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According to the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), the Gap's clothing products are manufactured with genetically engineered and pesticide laden cotton. Additionally, the company is not thoroughly implementing a code of conduct for its suppliers to ensure that no sweatshop labor is employed. Organic and Fair Made clothing currently constitutes a niche market, but consumer support can ensure that at least 30% of all clothing in the USA is organic & Fair Made by the year 2010. Gap can play an important role in making this a reality. Take action with OCA's Clothes For a Change campaign and contact Gap Chairman of the Board Donald G. Fisher now by clicking on the link below.

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- Fisher Gap Stores Inc. - San Francisco, CA
- Gap Canada Inc. (Division) - Toronto, Canada
- Gap Inc. - San Francisco, CA
- Gap Stores Division - San Francisco, CA
- GapKids Division - San Bruno, CA
- Old Navy Stores - San Francisco, CA

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A recent investigation by the Workers' Rights Committee has revealed that apparel manufactures in Bangalore, India have been refusing to pay factory workers more than $10 million, because they refused to comply with the minimum wage increase in India in March of 2009. Approximately 1/3 of all factory workers, or 125,000 workers, in the region are owed back wages by factories, who say they were acting on the advice of the leading industry association, the Clothing Manufacturers' Assocation of India. The factories involved manufacture apparel for many well-known US and international brands including, Wal-Mart, Adidas, the Gap, H&M, JC Penney, Levi-Strauss, Phillps Van Heusen, and Nike.

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In October 2007, Indian authorities raided factories in New Dehli that produce clothing for The Gap. They found children as young as 10 who were sold to the factories by their families, sewing garments for The Gap's children's apparel line. The Gap says the clothes produced at these factories will not be sold in the U.S. and it has ended its contract with the factories. Though The Gap does employ monitors to oversee its factories, there are only 90 monitors for 2,000 factories.

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A factory in Bangalore, India which contracts primarily with Gap has been the site of three deaths this year, with at least two of the deaths involving workers not being allowed to leave work during serious medical emergencies. According to reports from a local union, one 39 year old worker began vomiting and asked her supervisors if she could go to the hospital. The woman was not allowed to leave and was “verbally abused” for her request. When she was finally allowed to leave, she was too weak to reach the hospital and collapsed outside the factory, dieing shortly thereafter. This incident follows immediately on the heels of a pregnant worker losing her baby after she was not allowed to leave work after going into labor. The union is investigating the circumstances surrounding the third death.

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The Clean Clothes Campaign highlighted a series of worker rights violations in global garment supplier Paxar Corporation’s Turkish factory. The Turkish factory and Paxar Corporation have repeatedly tried to destroy trade union activity:

In early 2005, Paxar fired 11 workers shortly after the union successfully organized the factory and opened negotiations with Paxar. According to the Turkish High Court of Appeal’s decisions, these firings were illegal, and Paxar was ordered to reinstate all 11 workers. The company has yet to take action as per the High Court’s instructions.

In late 2005, the Turkish factory dismissed at least 4 trade union members. Ayce Bagbakar, who joined the trade union in March 2006, was fired in April 2006. The Clean Clothes Campaign states that these cases, which are still underway, “represent clear-cut unfair dismissals.”

In August 2006, Textile, Knitting and Clothing Industry Workers' Union of Turkey (TEKSIF) unsuccessfully negotiated with Paxar on issues such as wage and bonus payments. The Clean Clothes Campaign asks consumers to pressure brands that buy from the Turkish factory to express their disapproval over these labor violations. Turkish factory’s clients include Gap, Levi Strauss, Wal-Mart, Disney, Adidas, Puma, and Nike.

An agreement was finally reached between the trade union and Paxar on February 26, 2007.

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In December 2006, the Ethical Trading Action Group (ETAG), in association with Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) and AccountAbility, released a report entitled "Coming Clean on the Clothes We Wear: Transparency Report Card." This report evaluates and compares 25 apparel retailers and brands in their efforts to address worker rights in their global supply chain. Retailers were rated in areas such as their compliance with International Labor Organization standards (ILO), methods of monitoring code compliance, steps taken to communicate thoroughly, effectively, and transparently to the public, and so forth. Retailers and brands were given a score 0 to 100. Gap earned a score of 71.

