Despite Denials, Levi’s Still Producing at SL Garment Factory
U.S. denim giant Levi Strauss continued to deny this week that its products are linked to the strife-torn SL Garment Factory in Phnom Penh, despite new photographs showing Levi’s trademark jeans stacked on benches at the plant in Meanchey district. The Singaporean-owned factory, which also produces clothing for U.S. brand Gap and Swedish retail giant H&M, has seen ongoing protests since early August. Last week, one woman was shot dead by police gunfire and several people injured during clashes between authorities and SL protesters. In late September, a Levi Strauss representative announced that SL was no longer producing jeans for the company, though no specific reason was cited for the severing of ties with the garment producer. … Despite being sent a photograph of stacks of Levi’s jeans at the SL factory, Clara So, director of corporate affairs for Levi Strauss in the Asia-Pacific region, insisted Tuesday that SL was no longer producing any garments for the company. “The reply that I gave earlier is a statement of fact. It is the fact that Levi Strauss & Co. is no longer sourcing from SL Garment Processing,” Ms. So said in an email. “Levi Strauss & Co. production formerly sourced from SL was placed with other suppliers in Cambodia,” she said. …
Dene-Hern Chen and Aun Pheap
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/despite-denials-levis-still-producing-at-sl-garment-factory-47389/
