VANOC won't tell sweatshop watchdogs where Olympics gear is made

TheTyee.ca

Organizers of the 2010 Olympics refuse to tell the public where gear for the games and Olympics-branded products are made, though critics say such secrecy makes it far harder to expose sweatshops in the Olympic supply chain.

Mountain Equipment Co-op to Reveal Factory Sources
Vancouver's Mountain Equipment Co-op will be disclosing the names and locations of its suppliers publicly by the end of 2008, says Harvie Chan, the sports equipment firm's director of ethical sourcing.

"You have to be prudent about both commercial and brand risk in doing this," Chan says. "In theory, you could have a journalist arrive at a factory on a bad day and get bad press, or you could lose suppliers to competitors. But we've had discussions with brands who have disclosed already and they've had no problems."

The City of Vancouver already has an ethical purchasing policy that requires disclosure of factories and subcontractors and there have been no complaints.

--Tom Sandborn

The reason is that businesses fear competitors might lure away factories that produce on an ethical basis, or gain proprietary information, said Ann Duffy, who looks after sustainability issues for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

Secrecy is guaranteed in agreements already entered into with some suppliers and sponsors, Duffy said at a June 12 public event focusing on ethical purchasing for the Olympics.

When The Tyee tried to follow up on Duffy's remarks, VANOC claimed guarantees of such secrecy were standard procedure in every contract it signs with suppliers and sponsors.

However, at the same June 12 event, a representative of shoe and apparel giant Nike said her company now publicly discloses the names and locations of its subcontractors around the world, with none of the difficulties cited by VANOC.