The Nike Controversy

Nike came under fire in the '70s after it was exposed for using forced labor to create its iconic swoosh products. As one of the most popular sportswear brands in the world, its consumers made quite a fuss trying to hold the company accountable. Let's deep dive into the issues with Nike.

Behind the Swoosh

Nike has been accused of using sweatshops to create their products since the '70s, but came under the most fire in 1991 when Jeff Ballinger reported on the working conditions and low pay of workers in Nike's Indonesian factories.

Nike was slow to respond to the call from consumers in the '90s but eventually worked to improve their working conditions by improving wages, increasing audits, and creating stronger monitoring efforts.

Since this, Nike has started advertising their new "green" campaign, showing consumers they have changed their ways.

Photo from Pexels.com

Have things really changed?

In 2017, Nike turned it's back on workers by not following its commitment to the Workers' Rights Consortium as reported by the International Labor Rights Forum. This blocked labor rights monitors from looking into their factories, allowing the previous conditions to return, despite their "clean" campaign.

More recently, in May 2023, Nike was given a lawsuit for their greenwashing claims of sustainability. According to ClassAction.org, “The 47-page ‘greenwashing’ lawsuit charges broadly that Nike has illegally attempted to capitalise on consumers’ preference for ‘green’ products by falsely claiming that certain apparel tagged with ‘sustainable’ claims."

Nike's claims of sustainability have been largely untrue, creating a false narrative for consumers thinking they are getting quality products.

Photo from Nike.com

Environmental Impact

Nike has tried to lessen its environmental impacts but hasn't set clear guidelines of how it plans to do so. While a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, they still have major greenhouse gas emissions with no plan on how to lessen their impact.

Nike has set a deadline to eliminate hazardous chemicals by 2025 and is on track to do so. The brand is trying to make their mark in sustainability, but is still a long way from being a green company.

Human Rights Impact

Despite the brand's tempered past with labor rights, Nike still has little evidence of providing a liveable wage for its workers. Nike also claims to have a wage program to help increase pay for workers, but it does not disclose how they will do this, how much money will be made, or who it will go to.

The brand has also come under fire for gender discrimination despite their female empowerment campaigns. In 2018, Nike was sued by two female employees for creating a culture of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

Photo from Pexels.com

Animal Rights Impact

While Nike doesn't test on animals or use angora in its products, it does use other animal products to create their activewear. The brand uses silk, exotic animal skins, fur and leather in their products without specifying where they come from.

Final notes

Overall, the brand is not transparent about working conditions, environmental impacts and animal rights. Because of this, they are considered a company that greenwashes their products by claiming in advertisements that they are high quality, but not showing how the products are made. While certainly not the worse company to buy from in comparison to others like Shein or Old Navy, they still have a lot of work to do to be a sustainable company.

References

McCartney, S. (2023, July 26). How Ethical Is Nike? Good On You. Retrieved February 5, 2024, from https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-nike/ 

Statement on Forced Labor - NIKE, Inc. (2021, December 1). About Nike. Retrieved February 5, 2024, from https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/statements/statement-on-forced-labor 

Xu, V. X. (2020, March 17). Opinion | Your favorite Nikes might be made from forced labor. Here's why. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 5, 2024, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/17/your-favorite-nikes-might-be-made-forced-labor-heres-why/