Richard Sheppard | Agency: Dreamstime.com
TRAINERS
Running
away from
responsibility?
“W
e have overtime work until
11pm or midnight every day.
The price they pay us per piece
is so low, so there is no point to us working such
long hours. If our income was higher, I would have
no complaints. But all we have now is exhaustion
and a low income. Some of us do not even have
enough money to spend on food”.1 This is the voice
of one of the women producing goods for Adidas.
Unfortunately, it is not an isolated voice. Time
after time, when campaigners interview workers
in factories producing products for the major
sportswear brands, they hear the same story. An
Oxfam International report earlier this year found
some workers in Asia making football boots and
other sports gear were paid as little as 3.76 euros a
day.2 Campaigners argue that workers aren’t earning
enough to meet their individual basic needs, or
those of their families. At the same time, companies
pay millions for celebrity endorsements.2 Nike
pays $13 million a year to the Brazilian football
team and $21 million to golfer Tiger Woods. David
Beckham receives around $3.3 million to endorse
Adidas. Labour Behind the Label argue that with
this endorsement money alone, 100,000 workers in
Indonesia could receive a living wage.1
The good news
It might sound all doom and gloom, but there
has been some progress. As a result of pressure
from consumers, many companies have adopted
important codes of conduct and this, at least in
part, is likely to have led to some improvements
in the lives of the workers. Some companies
are entering into dialogue with campaigners,
or joining multi stakeholder initiatives like the
UK’s ETI or the US Fair Labor Association.
Campaigners also recognise further progress by
the following companies, who have all released
some details of the names and addresses of their
factories: Nike, Reebok, Puma and to a lesser
extent, Adidas.2 Campaigners have long been
calling for companies to publish the full names
and addresses of the factories where their goods
are made because this kind of transparency
“makes it easier for civil society organisations to
investigate and report on working conditions in
company supply chains”.2 Oxfam’s report praised
Reebok, Nike, Puma, Adidas, Umbro, and ASICS
for positive initiatives which have improved the
conditions in some of their factories, while Fila
was criticised for doing the least.
“© Photographer:
High profile
campaigns have
forced many of the
major sports brands
to improve the way
they do business
when it comes to
workers’ rights.
Ruth Rosselson
asks whether this is
enough.
Our codes of conduct rating
We asked all the companies on the table for their
supply chain policy. None of the major brands
supplied us with a code that would receive our
top rating as none has committed to paying
workers “a living wage”. This is defined as one
which for a full-time working week, without
overtime, is enough for workers and their
families to meet their needs for nutritious food,
clean water, shelter, clothes, education, health
care and transport and allows a small amount
for discretionary spending.2,3 Most companies
state that they will pay “legal national minimum
wages” or “industry benchmark standards”. The
problem is that in many cases, neither come close
to meeting basic needs.3
In addition, many companies do not yet have
adequate third-party monitoring in place. Some
also use vague terms which can be interpreted in
Fashion trainers: Ethletic (08707 665 196), No Sweat, Vegetarian Shoes
(01273 691913), Terra Plana and Worn Again (0207 407 3758).
Sports trainers: ASICS, Brooks & Gola (see ethiscores table on page 24).
22 www.ethicalconsumer.org
JAN/FEB ‘07
buyer’s guide
h h e
e
e
E
E
h H h h h h H H H H H H Product Sustainability
Company Ethos
Anti-Social Finance
Political Activity
H
h
h
H
h
H
H
H
h
H
H
Boycott Call
h
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
Genetic Engineering
H
h
h
H
h
h
h
H
H
H
Armaments
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
Politics +ve Irresponsible Marketing
Supply Chain Policy
H Workers’ Rights
h
h
h
h
h
H
H
H
Human Rights
h
Other Animal Rights
Factory Farming
Pollution & Toxics
h
h
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
h
H
H
Animal Testing
Climate Change
17
16.5
15.5
15
14.5
14
13.5
10
9
9
8.5
8.5
8.5
8.5
8
8
5.5
5.5
Habitats & Resources
Nuclear Power
Ethletic
Blackspot sneaker
Veg Supreme
No Sweat baseball boots
Worn Again trainer
No Sweat sneakers
VIVO Barefoot trainers Liu
Gola trainers
New Balance trainers
Ellesse trainers
Fila trainers
Puma trainers
Skechers trainers
Umbro trainers
Hi-Tec trainers
Nike trainers
Reebok trainers
Adidas trainers
Environmental Reporting
Brand Ethiscore (out of 20)
Environment animals People Company Group
2
Fair Deal Trading Partnership
1.5
Adbusters Media Foundation
0.5
Vegetarian Shoes
1.5
Bienestar International
1
Terra Plana International
0.5
Bienestar International
Terra Plana International
D Jacobson & Sons
New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc
Robert Stephen Holdings
Sports Brand International
Puma AG Rudolf Dassler Sport
Sketchers Inc
Doughty Hanson & Co Ltd
BHS Sunningdale
Nike Inc
Adidas Group
Adidas Group
Key  bottom rating  middle rating top rating (no criticisms found) Company Sustainability:  full mark  half mark
Product Sustainability: companies can receive a maximum of five positive marks for this category. Ethiscore: the higher the score, the better the company across the criticism categories (see www.ethicalconsumer.org/magazine/buyers/categories.htm or “Introduction to Ethical Consumer” booklet for more details).
