Founded in 1973 as a local tennis-shoe company, Lotto has grown into a global corporation, selling its tennis shoes, athletic and football apparel and shoes, and leisurewear in 70 countries. In 1999 it was bought out by Italy Sport Design. Global sales in 2002 amounted to US$ 277.9 million, and profits were US$ 6.4 million. Still famous for its original product, Lotto remains a big name in the tennis world, sponsoring more than 100 tennis players, including Boris Becker, Martina Navaratilova, and Thomas Muster. To that, it has added a specialisation in football, sponsoring international-class teams such as the Dutch national soccer team, AC Milan, and Juventus. Lotto outsources all of its production to suppliers in Indonesia, Viet Nam, China, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Turkey. In supplier factories surveyed in three countries, workers reported:

1. Wages below subsistence level;

2. Wage cuts and penalties when sick leave is taken;

3. Verbal and physical abuse;

4. Workers being prevented from undertaking trade-union activities;

5. Temporary workers being given excessive production targets and not being paid for overtime work.

It is hard to imagine Lotto not wanting to take responsibility for such exploitation of workers within its supply-chain. The company needs to take active steps to implement a strategy to demonstrate that these types of abuse will not be tolerated in the production of Lotto-branded goods.