快時尚：布呼(boohoo)在誠信經營的改革上一敗塗地
Fast-fashion firm Boohoo has broken promises to make its clothes fairly and ethically, a BBC Panorama investigation has found.
BBC調查小組發現，快時尚公司布呼無法做到"使製衣過程公平與符合道義"的承諾
來源：Panorama Team, BBC, 06 NOV 2023, 原文網址
An undercover reporter at the company's Manchester HQ saw evidence of staff pressuring suppliers to drive prices down, even after deals had been agreed.
一個潛藏在這家公司位於曼徹斯特總部的臥底記者回報，他發現有證據顯示，即使合約已經簽訂，這家公司的員工仍會施壓供應商降低價格。
It comes after the company pledged to overhaul its practices in 2020.
而這發生在2020年該公司承諾要改善他們的經營實務之後。
Boohoo said it hasn't shied away from the problems of the past and has driven positive changes in its business.
布呼說他們沒有逃避過去的問題，並且已經施加正向改善到他們的業務經營之中。
The retailer is a market leader in getting its customers the latest styles as cheaply and quickly as possible. Last year, Boohoo Group had 18 million customers and £1.7bn worth of sales.
這家零售商以無所不用其極的快速與廉價帶給客戶最新時尚而成為市場的領導者。去年布呼集團有一千八百萬客戶，營業額達到十七億英鎊。
Three years ago, Boohoo promised to overhaul the way it did business and launched its "Agenda for Change" programme.
三年前，布呼承諾要改善他們的經營模式，並啟動他們所謂的"維新期程"計劃。
The move was sparked by reports that staff at a factory making Boohoo clothes in Leicester were earning less than the minimum wage and in unsafe working conditions.
會有這個舉動的導火線是有報告指出，在萊斯特城的工廠製作布呼成衣的工廠工人不但收入少於最低薪資，而且工作環境並不安全。
Boohoo then asked a senior barrister to review its supply chain. Alison Levitt KC found the allegations to be "substantially true".
布呼後來請了個大律師審查他們整個供應鏈。艾莉森列維律師發現這項指控"大體上正確無誤"。
The company then introduced Agenda for Change - which includes promising to pay its suppliers a fair price for garments, with realistic timescales.
這家公司接下來導入了"維新期程" - 這指的是逐步在合理的期程內以公平的價格向供應商購買服裝。
But BBC reporter Emma Lowther saw those promises being consistently undermined during her 10 weeks undercover at Boohoo's head office in Manchester, where she worked as an admin assistant.
但是本臺記者艾瑪洛瑟，她偽裝成行政助理在布呼的曼徹斯特總部總共臥底了十週的時間，他發現這項承諾經常不能信守不渝。
Between April and June this year she worked in the busy dresses department alongside buyers - the staff who negotiate prices and place orders with suppliers.
在今年四月到六月間，她在忙碌的洋裝部門與負責對供應商討價還價的採購人員形影不離。
"Working at Boohoo is intense," she says, and saw staff under "constant pressure to drive prices lower and lower".
"在布呼工作十分緊張刺激"，她說。她親眼所見採購人員"總是肩負著要把價格越降越低的沉重壓力。"
I just lie
我就說謊
During her time at Boohoo, the reporter was told about one tactic to secure cheap deals with suppliers who won't budge on price.
當她在布呼的時候，有人跟她說，面對不願意在價格上讓步的供應商，有一個可以確保低價成交的戰略。
"Go in low and if you're not getting anywhere then just say that you can get it cheaper elsewhere," a colleague told her. "I'm just lying. I just lie."
"壓低進價，要是怎麼樣都無法如願，那就說我會從其他廠商拿到更便宜的價格。"有個同事跟她說。"我就直接說謊。說謊就是了。"
In 2020, Boohoo's group director of responsible sourcing said the company was serious about making sure its suppliers could make a profit.
在2020年，布呼集團"負責任採購"的經理表示：本公司對於確保它的供應商能獲利是非常認真的。
Buyers now have a set of "responsible purchasing" principles to follow.
