Adidas to Make ?1 Trainers In and For Bangladesh

Monday, November 30, 2009

The move from the company more usually associated with expensive footwear and celebrity sponsorship was inspired by Bangladesh’s Nobel prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, the pioneer of micro-loans which help the poor start their own businesses. He told the company, which has been criticised for exploitation in the developing world, that Bangladesh needed “social businesses” which would create jobs in the country.

The company has now agreed it will produce shoes in Bangladesh on a non-profit basis, although a spokesman stressed the final price may be higher than the €1 (89p) target.

The move marks a change of heart for the company, which has been associated with big money sponsorship deals and luxury brand prices. Adidas pays former England football captain David Beckham £3 million per year as a brand ambassador and to use his name to promote their Predator football boots, which sell for £130 a pair. It spent a reported £50 million to sponsor the Beijing Olympics last year and has pledged a further £100 million for the London Olympics in 2012.

Last year the company was widely criticised for the amount it allegedly pays workers at its Chinese factories.

Source: The Telegraph (link opens in a new window)