Position Statement - Turkish Child Labour Issue

In 2003 the Court of Milan, condemned the journalist Riccardo Orizio and the editor-in-chief of Corriere della Sera, Ferruccio de Bortoli, for the charges attributed to them, respectively libel with aggravated circumstances and omitted control, in relation to the unmotivated involvement of the Group in a presumed case of exploitation of child labour in Turkey (1998).

The Milan Court confirmed that:

  • Benetton was in no way aware of the phenomenon reported by Orizio
  • Benetton has in no way ever been involved in this supposed exploitation;
  • Under-age workers have never been used for the production of garments under the direct control of the Benetton Group, nor Benetton had a policy of decentralizing production to Turkey for the manufacture of low-cost garments.

    16 April 2003