採購人員現在有一些"負責任的採購"的行為準則需要遵守。
Relentless price-cut demands
永不休止的削減開支要求
The BBC investigation revealed that Boohoo put pressure on suppliers to drive prices down - even after orders had been agreed.
BBC調查小組揭露：布呼就算在訂單已經成立後，仍對供應商施加降價的壓力。
On one day alone, the reporter was told to process a 5% cut on more than 400 orders that had already been agreed, saving Boohoo thousands of pounds.
僅僅在一天之內，記者就被告知要對超過400筆已經成立的訂單砍價五趴，這能讓布呼省下數以千計的英鎊。
Sometimes price cuts were demanded for orders which had already been made and were ready for delivery.
有時候砍價甚至發生在訂單已經成立，甚至都已經準備好要交貨了。
Lowther saw how the drive for price cuts came right from the top of the company. In a staff meeting, she was told Boohoo's executive chairman, Mahmud Kamani, wouldn't allow buyers to confirm any brand-new orders until he approved them.
洛瑟親眼見證這樣的砍價是怎麼從公司的高層一路傳遞下來的。在工作會議上，她被告知布呼的執行主席馬木德卡馬尼，絕不允許採購人員在他還沒核准前就通過任何新訂單。
Staff around her fielded fraught emails from suppliers grappling with Boohoo's price cut demands.
她周圍的同仁都在處理一大堆充滿負能量的電子郵件，那都是那些苦惱於布呼砍價要求的供應商所發來的。
One supplier was furious about a 10% discount being applied which it said it hadn't agreed to.
有一家廠商對於她從沒答應但就得打九折的事情感到極為惱怒。
It said it would lose money because it would be working under cost and asked for the discount to be removed urgently. The undercover reporter doesn't know how the dispute was resolved.
他說他這樣會虧錢，因為這樣根本就不敷成本，並要求立刻取消打折的事情。記者並不知道最後這項爭端是怎麼解決的。
Boohoo told the BBC it had experienced significant cost inflation over the past year, which it had absorbed in order to maintain affordable prices for customers.
布呼告訴BBC他們過去一年經歷了顯著的成本增長，為了把價格維持在客戶能負擔的範圍內他們只能吸收這些成本。
As costs started to come down, Boohoo said it asked its suppliers to reflect this in their pricing through discounts of between 1% and 10%. It said these savings have been passed on to customers.
當成本開始下降，布呼說他們也要求供應商透過把價格調降一趴到十趴來反映現況。他說這些優惠都會回歸到顧客身上。
Boohoo's lawyers said these price reductions were not decided unilaterally by Mr Kamani.
布呼的律師說這些砍價行為並非由卡馬尼乾綱獨斷。
Boohoo said most of its suppliers have worked with the company for many years and "that would not be possible if the work was not profitable".
布呼說大部分供應商與他們都合作多年，而且"無法賺錢的生意誰要做呢"
Lead times under pressure
交貨期程也備受壓力
Boohoo has also committed to agreeing realistic timescales with suppliers for its orders.
布呼承諾：他們認同與供應商訂定合理的交貨期程。
Boohoo's target customers are typically under 30s who want to buy rapidly changing fashion trends as quickly as possible.
布呼的客群一般爲30歲以下，那些不顧一切追求最新流行的年輕人。
During the time the reporter was undercover, there was an average of 10 weeks between Boohoo making an order in the dresses department and receiving it - known as the lead time.
在記者進去臥底的時候，從布呼的洋裝部門下訂單到收到貨平均是十週、這就是所謂的交貨期。
But then, while she was there, a lead time of six weeks or under was imposed as a new policy for all garments across the brand, with suppliers in China and India given a week longer.
但是後來在臥底的工作期間，交貨期只能少於或等於六週這項新政策出現了，而且是該品牌的全品項都適用。只有中國與印度的供應商可以再多寬限一週。
One of Lowther's managers admitted this would be "a real challenge" for suppliers.
洛瑟的其中一個經理承認這對供應商來說"真是個挑戰"
"Even with the UK, we've definitely not been seeing that sort of lead time from them… It's going to be really hard," the manager said.
