June 8, 2005
Author: Jeroen Merk
© Clean Clothes Campaign, ICFTU, Oxfam

The Play Fair at the Olympics Campaign (PFOC) has urged 'sportswear companies and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to bring about an industry-wide solution to the abuse and exploitation of workers in global sportswear supply chains'.

In the six-month run-up to the Olympic Games (March 2004 - August 2004), the campaign organisers estimate that at a sub-national level, 500 local events (i.e., demonstrations, protest actions, picket lines, etc.) had taken place. This contributed to extensive coverage on television, radio, and in the press. In addition, more than 500,000 people signed a petition in support of the campaign. While these activities were aimed at informing the public about working conditions, they were helpful in placing pressure 'upon those companies that have done too little to meet their incumbent responsibilities'.

Toward this aim, seven companies - Asics, Fila, Kappa, Lotto, Mizuno, Puma, and Umbro - were highlighted during the international public campaign.

During the PFOC, these sportswear companies were lobbied in an effort to force them to address widespread exploitation and abuse of workers in their supply-chains. This report's aim is to present an accurate reflection of the various activities and interactions that took place until some two months after the Olympic Games ended. The report will also indicate the steps that have been undertaken by the PFOC highlighted companies.

The Playfair alliance also approached the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Federation of Sporting Goods Industries (WFSGI). Their response is analysed in separate reports.

Most of the information compiled in this report is comprised of written sources (e.g., letters and emails) with a focus on the correspondence that occurred between the highlighted companies and the campaign partners. Additional material includes: press sources, newspaper evaluations written by the campaign allies, press releases, and items from various company websites. Each highlighted company has been given the opportunity to review and comment on its chapter. Factual errors were corrected in the text.

This report is divided into four sections:

• Part 1 commences with the reasons why the PFOC highlighted the seven companies in question.

• Part 2 provides a brief market overview of the position that the highlighted companies occupy within the sportswear market.

• Part 3 summarises how and when the highlighted companies responded to the PFOC.

• Part 4 summarises the recommendations made by the PFOC in respect of the sector and looks at these companies' response to these. At the end of this section a number of specified steps are indicated that the Playfair Alliance would like these companies to take.

• The appendixes detail individual company's responses to the recommendations of the campaign. This is the major part of the document and it focuses primarily on the exchange of letters and emails between the companies and the PFOC lobby team. Each highlighted company has been given the opportunity to review and comment on its chapter and factual errors were corrected in the text,