Inditex response
“Comments for Business & Human Rights Resource Centre”, 25 May 2015
1.- Comments on the reports:…the core of these articles, the SOMO report about the Brazilian supply chain, is actually saying that Zara in Brazil is acting in a very positive way…[The]…conclusions…reflect the efforts developed by Inditex regarding not only the improvement of the working conditions in our supply chain, but also a more general intervention in structural problems of the Brazilian textile sector and…the social and labour integration of migrants in Brazilian society…Inditex has challenged the administrative procedure of the so called “Dirty List”, alleging that there is not room for the constitutional right of self-defense…Inditex has…been able to guarantee that there is no precarious employment among its Brazilian suppliers since 2011…[and]…has also developed a…plan …to…[train]…Brazilian business owners, combating informal labour…, and supporting the integration of immigrant communities…T]he list of recommendations for clothing brands and retailers...could be …consider as a reflect of Inditex performance…:…[its]… legal actions are…focused on eliminate any sign of arbitrariness and avoid contradictions between social goals and administrative and legal procedures…Inditex is leading both the product traceability and the transparency of its supply chain… 2. Comments on the articles: Allegations contained in these articles release in coordination by SOMO and Repórter Brasil were directly responded by Inditex to the authors…Baseless discrimination charge Zara does not have any capacity to intervene in the recruitment of employees by the companies with which it maintains commercial relationships…[it]…is just one more client…,…[it]…has been fighting against precarious employment for years…Since 2011…[it]…has invested R$14 million in various programs, fundamentally for immigrant support. 3.- Comments on the…article…“El líder contra la esclavitud infantil que incomoda a las grandes multinacionales”…The statements… by Mr. Ehsan Ullah Khan are untrue, lack any foundation and they can only be the result of an unjustified obsession with slander purpose…