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Labour Behind the Label (LBL) published a report entitled “Let’s Clean Up Fashion: The State of Pay Behind the UK High Street,” evaluating retailers’ supply-chains based on wages paid, freedom of association afforded workers, as well as monitoring and verification of garment factories. LBL listed Gap Inc. in the “Pulling Ahead” category for the company’s efforts to work collaboratively with trade unions and other local stakeholders.

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The National Labor Committee’s May 2006 report entitled “US-Jordan Free Trade Agreement Descends into Human Trafficking & Involuntary Servitude,” documented a series of worker rights’ violations at Gap supplier Western Factory. The lack of respect for labor rights included the following:

• Human trafficking and involuntary servitude of guest workers
• Confiscation of passports and denial of identification cards
• Mandatory 16 to 20 hour shifts. Typical work weeks consisted of 109 hours
• Wages below the legal minimum. Workers were cheated of 65 percent of the wages legally owed to them
• Six months of withheld wages
• Inadequate and unsanitary working conditions
• Routine beatings and threats for production mistakes

The NLC also reported that factory management sexually abused four young girls, including a 16 year-old. Management falsely promised attractive, young women better jobs, higher wages and less work. Management told the girls they wanted to take them on a day trip around Jordan. Instead, the young women were brought to a hotel where the managers forced themselves on the girls.

In a July 2006 urgent update, the NLC reported that Western Factory management allegedly beat workers for requesting payment of back wages owed to them. Additionally, the management cut off food and water to the workers’ dorm.

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In January 2005, a settlement was proposed in a 2 year old lawsuit against the Gap that accused the company of violating state workers' rights laws by requiring employees to wear the company’s clothing while working. California labor laws that require employers to pay for their workers' uniforms. The law defines uniforms as required clothing of a specific design or brand. Through the proposed settlement the Gap will give about 55,000 current and former workers nearly $1.8 million worth of clothing vouchers. However the Gap maintains that it never forced employees to buy its clothes but instead told employees to look "brand appropriate" and avoid wearing obvious labels belonging to competitors. "We feel strongly that our dress code policies are consistent with state law."

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According to the Clean Clothes Campaign, some Gap clothing is manufactured in a Thai factory that has long exploited its workers by underpaying, denying payment of overtime wages, requiring forced overtime work and providing none of the working welfare necessary under Thai law. Employees have been made to work in shifts lasting 12 hours each, while abiding by strict limits on bathroom use. Women workers have also been sexually harassed and violated. Workers who organized a 1998 strike were fired for their activities.

In July 2003, the Gina Relations Workers Union reached a successful settlement with the factory.

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In November 2002, sweatshop campaigners demanded a Holiday boycott against Gap because of alleged evidence that links the clothing retailer to sweatshop labor in six countries. Two groups--Africa Forum and Unite, the union of textile employees, presented evidence of "abusive working conditions" collected from interviews with 200 people in more than 40 Gap-contracted factories in Cambodia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Lesotho, El Salvador and Mexico.

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In 2005, Paul S. Pressler, CEO of Gap Inc, earned over $27.19 million in total compensation including stock option grants from the Gap Inc. He has another $25.68 million in unexercised stock options from previous years.

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In 2003, a Gap worker was shot to death during a worker protest in Cambodia. Cambodian police opened fire to disperse more than 1,000 garment workers who were protesting working conditions and pay. Phnom Penh's deputy police chief Moung Khim said one officer had been killed and 20 wounded when they came under attack from a hail of stones.

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In April 2003, a federal court on the Pacific island of Saipan approved a $20 million settlement on a class action lawsuit filed against the Gap and 25 other U.S. retailers. The lawsuit charged that the companies contracted sweatshop labor on Saipan, a U.S. Commonwealth and should be held accountable for worker treatment and conditions in foreign-owned factories operating on U.S. soil. According to the complaint, the more than 13,000 garment workers in Saipan regularly worked 12-hour days, seven days a week, often times "off the clock" without receiving any pay or overtime. The lawsuit also accused Levi Strauss and the other companies of operating a "racketeering conspiracy" through which workers, who are mostly young women, sign contracts waiving their basic human rights and pay recruitment fees of up to $10,000 to secure sweatshop jobs.

By agreeing to the settlement, the companies admitted no wrongdoing.

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In 2002, BusinessWeek named Gap as having one of the worst corporate boards. The company was cited for inside deals including contracts with the chairman's brother to build and remodel stores and a consulting arrangement with the  chairman's wife. The magazine also pointed out the interlocking directorship with the Gap's CEO sitting on Apple's board, while Apple's CEO sits on Gap's. Gap's.