這個經理說："就算是在英國，我們也從未見過交貨期被設定的這麼短。"
After a week's grace, Boohoo introduced a 5% price cut for every week the supplier's order was late.
在一週的緩衝期過後，布呼的方式改為要是供應商每遲交一週，就要降價五趴。
Commenting on the BBC's footage, Peter McAllister, executive director of the Ethical Trading Initiative said, the shorter the lead times the more pressure there is on the workforce and on working conditions.
彼得麥卡里斯特，道德貿易聯盟的執行董事。在BBC的報導內留言表示：交貨期越短，對於勞工與工作條件的壓力就會越大
"If you are always putting that pressure on your supply chain, what we typically then see are problems," he added.
他還說：如果你總是施加這樣的壓力到你的供應鏈上，通常我們接著就能發現毛病了。
Boohoo's lawyers said the company's lead times are not unrealistic or unfair, and it is standard practice to have late delivery penalties which are discussed with suppliers.
布呼的律師說他們設定的交貨期並不會脫離現實或不公平，而且與供應商間約定好有遲交處罰這也是標準的現場實務做法。
The cost of a dress
一件洋裝的代價
The BBC took a closer look at what Boohoo pays its suppliers.
BBC以更貼近的角度觀察布呼是怎麼付錢給廠商的。
We asked industry expert Chris Grayer to price-up the cost of making a light brown, mini bodycon dress - with a ruched detail - which Boohoo retailed at £15.
我們請教了業內專家克里斯葛雷爾，請他估算製作一件淺咖啡色、迷你緊身洋裝帶褶襇飾邊的成本。這件衣服布呼的零售價爲15英鎊。
Boohoo paid a UK supplier £4.25 for the dress. Mr Grayer estimated it would cost £7.23 to make. He made some assumptions on the fabric cost and built a 10% profit margin for the supplier into his calculations.
布呼一件洋裝付給英國的廠商4.25鎊。葛雷爾先生則估算製作的成本爲7.23鎊。他的計算包含對布料成本的一些假設、以及廠商十趴的利潤。
"If I had a factory that was making that [dress] for that price in the UK, I wouldn't have a business," said Mr Grayer - who spent more than 10 years as head of supplier ethical compliance at high street retailer Next.
葛雷爾先生說："要是我在英國有工廠以這個價格賣這件洋裝，我一件都賣不出去。"他在商店街零售商NEXT擔任供應商道德遵循主管長達十年時間。
Boohoo's lawyers say the supplier of the dress told the company it made a profit on it.
布呼的律師表示，這件洋裝的供應商有跟布呼說他有賺錢。
Boohoo said its suppliers pay at least minimum wage wherever they operate and that it carries out audits and regular unannounced checks.
布呼說他們的供應商任何情況下都有付到最低薪資，而且他們有作稽核與定期祕密查訪。
The National Minimum Wage in the UK for people over 23 is £10.42.
目前英國針對23歲以上成人的最低時薪是10.42英鎊。
Thurmaston Lane
圖馬斯頓路
In January last year, Boohoo opened a flagship factory of its own in Leicester called Thurmaston Lane. This was part of its Agenda for Change programme and designed to showcase its new ethical practices.
在去年一月，布呼在大本營萊斯特城的圖馬斯頓路上開了一家旗艦工廠。這是他們"維新期程"計劃的一部分，要用來展示他們新的合乎道義的作業方式。
It was promoted as a UK manufacturing centre of excellence offering end-to-end garment production in the UK.
他被盛讚是英國卓越的製造業中心，具備生產到銷售端的服飾製造能力。
But, while Lowther worked at Boohoo's head office, she discovered those public statements about Thurmaston Lane didn't always match what was happening.
但是，當洛瑟在布呼總部工作時，他發現這些關於圖馬斯頓路旗艦工廠的聲明與現況並不總是相符。
Hundreds of orders placed with Thurmaston Lane were actually being made by seven factories in Morocco and four in Leicester.
對圖馬斯頓路工廠下的上百件訂單實際上是由七家位於摩洛哥的工廠以及四家位於萊斯特城的工廠所製作。
Boohoo's lawyers say Thurmaston Lane only makes 1% of all Boohoo's garments.
