March 18, 2009

Oxfam Hong Kong has released a new transparency report rating the top 26 Hong Kong garment companies. According to the March 2009 report, “Hong Kong garment companies have demonstrated progress on reporting their labour standards, although the majority of the 26 companies surveyed still show poor transparency.”

Oxfam Hong Kong urges these garment companies to demonstrate a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility by:

• Providing transparent public reports to consumers, shareholders and civil society about progress in labour standards in the company’s supply chains;

• Committing to ethical labour standards in the supply chain at the highest level of corporate management and ensuring labour standards are integrated throughout the company; and

• Adopting a code of conduct that applies the standards of ILO conventions and ensure it is done in a way which takes into account the particular problems and needs of women.

The 26 garment companies in Oxfam Hong Kong's report account for over 100 Hong Kong brands and over US$ 21.9 billion in annual turnover. They operate over 21,000 retail outlets in more than 40 countries.

The report is a follow-up to a November 2006 report which rated the top 16 Hong Kong garment companies.

Download the full report here.

Download the 2006 report here.