Various industry organizations have criticized retailer Kohl’s for cancelling garment orders even as the brand paid out a hefty dividend to stakeholders. One of the US’s largest clothing retailers, Kohl’s recently cancelled orders worth approximately $100 million from Korea and $50 million from Bangladesh and refused petitions from suppliers asking for the option to renegotiate payments. According to the BGMEA, this could lead to loss of jobs for around 500,000 workers in the country.

Kalpona Akter, Founder of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, a union organization supporting garment workers, urged these brands to do the right thing and pay their bills. The Korean Federation of Textile Industries also appealed to Kohl’s to honor its existing agreement with suppliers and not use “force majeure” clauses in contracts to avoid paying for clothing already made and ready to ship. India.

Scott Nova from the Worker’s Rights Consortium (WRC) termed Kohl’s actions as being tantamount to exploitation and exposed the huge power imbalance in the global garment supply chain.