AMSTERDAM – An investigation launched by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) has followed the supply chain of fashion giant Inditex and its flagship brand Zara, in a case which typifies the dire state of affairs for workers across much of the global fashion industry.
Undertaken by the CCC’s Swiss representative Public Eye in collaboration with French research bureau Basic, the investigation tracked the provenance of a hoody – sold in Zara’s Join Life sustainability collection – back to Turkey, which, according to the most recent Better Buying report, exhibits amongst the worst apparel buying practices.
“Meagre wages, excessive hours, [and] precarious contracts,” are amongst Public Eye’s key findings, who spoke with factory workers to gain perspective.
Inditex has told Ecotextile News: " The calculations speculated by Public Eye are baseless, so the conclusions are completely inaccurate and misleading, and we firmly reject these claims. In fact, the sourcing price is well above the one used in a speculative way in the report, which is completely false.
"All the factories involved in the production of this garment have been registered and supervised prior to Public Eye contacting us, in line with our traceability and compliance policies, and with no issues regarding the salaries of their workers.”
