Originally founded as a footwear company, Nike, Inc.

is an extremely large American

corporation that has since moved into apparel as well. Founded by Phil Knight in 1964, Nike has

been one of the largest apparel companies in the world. Nike, like many other apparel brands,

uses overseas labor as means to produce its goods. They employ about 550,000 people in 700

factories across about 50 countries to create their goods on an everyday basis. (Beder). These

employees are not always treated with respect; however, and often endure extreme conditions. In

the 90s, reports arose about Nike’s workers, their conditions, and pay. Business Insider states,

“The public was shocked by reports of Indonesian Nike workers earning as little as 14 cents an

hour. Disturbing allegations of abuse included stories that a Vietnamese sub-contractor ran

women outside until they collapsed for failing to wear regulation shoes” (Lutz). Other

researchers have found evidence of child and forced labor in similar Nike factories. According to

the Washington Post, in the past 3 years, 80,000 Uighur citizens have been forcibly transported

to factories across China. These factories are much less than ideal, and the article states, “The

Post’s Anna Fifield visited a shoe factory in Qingdao producing sneakers for Nike and found that

it resembled a prison, with barbed wire, watchtowers, surveillance cameras and a dedicated

police station”. This description of a Nike factory creates an idea of forced labor in these Chinese

camps. In addition to this, there have been reports of verbal and physical abuse in various Nike

“sweatshops”. One source says, “NBC stated that of the 569 factories audited between 2003 and

2004, there were “cases of ‘abusive treatment’ – either physical or verbal – in more than a

quarter of its South Asian factories, and between 25 percent and 50 percent of the contract

factories in the region restrict access to toilets and drinking water during the workday” (NBC).

As these various reports arose around the NIKE company, many chose to boycott the brand, and

they saw their sales decrease during this time. In late 2020, owner Phil Knight released an
extended statement clearing up many of these allegations and issues. Although not everything

surrounding the company was denied, the company has vowed to do better, as they sign many

documents promising better conditions, pay, and treatment towards their workers. In conclusion,

many of these allegations question the integrity and ethics of this business and their overseas

labor practices.