Case Studies

Eliminating Child Labor

Each year, our Company purchases tens of thousands of handstitched promotional soccer balls to support high-profile sponsorships. The risk of child labor in soccer ball production is high. Children working at home are often employed to handstitch soccer ball panels together, creating an invisible workforce that is sometimes missed by formal workplace audits.

To combat this problem, we created a "Soccer Ball Pre-Certification System,"which includes a comprehensive supplier audit in addition to our standard audit to identify and pre-certify compliant suppliers. This system directs our procurement teams to only purchase soccer balls from pre-certified suppliers.

In 2007, we used this protocol to identify a compliant supplier in India, recognizing the potential risk of child labor in the region.*

By applying our Soccer Ball Pre-Certification System, we were able to identify a supplier who was working to address the issue of child labor. Through its association with the Sports Goods Foundation of India, the supplier works with various international labor and children's organizations to ensure compliance through associate monitoring, conducting community awareness sessions and providing educational opportunities. These educational opportunities include the operation of 27 special schools and 30 free tuition centers that directly benefit the children of adult home-based stitchers.

After a series of reviews for quality, business needs and compliance audits, we began placing orders with this supplier in 2008, creating approximately 80 jobs and supporting social compliance efforts made in the region.

*The United States Department of Labor estimates that as many as 30,000 children work in India's sporting goods industry.