布呼的律師說圖馬斯頓路工廠製作的比例，只佔布呼全體衣飾品項的百分之一。
The factory was opened to "support the group in several ways, including manufacturing, printing and training," a Boohoo statement said.
這家工廠開張的用意是："在生產、印製與訓練等各方面協助布呼集團。"布呼的聲明如是說。
"As in any retail business, the role of our sites continue to evolve over time."
"與其他零售業一樣，我們廠區的角色會與時俱變。"
No-one is leaving
沒人可離開
Boohoo and other fast fashion retailers use factories in Leicester to make their clothes.
布呼與其他快時尚零售商運用萊斯特城的工廠製作他們的衣服。
Secret filming by Panorama at one of Boohoo's suppliers - a factory called MM Leicester Clothing Ltd - revealed staff being told they may need to work late into the night with just hours' notice to get Boohoo's orders completed.
臥底人員祕密在布呼的一家供應商拍攝，一家稱為MM萊斯特服飾公司的工廠，發現裡面的員工被告知他們得工作到晚上，並且完成布呼訂單的時限只會在幾小時前通知。
The factory took orders for more than 70,000 Boohoo garments between January and June this year.
這家工廠在今年一月與六月間拿到布呼超過七萬件衣飾品項的訂單。
In the footage, workers tell managers they need to go home to feed their families. A supervisor later told them: "No-one is leaving at eight, or 10, or later."
在影片中，工人們告訴經理，他們需要回家準備家人的晚餐。但有一個主管後來告訴他們："大家不能在八點下班、或是十點或更晚。"
Boohoo suppliers have to sign up to a code of conduct which says overtime should be voluntary.
布呼的供應商必須簽署一份行為準則，裡面有提到加班必須出於自願。
When contacted by the BBC, MM Leicester said its normal hours are 08:00 to 18:00 and it never forces workers to stay late.
當BBC來洽詢MM萊斯特服飾公司的時候，他們表示正常上班時間爲早上八點到下午六點，他們從未強迫員工加班。
Boohoo said MM Leicester Clothing Ltd was "subject to regular audits and unannounced checks" as is the case with all its factories.
布呼說MM萊斯特服飾公司之前都有以"定期的稽核與祕密查訪做控制"，範圍包含該公司的所有廠區。
"We take any breach of our supplier Code of Conduct extremely seriously and are currently investigating Panorama's claims."
"我們的供應商若有違反行為準則的情事，我們會非常嚴肅以對。目前已經針對你們臥底團隊提出的指控進行調查了。"
The company said it has invested "significant time, effort and resource into driving positive change" across "every aspect" of its business and supply chain.
該公司說他們已經投資了"顯著的時間、經歷與資源來導入正向的改變"，而且是針對他們業務與供應鍊的"每一個面向"。
It added that it has implemented "every one" of the recommendations Alison Levitt KC made in her 2020 review, including "improving corporate governance" and "strengthening the ethical and compliance obligations on those wishing to supply Boohoo".
他們還提到，針對艾莉森列維在2020年審查時提出的每一項建議，布呼都已經實施對應的措施。包含"改善企業治理"與"針對那些想要成為布呼供應商的單位強化道德與適法性義務"。
"The action we've taken has already delivered significant change and we will continue to deliver on the commitments we've made."
"我們採取的那些措施已經展現了顯著的效果，並且我們將會持續遵循我們的承諾"。
After 10 weeks of working at Boohoo, Lowther was called into a meeting and told she had made mistakes which had cost the company money. The reporter was sacked.
在布呼工作了十週之後，洛瑟有一次被布呼抓回去開會，並且被告知因為她犯了錯誤導致公司虧了錢。所以該記者被布呼給炒魷魚了。
註釋：
shy away from: 迴避、閃躲某人或事
barrister: 大律師
alongside: 緊隨在身邊
relentless: 持續且激烈的
fraught: 充滿了不快、問題重重
grapple with: 努力且緊張的應對...某事
lead time: 交貨期
After a week's grace: 指一週的緩衝期
price-up: 估算
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