Company Profiles
Adidas group also owns the Reebok brand.
Adidas is currently the subject of a boycott
from Viva! for its use of kangaroo leather.6
Bienestar International is the company
behind the “No Sweat” brand of sneakers.
There is a cotton and an organic hemp
version available. The company was set up
to manufacture and sell goods made by
unionised workers and without the use of
sweatshops. Full details of the wages paid
to workers for a working week of 40 hours
were available on its website. No Sweat
sneakers are sold through Vegetarian Shoes.
Fairdeal Trading is a company set up to
manufacture and sell fairtrade products. Its
trainers are manufactured in Pakistan by a
supplier which also produces footballs for
the company and who receives a special Fair
Trade premium for the shoes. The latex is
also fairtrade and FSC certified.
Hi-Tec was the only company to supply us
with a code of conduct which stipulated
“mandatory overtime” for workers, thus
earning it a criticism under workers’ rights.10
It received a half mark in the armaments
column for supplying non-strategic goods
to the military.11
New Balance sources a large proportion of
its products from China, although it also
uses a UK-based factory in Cumbria. In 2005,
workers in a factory producing shoes for
New Balance complained of poor quality
food and forced, unpaid overtime which
resulted in working weeks of over 15 hours
per day, seven days a week.9
Nike has previously been under the
spotlight for sourcing products from
sweatshops. However, it has also been
recently commended by campaigners for
increased transparency and “willingness to
engage in social dialogue”. 2 It has released
the names of factories producing its Nike
brand and the results of some of its factory
audits are available on its website. Despite
this, Oxfam’s report still found violations in
factories producing goods for Nike.2
Robert Stephens Holdings owns the Pentland
Group, owner of Ellesse, Berghaus, Speedo,
Lacoste, Kickers and KangaROOS brands,
among others. It is a member of the Ethical
JAN/FEB ‘07
Trading Initiative and received a middle
rating for its code of conduct. However,
Labour Behind the Label’s “Let’s Clean
Up Fashion” report accused the Pentland
Group of “resting on its laurels” regarding
workers’ rights issues, claiming that it was in
denial over the cost of living for workers.3
Skechers does not have a code of conduct
displayed on its website and did not
forward one to Ethical Consumer. In 2005,
it was found to be sourcing shoes from
a factory in China where workers had
made allegations of verbal and physical
harassment of workers as well as fines,
abusive treatment and excessive overtime.7
Stride Rite owns the Saucony brand of
running shoes. It receives a worst rating
from us for its supply chain policy, which
had no restriction on working hours.
Saucony admitted that it could not ensure
that its suppliers would adhere to its
supplier values statement.8
Terra Plana produces the Worn Again trainer
in collaboration with Anti-apathy as well as
its own brands of shoes and trainers.
www.ethicalconsumer.org 3
TRAINERS (continued)
a number of ways - such as setting a maximum
working week, “except in exceptional circumstances”.
Where one is set, the maximum is most commonly
48 hours, plus 12 hours overtime. Some might argue
that these hours are already excessive, and indeed the
International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers
Federation is campaigning for a 40 hour working
week in developing countries.4
No Sweat’s code of conduct was a model
code, with detailed stipulations regarding wages
(including a full definition of a living wage), union
involvement, holiday entitlement, a minimum
age of 18, independent auditing and details of its
purchasing practices.
Violations
Unfortunately, the existence of a code is
no guarantee that it is being implemented.
Violations of codes include excessive or forced
their buying practices are contributing to
excessive working hours.
• Be more transparent overall.
• Increase training for workers on their rights
and related issues.
• Do more to ensure workers are allowed2 to
exercise their rights to join trade unions.
Positive choices
A response to anti-sweatshop campaigns has
seen a rise in the number of ‘ethical’ trainers
being produced. Canada’s Adbusters Blackspot
shoe is made by unionised workers in Portugal
with profits going to Adbuster’s anti-corporate
campaigns.5 Worn Again is a collaboration
between Terra Plana shoes and Anti-Apathy and
combines environmental and social concerns.
