ASICS Corporation

Founder of ASICS, Kihachiro Onitsuka, was inspired to create this successful sportswear company after witnessing the desperate plight of children in post-war Japan. The company's motto is 'Bringing up sound youth through sports'. ASICS is now the fifth-largest brand in the global sports-shoe sector and is gradually expanding into the apparel and accessories market. In 2002, the company's global sales were worth US$ 969 million, and it made pre-tax profits of US$ 22 million.

ASICS has in recent years shifted most of its production to factories in low-cost countries, including China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, as well as in South Asia and Eastern Europe. Seeking to dominate the East Asian market, in 2002 ASICS signed a deal with the Taiwanese-owned Pou Chen Group, the world's largest sports-shoe manufacturer, giving the latter the rights to produce and market ASICS shoes in China. Similarly, the rights to distribute ASICS goods in Latin America have been given to the large Brazilian manufacturer Azaleia.

The ASICS brand is synonymous with marathon races. It sponsors many famous runners - including Naoko Takahashi and Deena Drossin - and well-known events like the New York Marathon. At the Barcelona Olympics, ASICS was the official shoe supplier and boasted that its shoes were on the feet of some 80,000 Olympics staff and torchbearers.

ASICS claims that it operates on the principles of 'uniting to achieve goals in the spirit of freedom, fairness, respect for the dignity of the individual and good governance, upholding ethical standards while continuing to build corporate value'. It has a Code of Conduct which reflects core labour standards. The company has joined the Fair Labor Association.

Although Asics has taken encouraging steps to demonstrate its commitment to decent labour standards, it needs to increase its efforts to address the significant abuses of labour rights that are reported by workers and to address outstanding recommendations of the Programme of Work.