Adidas Hit by Widespread Hoax
Updated Jan. 16, 4,45 p.m.
Adidas was hit by a hoax on Monday when an unknown party sent out a long press release saying the company had named a co-chief executive officer to ensure more ethical manufacturing processes — which the company later said was not true.
More information from WWD
The release on what appeared like to be Adidas letterhead and allegedly sent from its headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, said the company had named Vay Ya Nak Phoan, a former Cambodian garment worker and trade union leader, Bjorn Gullen, who assumed the top position on Jan 1, will serve as co-CEO.
It also said Gulden and Phoan on Monday had signed the Pay Your Workers agreement, which was described as a “binding commitment to fair labor practices, wages and compensation in the supply chain.” The agreement, which was made allegedly made with Adidas’ trade unions and labor rights organizations, was said to immediately pay 11.2 million euros in wages to Cambodian workers whose salaries were withheld by suppliers during the pandemic, rehire all workers, union members and union leaders who were fired from both Trax Apparel in Cambodia and the Pou Chen factory in Myanmar and provide them with full back pay.
Several hours later, the real Adidas said the earlier release was a hoax and “do not represent the position of Adidas AG or the Adidas Board of Directors. The company will be pursuing all forms of legal remedy worldwide to strip the perpetrators of any freedoms that allow them to perpetuate these damaging claims.”
The company sent a statement that disputed the claims in the false email, and that said it wanted to “reiterate that the company is fully committed to human rights and environmental stewardship.”
A spokesperson for the company stated that it had no comment on the identity of the perpetrators and that they would refer to the company’s stance regarding working conditions within its supply chain.