February this year, a complaint was filed against Samsung France accusing the company of misleading commercial practices by promoting a code of conduct for the treatment of the workers who make Samsung’s products that Samsung does not necessarily enforce. The public prosecutor’s department of Bobigny in Paris, France has now opened an investigation on the basis of this complaint lodged by three French NGOs Peuples Solidaires, Sherpa, and Indecosa-CGT. Some primary evidence of the complaint is based in part on the China Labor Watch’s investigative report of eight factories producing for Samsung in China, published in September 2012.
In February this year, a complaint was filed against Samsung France accusing the company of misleading commercial practices by promoting a code of conduct for the treatment of the workers who make Samsung’s products that Samsung does not necessarily enforce. The public prosecutor’s department of Bobigny in Paris, France has opened an investigation on the basis of this complaint lodged by three French NGOs Peuples Solidaires, Sherpa, and Indecosa-CGT. Some primary evidence of the complaint is based in part on the China Labor Watch’s investigative report of eight factories producing for Samsung in China, published on September 4, 2012.
This is the first investigation of its kind in Europe. It is the first time that a public prosecutor has begun an inquiry on the gap between the ethical commitments of a company and its contradicting practices.
The goal of the complaint is to establish that the ethical commitments of a brand constitute an advertisement and, thus, can mislead consumers as to the social conditions under which the brand’s products are manufactured.
More information on the complaint can be found on the website (French) of Peuples Solidaires.
