Excessively low wages, extremely long working days and a working environment that puts human health at risk remain commonplace in Chinese toy factories. Working in cooperation with China Labor Watch, Solidar Suisse sheds light on numerous abuses. We publish factory inspections and call on toy companies to act responsibly.
It is not possible for consumers to establish whether a toy was produced under fair conditions. The conditions in Chinese factories continue to violate international labour law and Chinese labour law on a regular basis. The factories depend on their customers, i.e. toy companies like Mattel, Disney or Hasbro. These companies have outsourced their production to China yet continue to dictate contractual terms and purchase prices. These business practices, which primarily serve to maximise profit, must change in order for factory workers to enjoy fair working conditions in practice.
Fact!
70%
70% of toys sold in Switzerland come from China
We need a change in mindset
Through investigative research in Chinese factories, Solidar Suisse makes abuses and violations of labour law public and calls on the toy industry to take on responsibility for its supply chain.
As an individual you can also contribute to this change – support political initiatives; engage with petitions or make demands at work to pressure companies; and avoid cheap, mass-produced goods.
«I want to show people the situation on the ground where most consumer goods originate. That’s why we conducted well over 100 undercover investigations: We went into factories produce goods for Disney, Apple, Nike and many other.»
Look - don’t turn a blind eye
Thanks to pressure from critical consumers and NGOs, toy companies now feel obliged to address problems in their supply chains. Research is taken seriously and triggers follow-up inspections in factories. However, these are often undertaken using the same control mechanisms that have failed in the past and, as a result, there has not yet been a fundamental improvement in factory workers’ conditions.
