German fashion discounter profits from Chinese jail work
For the second time, German fashion discounter Takko (16000 employees and a turnover of around EUR 1.25 billion and thereof 25 % is exported) is in the focus of critic because a sub-supplier made use of jail workers for over 50000 jackets and tops ordered by Takko and it violates also the rules of Fair Wear Foundation the company has joined last October after the first scandal
Takko had placed its order with Global Fashion Support gmbh (GFS) belonging to Dr. Rehfeld Fashion AG who acts as sourcing agent for manufacturing companies in Asia. Another member of the group is Granville Hong Kong Textiles Ltd acting on behalf of business procurement and transport aspects and it placed the original Takko order with Chinese sub-suppliers and their manufacturing sites were installed in Chinese prisons!
Takko has admitted that the claims are true but only the Chinese address was known but the company has not been aware that these are jail locations. The company is considering to place a claim against the supplier for reasons of violation of Takko’s internal codex forming legally binding element of each order.
Also another German textile discounter KiK has been under accusation of unfair working practice only a while ago. NGO’s made both cases public. In summer Takko has ceased its cooperation with GFS, but not for the indiscriminative act but because of dissatisfaction of services delivered.