Abstract:
The garment industry is notorious for the endemic problem of labor exploitation we conducted an
analysis of the average wages reported by Nike in 2001 and in its financial statements, showing that
the brand could have doubled or tripled the wages of workers while maintaining a high net income.
This is a paradigmatic case for the sector, and a unique opportunity to prove that paying a decent
living wage is possible without suffering losses. To our knowledge, no other leading brand of the
garment industry has published a detailed report on the wages of its workers. Even Nike decided not
to do so again after the publication of its 2001 report. Consequently, the findings of our study have
important implications for those who continue to demand that textile companies improve the labor
conditions of their workers |
