Jordan: Harmful working conditions at Needle Craft factory persist, as reports of worker suicides rise; incl. buyer responses
New allegations have surfaced following reports of worker abuse in April 2024, after the death by suicide of a migrant worker at a Needle Craft-owned factory, Fine Apparel, in Jordan. At the same factory there has since reportedly been two more deaths by suicide, other cases of suicide from 2023 have emerged, and more anonymous whistleblowers have come forward alleging continued abusive working conditions, including sexual assault, 16-hour workdays, extreme workplace temperatures because the air conditioning is switched off to save on electricity costs, wage theft, passport confiscation and intimidation for "thousands" of migrant workers.
Figs, a fashion brand sponsor for the uniform of Team USA's medics at the Paris Olympics has now been linked as sourcing from the factory; a spokesperson said the brand would begin "transitioning away from Needle Craft... as quickly as we can in a responsible manner". Figs reportedly vetted Needle Craft through visits to the factory but continued to sources items months after allegations were made public. Figs was also reportedly "official healthcare apparel partner" of UK football club Everton FC until May 2024; Everton did not respond to the Resource Centre's request for comment.
[Figs] should be ashamed of failing to identify these in the first place and finally of simply cutting and running from the factory, leaving the workers to pay the price. Figs states that it undertook a vetting process before placing orders – and yet, like the other US brands sourcing from Needle Craft, these procedures either failed to uncover the alleged endemic abuses in the factory or were simply ignored. Due to the secrecy of the auditing industry, we may never know.Dominique Muller, Labour Behind the Label
After the original reporting in April, Under Armour, Columbia and American Eagle commissioned an independent review into the reported abuses but iNews points to shipping data it says shows the brands continued to receive Needle Craft shipments while waiting for the review. UK retailers Cotswold Outdoor, FootAsylum, Harrods, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Next, JD Sports and Sports Direct, were named as selling clothes made by the US brands; at the time several said they would await the results of the investigation. Marks & Spencer stated the Columbia clothes it sells are not made in Jordan.
Considering six months has passed and in light of further and worsening abuse at the factory, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited all the UK retailers named in iNews reporting to:
- Confirm whether the investigation is complete and to disclose the findings if so; or, if the investigation is not yet complete, confirm when the results of the investigation are expected and whether findings will be made public;
- Disclose whether and how the company has made any changes to its human rights due diligence and monitoring processes in relation to its Jordan supply chain; and,
- Outline any remediation it plans or has administered to workers following the allegations.
Responses from Harrods, JD Sports, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Next can be read in full below. Cotswold Outdoor, FootAsylum and Sports Direct did not respond.