adidas Defends Itself From Claims That Workers Who Make YEEZY BOOSTs Are Unfairly Treated

UK news site Mirror recently published a report accusing athletic wear giant adidas of unfairly treating Chinese workers who make Kanye West’s popular YEEZY BOOST sneakers. Along with the help of China Labor Watch, an NGO-based in New York, the publication was able to investigate labor practices at the Guangdong province located Apache Footwear factory. The findings point out that workers are actually paid less than the retail cost of YEEZY BOOSTs (currently $220 USD) — in comparison, factory employees are only paid $184 USD monthly, the report alleges.

As for working conditions, the Mirror also claims that laborers are frequently forced to work overtime with 10-hour working days being the norm. If employees arrive late, there’s a huge chance they will get fired and if they try to take leave, they will suffer the burden of being behind financially. In addition to all this, workers are demanded to “sing the company song” before any shift starts.

adidas told WWD, in response to the accusations, that the company is “fully committed to protecting worker rights and to ensuring fair and safe working conditions in factories throughout our global supply chain.”

As for the wage issues, the BOOST makers reasoned that the Mirror journalist who wrote the report had inaccurate numbers. Employees are actually given benefits, bonuses, meal and living allowances, and seniority bonuses in addition to their monthly wage. adidas says that the average monthly earnings of a worker in the factories they partner up with are “double the minimum wage in the regions.”

Furthermore, the German-based company states that all of these workplaces are up to code. They follow the standards declared by the International Labour Organization and United Nations as well as work hours adhering to the International Labour Organization’s standards.

“We also seek business partners who progressively raise employee living standards through improved wage systems, benefits, welfare programs and other services that enhance quality of life. Furthermore, all factories that work with us are subject to regular labor and health and safety audits conducted by independent third parties in association with the Fair Labor Association and adidas’s compliance team,” adidas stated.

The last pair of YEEZY BOOST 350 V2s to drop were the “Zebras” with the next release being the “Cream White” iteration.