Since the publication of Transparentem’s December 2023 report describing interviewed workers’ experience of poor labor conditions, including evidence of forced labor indicators, at four apparel manufacturers in Mauritius, we remain very troubled by insufficient remediation of past harms identified by workers — including the lack of repayment of recruitment fees to vulnerable migrant workers. The recent responses of current and past buyers to Business and Human Rights Resource Centre’s request for updates also continue to reveal a concerning lack of transparency. Transparency in global brands’ supply chains is a cornerstone of due diligence and we renew our call on these brands to publish all audit reports and to support sustainable worker-driven grievance systems that will ensure any problems at Mauritian apparel factories come to light and are addressed...

Limited Progress Toward Remediation

Transparentem was encouraged that, by the time our report was published in December 2023, three out of 18 buyers that we engaged committed to repaying recruitment fees to workers at one of the four manufacturers—R.E.A.L Garments Ltd. Those three companies—PVH, Barbour, and Second Clothing—committed $420,593 to be used for repayments. Unfortunately, the lapse of more than seven months since commitments were made has repercussions for workers, but Transparentem is pleased that PVH reported it executed an agreement with R.E.A.L in August 2024 to support the logistics of a plan to implement repayments.

In the future, when implementing policies prohibiting worker-paid fees, global buyers should consider strengthening contract terms with suppliers to facilitate repayment logistics when buyers determine that some repayment must be made.

Other R.E.A.L buyers and buyers of the other three suppliers covered by our investigation— Denim de l’Ile Ltd. (DDI), Firemount Group Ltd., and Aquarelle Clothing Ltd.—have not reported any plans to participate in the repayment of recruitment fees.

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