Upholding labour standards through corporate social responsibility policies in China

Abstract

The use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) concepts and practices including voluntary codes of conduct in China has grown considerably over the past decade, providing an opportunity to examine the dynamics and impacts of codes of conduct in stemming labour abuses. This article uses an in-depth case study of the implementation of codes of conduct at a Chinese supplier factory for Reebok, a leading brand in the global athletic footwear industry, to explore how and why codes of conduct, as a privatised form of global labour regulation, are effective in some respects but also ineffective in other respects in terms of improving labour standards in the global production system. This article sheds light on the influences of a variety of related factors that are embedded in overlapping international, industrial, national and local contexts to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of codes of conduct at curbing labour abuses.