"Beneath REI’s Green Sheen": The Human Cost of Global Supply Chains

Globalization has set the stage for complex supply chains that allow multinational corporations to geographically and legally distance themselves from the exploitative labor conditions they often incentivize and perpetuate, shielding themselves from accountability while profiting from systemic human rights abuses. Companies such as REI have long cultivated an image of sustainability and progressive values, but how do those commitments hold up when you follow the supply chain?In this episode, Manpreet Kalra is joined by Clare Hammonds of the UMass Amherst Labor Center and Katie Nguyen of Students for International Labor Solidarity, co-authors of Beneath REI’s Green Sheen, a report that investigates human rights violations in REI’s global production network. From union-busting and debt bondage to sourcing partnerships with corporations known for environmental destruction, their research reveals a pattern of practices that put supply chain workers at high risk of exposure to egregious labor rights abuses with no reliable avenue for recourse or remedy.We unpack the systemic issues that enable these violations, the limits of corporate impact reports, and the role of worker-driven social responsibility initiatives and student movements in supply chain accountability.What happens when a brand’s values become a marketing tool rather than a moral compass? And how can we collectively hold companies accountable when harm is buried deep in the supply chain? Tune in for a conversation that unpacks the realities of complex supply chains—and uplifts the people building power to confront it.Read the full show notes: https://www.artofcitizenry.com/podcast/beneath-the-green-sheen-reiSupport Art of Citizenry’s Independent Journalism and Advocacy Efforts: https://www.artofcitizenry.com/supportSubstack: https://artofcitizenry.substack.com/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/manpreetkalra  For more, you can find the full show notes of every episode at https://www.artofcitizenry.com/episodes