Primark Corporate Social Responsibility
UK: Primark cuts three suppliers following child labour claims
A News item from Business Respect, Issue Number 130, dated 17 Jun 2008
UK clothing retailer Primark has ended its contracts with three suppliers in India following allegations channelled through a BBC documentary that they used child labour to finish garments with embroidery and sequin work.
The company said that the work had been improperly sub-contracted against the company's code of conduct, and it had taken action accordingly. It said that the clothes affected accounted for around 0.04% of its product sourcing.
Primark's code completely forbids the use of child labour in its supply chain, whether directly by immediate suppliers or further down through sub-contractors, and has said that it is one area where it will take immediate action to terminate relations with suppliers if they are found guilty of substantive breaches and are unwilling to make quick changes.
One of the suppliers in question attacked the move, saying that the BBC coverage had painted a distorted picture, and would now damage livelihoods through the cancellation of orders. A Sakthivel, president of Tirupur Exporters Association, told Newindpress.com that a local NGO had dramatised the story for its own purposes. He said that the light hand-work had been given to a Sri Lankan refugee family at a camp in Bhavani to augment their income.
UK: Primark pulls from PR Week event following protest threats
A News item from Business Respect, Issue Number 141, dated 21 Nov 2008 Strategy decision
Fashion retailer Primark has pulled a presentation it was due to make at a PR Week conference following news that campaigners were targeting the event for anti-Primark protests. The company had been intended to highlight how it had survived bad publicity when TV broadcasters highlighted child labour in its supply chain.
Campaigners 'Labour Behind the Label' and 'Blood Sweat and T-Shirts' celebrated the move, saying that they had
A News item from Business Respect, Issue Number 130, dated 17 Jun 2008
UK clothing retailer Primark has ended its contracts with three suppliers in India following allegations channelled through a BBC documentary that they used child labour to finish garments with embroidery and sequin work.
The company said that the work had been improperly sub-contracted against the company's code of conduct, and it had taken action accordingly. It said that the clothes affected accounted for around 0.04% of its product sourcing.
Primark's code completely forbids the use of child labour in its supply chain, whether directly by immediate suppliers or further down through sub-contractors, and has said that it is one area where it will take immediate action to terminate relations with suppliers if they are found guilty of substantive breaches and are unwilling to make quick changes.
One of the suppliers in question attacked the move, saying that the BBC coverage had painted a distorted picture, and would now damage livelihoods through the cancellation of orders. A Sakthivel, president of Tirupur Exporters Association, told Newindpress.com that a local NGO had dramatised the story for its own purposes. He said that the light hand-work had been given to a Sri Lankan refugee family at a camp in Bhavani to augment their income.
UK: Primark pulls from PR Week event following protest threats
A News item from Business Respect, Issue Number 141, dated 21 Nov 2008 Strategy decision
Fashion retailer Primark has pulled a presentation it was due to make at a PR Week conference following news that campaigners were targeting the event for anti-Primark protests. The company had been intended to highlight how it had survived bad publicity when TV broadcasters highlighted child labour in its supply chain.
Campaigners 'Labour Behind the Label' and 'Blood Sweat and T-Shirts' celebrated the move, saying that they had