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The New Wave of Labour Litigation Facing Fashion

Labour activists have long claimed that brands can’t be trusted to self-regulate. Now, a series of lawsuits are opening a new frontier in efforts to hold brands accountable for abuses in their supply chains.
Protesters outside a Zara store in France. Parent company Inditex is among brands under investigation for links to alleged forced labour in China's Xinjiang region. Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images.
Protesters outside a Zara store in France. Parent company Inditex is among brands under investigation for links to alleged forced labour in China's Xinjiang region. Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images.
By
  • Whitney Bauck

For decades, fashion brands have largely avoided responsibility for abuses in their supply chains. When reports of forced labor, sexual abuse or wage theft in garment factories surface, brands often sidestep liability by claiming that they’re just buyers of the factory’s finished goods and those problems aren’t their fault.

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