Consumer Behavior

Corporate Social Responsibility: A Case Study of San Francisco’s Apparel Procurement

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Abstract

The presence of sweatshops in the apparel and textile industry has been referenced in history as far back as the 1800s when the term “sweatshop” was coined to bring public attention to factories and workshops that used “sweated labor” (Micheletti & Stolle, 2007). Contemporary anti-sweatshop activism gained momentum in the 1990s with publicized scandals about Nike’s manufacturing and celebrity Kathy Lee Gifford’s child labor subcontractors. Over the last two decades U.S. consumers have become increasingly aware of how goods are produced overseas, especially in the apparel and textile industry. Consumer awareness and public activism have encouraged change. Claeson (2009) points out that activists have succeeded in raising awareness about the global sweatshop problem.

Keywords: sweatshops, codes of business conduct

How to Cite:

Swanson, A., Rabolt, N. J. & Markova, I., (2014) “Corporate Social Responsibility: A Case Study of San Francisco’s Apparel Procurement”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 71(1).