"Adidas and Sports City should be up front about the reason for the closure of Mactan Apparel", 10 August 2023

We call on the global brand Adidas and one of its tier-1 suppliers, Sports City, to be up front to the workers about the reason for the closure of Mactan Apparel and its two printing facilities. At the very least, transparency is the foundation for corporate social responsibility.

We demand honesty from Adidas and Sports City since it is as clear as day that they contradict each other in their separate replies to inquiries from the Business and Human Rights Resource Center. Adidas claims that the closures are due to the decision of Sports City to consolidate its supply chain in the Philippines. Meanwhile Sports City alleges that the shutdown was prompted by the supply chain consolidation of its buyer. In sum, nobody wants to accept responsibility for a decision that led to the loss of livelihood of some 4,000 workers. So, what is the real score?

Corporate social responsibility dictates that brands and suppliers must be transparent to workers who have been loyally making their garments and producing profit for the companies.