L.L. Bean, Inc.
Jump to L.L. Bean, Inc.: Alerts;
• Partnering with conservation and expedition groups, L.L. Bean has also molded itself as a proactive company concerned with protecting the environment.
• A 2006 National Labor Committee report revealed that a factory sewing t-shirts for L.L. Bean subjected its workers to extremely long hours with no sick leave or health benefits, paid wages below the legal minimum, denied some workers 60 percent of pay legally owed to them, and had unsanitary and unsafe working conditions.
• Some of L.L. Bean’s clothing was treated with a potentially carcinogenic chemical in order to repel bugs.
• Visit Go Green. to learn how you can find clothes and outdoor equipment that don’t exploit people or the planet.
-- Profile Updated 07/01/2010
About L.L. Bean, Inc.
L.L. Bean is an outdoor apparel and gear maker, whose products include outerwear, sportswear, housware, camping and hiking gear, and footwear. In 2005 the company reported $1.4 billion in revenue and 3,900 employees.
Affiliates
There are no known affiliates associated with L.L. Bean, Inc..
Contact L.L. Bean, Inc.
L.L. Bean, Inc.
Freeport, ME 04033
USA
Phone: 207-865-4761
Web: www.llbean.com
Alerts
Labor
The National Labor Committee report entitled "Saidan Factory: Human Trafficking and Involuntary Servitude Continue," documented a …
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The National Labor Committee report entitled "Saidan Factory: Human Trafficking and Involuntary Servitude Continue," documented a series of workers' rights violations in the Saidan factory, which sews t-shirts for L.L. Bean. The lack of respect for workers’ basic human rights include:
- Human trafficking and involuntary servitude of guest workers
- Confiscation of workers’ passports and denial of legally required identification cards
- Routine work shifts of 16 to 17.5 hours, with workers typically logging 118 hours of work a week
- No sick days, paid vacations, or government holidays allowed. Workers received only one Friday off every other month
- Wages below the legal minimum without overtime pay
- Workers denied 60 percent of the wages legally due to them
- Sporadic pay
- Inadequate and unsanitary working conditions
- Workers subject to pay reduction, humiliation, violence and threats if production goals not met
The report exposed gross violations of the most basic labor standards. According to one source, "The situation at the Saidan factory remains tense and threatening. The workers believe that Mr. Saidan cannot be trusted. An atmosphere of fear prevails and the workers are asking for immediate help."
L.L. Bean issued a response to the report claiming they had not used the factory in question. Read NLC's response to L.L. Bean.
-- National Labor Committee, 06/12/2006
Source URL: www.nlcnet.org/admin/media/document/Saidan_report.pdf
L.L. Bean is affiliated with the Fair Labor Association, which has been criticized by the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and T…
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L.L. Bean is affiliated with the Fair Labor Association, which has been criticized by the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and the ecumenical Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility as being biased in favor of the companies. However, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, the National Consumer League, the RFK Memorial Center for Human Rights, and the International Labor Rights Fund support the FLA.
-- Clean Clothes Campaign, 06/23/2001
Source URL: www.cleanclothes.org/codes/01-01-codupdate.htm
Health and Safety
Vegetarian Times criticized L.L. Bean for selling clothing treated with a synthetic pesticide called permethrin, classified…
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Vegetarian Times criticized L.L. Bean for selling clothing treated with a synthetic pesticide called permethrin, classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a possible carcinogen. L.L. Bean's BUZZ OFF apparel is said to repel ticks, flies and other pests. However, according to the magazine It can be especially dangerous to children if used in combination with DEET, an insect repellent.
Now called Insect Shield Repellent Apparel, LL Bean has stopped marketing its line of clothing with insect repellent to children, but continues to sell it to adults.
-- Vegetarian Times, 04/01/2005
Source URL: findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_330/ai_n13564024
Ethics and Governance
LL bean Received a 73 out of 100 in the Human Rights "Campaign's Corporate Equality Index 2008" which examines a company's treatme…
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LL bean Received a 73 out of 100 in the Human Rights "Campaign's Corporate Equality Index 2008" which examines a company's treatment of gay, lesbian and transgender employees according to six criteria, including a company's nondiscrimination policies and domestic partner benefits. Out of 11 apparel companies surveyed, LL Bean placed third to last.
-- Human Rights Campaign, 06/20/2008
Source URL: www.hrc.org/documents/HRC_Corporate_Equality_Index_2008.pdf
