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Last month sportswear giant Nike ended its contract with Saga Sports, a production site in Sialkot, Pakistan, following an investigation that revealed they had been outsourcing Nike production to homeworkers. It was found that these workers were stitching the Premiership footballs in their homes. Nike stated that this prevents them from being able to monitor and ensure safe labour standards, and creates the potential for the use of underage labour.

The Premier League was fully briefed by Nike about its decision, and there will be a shortage of footballs while Nike switches production to China.

Nike is reported to have made significant efforts to work with the factory, including regular meetings and remediation plans to improve labour standards. Hannah Jones, Nike’s vice president of corporate responsibility, stated that ‘In this case, remediation didn’t work. In fact, we saw a further significant deterioration of working conditions due to a lack of commitment by management to address the problems. We also are deeply concerned about the broader conditions and practices we saw in home-based settings.’

Nike is also engaging with a group of governmental, non-governmental and industry stakeholders to ensure support for affected workers and explore sustainable approaches to manufacturing in Sialkot. Jones also said that the company’s efforts are now focused on securing the rights of those Saga Sports employees affected, and exploring with stakeholders the possibility of turning this into a ‘catalyst for change in manufacturing methods’ and contributing to sustainable development. Oxfam have praised the move by Nike saying that it is a positive step in the right direction, but that the company still has much to do with regard to trade unions and the right to organise. Source: Nike Inc press release; The Guardian