A report by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre has uncovered 28 cases of alleged human rights abuses related to the purchasing practices of large scale, global brands. The organisation said the cases identified and tracked over a nine month period, from January to September 2024, were “global in scale and have impacted thousands of workers around the world”, across a number of notable manufacturing countries.
As such, related allegations have been brought against 36 brands in both the fast fashion and luxury categories, including H&M, Ralph Lauren, Asos, Mango, Michael Kors, Coach and Gucci, among others. The Research Centre said that upon asking the brands identified for a response, most said they had contacted the supplier of the vendor in question and said that they had stopped sourcing from the factory if it did not share any actions taken to address the issue.
The allegations were tied to a period in which a reduction in buyer orders could be seen across the field, resulting in mass layoffs, suspended employment and unpaid severance. Among those impacted was that of the Luenthai Philippines factory, which allegedly worked with brands like Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Tapestry, Adidas and Fast Retailing. In May 2024, the site is said to have retrenched 2,000 workers, reflecting 60 percent of its workforce, due to a reduction in demand for products over the course of two years.
Similarly, Anzir Apparels, a Bangladesh factory that had been linked to Mango, Asos and River Island, had reportedly closed due to a lack of orders, with many of the associated brands stating that they had stopped sourcing from the factory in 2021. Other factories reported experiencing “progressively lowered prices” or were deemed “less advantageous” for brands to continue working with.
