The March 2021 report by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre concerning the alleged failure of two of our third-party vendors in Ethiopia to pay their garment workers for overtime worked raises serious concerns. Immediately following our review of the allegations in the report, which would be clear violations of our Vendor Code of Conduct, we re-reviewed the recent assessments of the two factories in question conducted by BetterWork, an affiliate of the International Labour Organization (ILO). According to these recent BetterWork assessments (dated January 2021 and February 2021), BetterWork found no evidence of unpaid wages or unpaid overtime at either factory.

In addition, we immediately engaged with the management at the factories to further investigate the allegations in the report, and management strongly denied the allegations. Timely and complete payment of wages and overtime are one of the many fundamental practices that are called for in our Vendor Code of Conduct.

The rights and welfare of factory workers in our supply chain are of the highest importance to us.

We realize that a sustainable garment industry is only possible when brands partner with factories to foster a positive work environment.