Presented on March 19, 1999
Maria Eitel, vice president, corporate responsibility, NIKE, Inc.
"Nike's swoosh has lost momentum. Being at the center of a social and political labor tsunami can take the wind out of anyone's sails. In recent years, criticism of labor and environmental practices by Nike and others in its industry has been enormous. City Club heard about these problems last fall from labor activist Medea Benjamin. And Nike has had to come to terms with these labor and environmental policies practiced during its corporate ascent.
In October, Nike raised minimum wages for its Indonesian workers by 25%. Nike has also improved many other aspects of its overseas manufacturing including improved independent monitoring, meeting OSHA standards, using eco-friendly manufacturing products, and providing worker education programs. From a PR standpoint, Nike made these changes to regain consumer trust and they should be credited for their response to overwhelming public scrutiny.
Maria Eitel, Nike's new vice president for Corporate Responsibility promises that Nike's commitment to labor, the environment and the communities in which it operates will continue. But can promises by Nike and other companies be trusted? How can consumers ensure that corporations in the future will put labor and environmental practices first—even before the bottom line? What must be done globally to regulate corporate responsibility? This week, Eitel will speak about Nike's role as a corporate citizen and about what she believes is the next step for guaranteeing corporate responsibility in a global market."
