Reports
Nike’s supply Chain in Vietnam: Labour rights Violations and Corporate Accountability
- Asia Team
- 21 March 2025
Nike, Inc., a global manufacturer of athletic footwear and apparel, has long relied on its manufacturing hub in Vietnam, as nearly 50 percent of the company’s footwear production originates from this source (Nike Inc., 2023). However, this dependency has come at the expense of utilising inexpensive labour, putting the company under constant criticism due to ongoing claims of breaches of international labour rights standards. Said claims are based on the utilisation of child labour, exploitative working conditions, the infringement of labour rights, and wage theft. These instances not only highlight the systemic issues surrounding supply chain manufacturing obligations and accountability standards but also raise fundamental questions regarding corporate responsibility and the international obligations that multinational corporations hold in ensuring ethical and fair labor practices.
Despite Nike, Inc. addressing previous controversies with the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, critics argue that the implementation of these reforms fails to address the fundamental issues of these problems. This report addresses the complexity of Nike’s supply chain, their efforts towards accountability on the presence of past and current labour rights infringements, as well as the broader ramifications for their corporate responsibility. Additionally, the international legal frameworks, in combination with the advocacy for consumer protection, will be addressed in order to assess how multinational corporations are supervised and held accountable for their supply chain operations.
Despite Nike, Inc. addressing previous controversies with the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, critics argue that the implementation of these reforms fails to address the fundamental issues of these problems. This report addresses the complexity of Nike’s supply chain, their efforts towards accountability on the presence of past and current labour rights infringements, as well as the broader ramifications for their corporate responsibility. Additionally, the international legal frameworks, in combination with the advocacy for consumer protection, will be addressed in order to assess how multinational corporations are supervised and held accountable for their supply chain operations.
✨ AI summary
Nike, Inc., a global manufacturer of athletic footwear and apparel, has long relied on its manufacturing hub in Vietnam, as nearly 50 percent of the company’s footwear production originates from this source (Nike Inc., 2023). However, this dependency has come at the expense of utilising inexpensive labour, putting the company under constant criticism due to ongoing claims of breaches of international labour rights standards. Said claims are based on the utilisation of child labour, exploitative working conditions, the infringement of labour rights, and wage theft. These instances not only highlight the systemic issues surrounding supply chain manufacturing obligations and accountability standards but also raise fundamental questions regarding corporate responsibility and the international obligations that multinational corporations hold in ensuring ethical and fair labor practices.
Despite Nike, Inc. addressing previous controversies with the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, critics argue that the implementation of these reforms fails to address the fundamental issues of these problems. This report addresses the complexity of Nike’s supply chain, their efforts towards accountability on the presence of past and current labour rights infringements, as well as the broader ramifications for their corporate responsibility. Additionally, the international legal frameworks, in combination with the advocacy for consumer protection, will be addressed in order to assess how multinational corporations are supervised and held accountable for their supply chain operations.
Despite Nike, Inc. addressing previous controversies with the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, critics argue that the implementation of these reforms fails to address the fundamental issues of these problems. This report addresses the complexity of Nike’s supply chain, their efforts towards accountability on the presence of past and current labour rights infringements, as well as the broader ramifications for their corporate responsibility. Additionally, the international legal frameworks, in combination with the advocacy for consumer protection, will be addressed in order to assess how multinational corporations are supervised and held accountable for their supply chain operations.
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