Badger Sport Issues Statement on Chinese Sourcing

STATESVILLE, N.C.-Badger Sport issues a statement regarding international sourcing. The company posted an update on its website this week after a report from the Associated Press tied some apparel shipments to the U.S. from forced labor camps in China.

“In recent days, press reports have alleged that one supplier’s facility, Hetian Taida Apparel Co. Ltd. was acting in a manner that is inconsistent with our policies,” the company states in the announcement. “This facility is certified by Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), an independent, non-profit team of global social compliance experts dedicated to promoting safe, lawful, humane, and ethical manufacturing around the world.”

The report by the AP notes that Hetian Taida runs a factory in the city of Hotan, where the Chinese government runs what it describes as a “vocational skills education and training center.” CCTV, China’s predominant state television broadcaster, aired a 15-minute segment earlier this month on these government-run work camps, and AP contends that part of that segment shows a factory “whose interior matches that of Hetian Taida’s main Hotan branch.”

Badger says that it is immediately suspending orders from Hetian Taida and affiliates during an ongoing investigation. The company states that “one percent or less” of its products were sourced from this location.

“We take our manufacturing principles very seriously, both in the performance of our garments and the conditions in which they are made,” the company adds. “We are committed to upholding our mission of ‘Quality for All,’ which has helped Badger become the trusted supplier to team dealers, decorators and apparel wholesalers throughout the U.S.”

The company’s client roster includes various universities across the U.S., some of which have already responded to the news. Bangor Daily News reports that multiple colleges in Maine have pulled Badger inventory from their shelves including Bowdoin College, Bates College, Colby College, and the University of Maine.

For more information, visit https://www.badgersport.com/.