from individuals like you. Thank you again for taking the time to write in to New Balance; we hope that you will continue to enjoy our product for years to come!
Should you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email or at 1-800-622-1218.
Best Regards,
Steve
New Balance Brand Representative
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