A white paper by the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) examines how 16 global brands handled their human rights obligations after the devastating earthquake in Türkiye.
The paper found that most of the brands extended deadlines on clothing orders in production at the time of the quake, but half of the brands did not keep to original payment schedules. This meant that suppliers forced to deliver late were also paid late, exacerbating their financial situation.
Only six of the 16 brands cited any form of assistance to suppliers, such as low-interest loans or grants. And this self-reporting may overstate the brands' generosity: less than 2% of suppliers responding to a survey by Turkish researchers reported that their customers "supported workers and producers after the quake."
As a result of the brands' inaction, nearly half of the suppliers in the survey said they could not pay workers in full in the weeks after the quake. A third said they were forced to put workers on unpaid leave. And not all brands extended deadlines: 35% of suppliers said they were forced to stick to original delivery schedules.
The white paper identifies Marks & Spencer and C&A as the only two brands surveyed that reported acting responsibly both with respect to order delays and aid to suppliers. Among the worst performers are Boohoo, H&M, and s.Oliver.
The WRC white paper analyzed responses to a recent questionnaire to brands from the Business and Human Rights Resource Center, additional information provided by brands to the WRC, and the results of a new survey of 202 garment and textile producers in the earthquake-hit zone. The supplier survey was conducted by the Middle Eastern Technical University's Dr.DeryaGöçer and Dr.ŞerifOnurBahçecik.
Göçer and Bahçecik write: "The brands working with producers of this region have failed to demonstrate their declared responsibility and solidarity in the aftermath of a major earthquake."
Scott Nova, Executive Director of the WRC, said: "While many leading apparel brands extended delivery deadlines, they could have and should have done much more. With a few notable exceptions, the world's apparel brands looked at the calamity in their Turkish supply chains and basically decided to abandon workers to their fate."
