| US: Gap plans 'sweatshop free' labels by Dan McDougall, Guardian November 4th, 2007 In what would be the biggest commitment to ending child labour ever undertaken by a major retailer, Gap Inc is drawing up plans to label its products 'Sweatshop Free'. |
| GERMANY: FSC's 'Green' Label for Wood Products Gets Growing Pains by Tom Wright and Jim Carlton, Wall Street Journal October 30th, 2007 The Forest Stewardship Council -- a widely recognized third-party labeling system to identify "green" wood and paper products -- has acknowledged that some companies using its label are destroying pristine forests and says it plans to overhaul its rules. |
| US: Indian 'slave' children found making low-cost clothes destined for Gap by Dan McDougall, Guardian October 28th, 2007 Child workers, some as young as 10, have been found working in a textile factory in conditions close to slavery to produce clothes that appear destined for Gap Kids. |
| INDIA: A Backlash for Big Retail in India by Madhur Singh, New Delhi Times October 17th, 2007 Supermarkets open across the country and international big box stores partner with smaller local stores to gain a toehold in the market. |
| US: Wal-Mart Workers Win $62 Million by Marieclaire Dale, AP October 4th, 2007 Wal-Mart workers in Pennsylvania who previously won a $78.5 million class-action award for working off the clock will share an additional $62.3 million in damages, a judge ruled Wednesday. |
| US:Nike Adds Indian Artifacts to Its Swoosh by Andrew A. Green, NY Times October 3rd, 2007 To the amusement of some and the disapproval of other, Nike introduces a shoe designed specifically for American Indians, complete with arrowheads and feathers. |
| UK: Three 'face jail' over Ikea deals BBC News Online September 7th, 2007 A supplier and two employees of the furniture giant Ikea have admitted to using bribes in purchasing deals. |
| US: Lead found in more baby bibs? Bibs sold in Toys R Us, Babies R Us questioned
by Anna Marie Kukec, Daily Herald August 16th, 2007 A California consumer group said Wednesday it has filed a legal action against Toys R Us and Babies R Us for selling vinyl baby bibs said to contain high levels of lead. |
| INDIA: Indian Activists' Rising Clout by Jackie Range, Wall Street Journal August 16th, 2007 India's Supreme Court is poised to decide whether a British company has the right to mine in a sacred tribal forest, a case that underlines the complexity of undertaking large-scale industrial projects here. The case's hearing by the court reflects the growing clout of activist groups in India. |
| INDIA: Indians Protest Wal-Mart’s Wholesale Entry by Amelia Gentleman, The New York Times August 9th, 2007 Wal-Mart, in a struggle to expand its global reach, is trying to enter India through the back door, but many consumers here have taken notice. |
| WORLD: We must count the true cost of cheap China by Richard McGregor, Financial Times August 2nd, 2007 In the wake of the multiple scandals over tainted Chinese food and drug exports in recent months, Chinese goods now have an indelible image of being not just cheap, but life-threatening as well. But the fact that wrongly labelled foods, liquor and pharmaceuticals have routinely sickened and even killed people en masse in China has been largely overlooked. |
| US: Mattel Recalls One Million Toys by Louise Story , New York Times August 2nd, 2007 Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, is recalling nearly one million toys in the United States today because the products’ surfaces are covered in lead paint. According to Mattel, all the toys were made by a contract manufacturer in China. |
| MEXICO: Thousands of Unpaid Teens Bag Groceries for Wal-Mart by Joseph Contreras, Newsweek August 1st, 2007 Wal-Mart prides itself on cutting costs at home and abroad, and its Mexican operations are no exception. Wal-Mart is Mexico's largest private-sector employer in the nation today, with nearly 150,000 local residents on its payroll. An additional 19,000 youngsters between the ages of 14 and 16 work after school in hundreds of Wal-Mart stores, mostly as grocery baggers, throughout Mexico-and none of them receives a red cent in wages or fringe benefits. |
| US: States Target Big-Box Stores; Maine Is First to Require That Wal-Mart, Rivals Undergo Impact Studies by Kris Hudson, The Wall Street Journal June 29th, 2007 Maine Gov. John Baldacci last week signed into law a measure requiring developers of retail stores exceeding 75,000 square feet to conduct studies gauging the project's impact on municipal services, the environment and local businesses. Similar measures have been passed in other states. |
| US: At Home Depot, How Green Is That Chainsaw? by Cliffard Kraus, New York Times June 25th, 2007 As companies rush to carry "environmentally friendly" products, Home Depot encourages suppliers to pitch to have their products included in its new Eco Options marketing campaign. Critics argue that the green label is overused and overmarketed. |
| US: Fired worker wins Wal-Mart case BBC News June 20th, 2007 A female pharmacist dismissed by Wal-Mart has been awarded nearly $2m (£1m) in damages after a jury concluded she was the victim of discrimination. |
| US: Gag order for former Wal-Mart employee
CNN Money April 9th, 2007 Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) won a gag order to stop a fired security operative from talking to reporters and a judge ordered him to provide Wal-Mart attorneys with 'the names of all persons to whom he has transmitted, since January 15, 2007, any Wal-Mart information.'? |
| US: Laid-off Circuit City workers allege age bias in suit by Molly Selvin and Abigail Goldman, The Los Angeles Times April 6th, 2007 A lawsuit by three older Circuit City Stores Inc. employees, alleging that the retailer violated California age discrimination laws by laying them off because they were earning too much, is part of a surge in age bias complaints from disgruntled baby boomers. |
| US: Fired Wal-Mart worker claims surveillance ops: report Reuters UK April 4th, 2007 The Wal-Mart Stores Inc. |
| US: Wal-Mart Agrees to Pay $33 Million in Back Wages (Update3) by Lauren Coleman-Lochner, Bloomberg January 25th, 2007 Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the largest U.S. private employer, will pay $33 million in back wages plus interest under an agreement with the U.S. Labor Department |