Introduction
In a world where ethical production is becoming as important as ever, the issue of child labor remains unsolved and dismissed by many major companies. By definition, child labor is the illegal use of children and adolescents in industries or businesses where they are often forced to fulfill their duties in inhuman, harmful conditions. Despite numerous adverse effects of child labor, many organizations, especially those involved in the fashion industry, still outsource production to developing countries and overlook if minimum age requirements are met. This essay will discuss the role that H&M and its CEO might play in eliminating child labor and setting a positive example for other large companies.
Main body
Due to rapid growth throughout the last several decades, H&M, a large Swedish company, developed an outsourcing strategy that so far includes suppliers from 39 countries. Currently, 98,5% of production is outsourced; production is processed and manufactured in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America (H&M, n.d.).
Even though in its vision, H&M claims that it supports and fosters self-autonomy and sustainability in suppliers, the company has generated a number of controversies regarding child labor. For instance, it was revealed that 14-year-old workers were hired at Myanmar factories and their daily working hours amounted to 12 (Butler, 2016). In taking measures to tackle the problem, H&M might show how a large corporation may recover its reputation and pave the way for other organizations.
H&M might adopt several strategies to address the pressing issue. Since the company has always been active and engaged on many social media platforms, it has a wide outreach regarding communicating the message. First, the company could use hashtags to spread factual information about child labor. For instance, the fact that almost 11% of the overall child population is involved in child labor is alarming (International Labor Organization, 2015).
Second, H&M could generate educational content in which it would advocate for the importance of continuing education for children. In many developing countries, for instance, Bangladesh and India that collaborate with H&M, the learning process is often disrupted due to families’ financial instability. Thus, the first audiences of these two campaigns would-be consumers and families in developing countries respectively. Yet, it is clear that providing the issue with more publicity will not address it on a deeper level.
One may argue that it would be more useful to take measures on-site, and namely, in these countries where child labor was documented. Extensive use of child labor usually has many underlying reasons each of which should be addressed separately by both the organization and a country’s authority. What H&M is capable of doing is getting the manufacturing more centralized and setting strict standards concerning minimum wage and employees’ age. However, excessive control may only aggravate the situation, and, thus, promoting a shared vision with the managing boards of supplying companies could be more workable. Lastly, partaking in charity and development programs could help more children and adolescents stay in school instead of starting work.
Conclusion
Not any kind of employment in children and adolescents is considered child labor. However, if working interferes with a young employee’s physical and psychological development and learning goals, such a case should be investigated. H&M has the resources to be a major influencer and a role model in revising its past mistakes and making a meaningful change. To address the issue of child labor, the company could employ an array of social media to raise awareness. On-site, the organization could set better standards, advocate for a shared work philosophy with collaborating companies, and make education more available.
References
Butler, S. (2016). H&M factories in Myanmar employed 14-year-old workers. The Guardian. Web.
H&M. (n.d.) Supplier list. Web.
International Labor Organization. (2015). World report on child labor. Paving the way to decent work for young people. Web.