No Sweat is a US based brand which sources its
products from unionised factories in Indonesia
while Fair Deal’s Ethletic baseball boot is the only
one on our table to be produced under Fairtrade
principles. Fair Deal Trading distributes No Sweat
shoes while Adbuster’s Blackspot can be bought
through Vegetarian Shoes.
Animal Issues
overtime, inadequate wages, harassment
and bullying of workers, discrimination and
intimidation.1, 2, 3 Violations have been found
in factories supplying products for most of the
companies on our table, including: Nike, Adidas,
Puma, Skechers, New Balance, Reebok, Umbro,
Pentland Group (Ellesse, Lacoste), Fila, ASICS,
Mizuno and Saucony.
What is left to do?
Campaigners argue that brands need to do the
following:
• Increase wages so that workers have enough
to live off on a regular working week that
doesn't exceed 48 hours.
• Change purchasing practices to ensure that
they don't lead to worker exploitation – this
means negotiating appropriate delivery times
and fair prices which allow factory managers
to meet orders while respecting labour
standards. Many brands have admitted that
All of the companies on the table except for
Vegetarian Shoes, Blackspot, No Sweat and
Ethletic produce some trainers made from
leather, giving them a mark on the table
under “other animal rights” for the use of
slaughterhouse by-products. However, you
should also be able to find trainers by many
of the brands made from synthetic fibres. Also
of concern to animal rights campaigners is
the use of kangaroo leather by some brands.
Animal Rights group Viva! argues that kangaroo
slaughter in Australia is particularly cruel.6 A
2005 Australian RSPCA report concluded that
at least 100,000 adult kangaroos were not killed
“humanely”.6 Many more animals escape, only
to die later while millions more orphaned baby
kangaroos also face a painful death. Viva! urges
consumers to look out for and avoid “k-leather”
products. Companies using kangaroo leather
include: Adidas, Umbro, Mizuno, Rebook and
Nike.6
Environmental issues
Materials of concern to environmental
campaigners include PVC as well as hazardous
substances such as brominated flame retardants
and triclosan. Those committed to or having
already implemented a no PVC- policy include
Nike, Adidas, Reebok, PUMA, New Balance
and ASICS. No Sweat, Ethletic, Worn Again,
Vegetarian Shoes are all PVC-free. Ethletic is the
only trainer to have sourced Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) certified rubber for its soles and
receives an extra product sustainability mark for
this. Worn Again also receives an extra product
sustainability mark because its trainers are all
made from recycled fibres.
Sports shoes ethiscore
There is a difference between trainers worn for
fashion, and those worn for sports. The ethiscore
table below does not include the ethical brands
which are probably inappropriate for serious
runners, and includes those brands which you
would be able to comfortably do some sport
in. Additional brands not covered on the main
table are: ASICS, Brooks (owned by Russell
Corporation), Saucony (owned by Stride Rite)
and Mizuno. Of these brands Brooks was the
only one with a supply chain policy which did
not receive a worst rating from us. ASICS has a
PVC-free policy.
sports shoes
Brooks Gola ASICS Saucony Ellesse Mizuno New Balance Fila Puma Skechers Umbro Hi- Tec Nike Reebok Adidas ethiscore
10
10
9.5
9
9
9
9
8.5
8.5
8.5
8.5
8
8
5.5
5.5
LINKS
Oxfam Australia’s report is available to
download from www.oxfam.org.au or read the
Labour Behind the Label and TUC report “Sweet
FA” from the Labour behind the Label website,
www.labourbehindthelabel.org
The Viva!-led campaign on stopping the
slaughter of kangaroos is at
www.savethekangaroo.com
Other organisations campaigning on these
issues:
•
IGTWF: www.igtwf.org
•
National Labor Committee: www.nlcnet.
org/news/
References: 1 Sweet FA? Football Associations, workers’ rights, and the World Cup, Labour behind the Label, June 2006 2 Offside! Labor Rights and
Sportswear Production in Asia, Oxfam international, May 2006 3 Let’s Clean Up Fashion, Labour Behind the Label August 2006 4 International
Textile & Garment & Leather Workers’ Federation website, www.itglwf.org 5 http://adbusters.org/metas/corpo/blackspotshoes/home.php November
2006 6 www.savethekangaroo.com October 2006 7 China Labor Watch ‘The Kingmaker Company’s Factory in Zhuhai” June 2005 8 Saucony
supplier values statement, Feb 2004 9 Boston Herald online edition, www.bostonherald.com 7/1/06 10 Hi-Tec company supply chain policy. 11
Jane’s International Defence Directory 2004
24 www.ethicalconsumer.org
JAN/FEB ‘07