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Nke's sweatshop scandal - timeline
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1991
Problems arise when activist Jeff Ballinger publishes a report documenting low wages and poor working conditions in Indonesia, for Nike workers.
Nike first formally responds to complaints with a factory code of conduct. -
1992
Jeff Ballinger publishes an exposé of Nike, highlighting an Indonesian worker who worked for a Nike subcontractor for 14 cents an hour, less than Indonesia's minimum wage, and also documented other types of abuse against Nike workers. -
1992
People protests at the Barcelona Olympics - 1992 -
1993
Interview of Nike factory workers, and Ballinger's NGO "Press For Change" provokes a wave of mainstream media attention. -
1996
Kathy Lee Gifford's clothing line is shown to be made by children in poor labor conditions. Gifford’s apology and activism goes national, causing a public scandal -
1996
Nike establishes a department in order to help improve the lives of factory workers. -
1997
Efforts at promotion become occasions for public outrage. The company expands its "Niketown" retail stores, only to see increasing protests. Sports media begin challenging spokespeople like Michael Jordan. -
1997
Nike tasks diplomat and activist Andrew Young with examining its labor practices abroad. His report is criticized for being soft on Nike. Critics object to the fact that he didn't address low wages, used Nike interpreters to translate, and was accompanied by Nike officials on factory visits. Since Young's report was largely favorable, Nike is quick to publicise it, which increases backlash. -
1997
College students around the country began protesting the Nike, as a company. -
1998
Nike faces weak demand and unrelenting criticism. It has to lay off workers, and begins to realize it needs to change. -
1998
The real shift begins with a May 1998 speech by then-CEO Phil Knight. “The Nike product has become synonymous with slave wages, forced overtime, and arbitrary abuse,” Knight said. “I truly believe the American consumer doesn’t want to buy products made under abusive conditions -
1999
Nike begins creating the Fair Labor Association, a non-profit group that combines companies, and human rights and labor representatives to establish independent monitoring and a code of conduct, including a minimum age and a 60-hour work week, and pushes other brands to join. -
2002-2003
The company performs some 600 factory audits between 2002 and 2004, including repeat visits to problematic factories. -
2004
Human rights activists acknowledge that increased monitoring efforts at least deal with some of the worst problems, like locked factory doors and unsafe chemicals, but issues still remain. -
2005
Nike publishes a detailed 108-page report revealing conditions and pay in its factories and acknowledging widespread issues, particularly in its south Asian factories. -
2005
Nike becomes the first in its industry to publish a complete list of the factories it contracts with. -
2006 - onwards
The company continues to post its commitments, standards, and audit data as part of its corporate social responsibility reports. -
NOW - 2015
'I think we've made significant strides, and I'm proud of what the company has done over the last three years,' Says Knight, founder of Nike.
It seems that Nike has overturned many of its sweatshop allegations against their company, however it is still unclear whether they have been solved.
