Inditex believed to be making Myanmar exit

Spanish fast fashion giant Inditex is understood to have outlined an exit plan from Myanmar in response to calls made by global trade union IndustriALL for fashion brands to cease production in the country.

The Zara-owner is reportedly looking to reduce the number of active Myanmar-based manufacturers, according to Sourcing Journal, which cited an Inditex spokesperson as its source.

The country has been under military occupation since 2021, resulting in an increasingly troublesome civil war that has seen its humanitarian crisis skyrocket.

A number of reports by various trade unions and workers’ rights groups have also accused employers in Myanmar of taking advantage of the political state of the country to deprive workers of their rights.

Last year, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre stated that 60,800 garment workers in Myanmar had experienced alleged labour and human rights abuses, leading to increased pressure on fashion companies to pull out of producing in the region.

Most recently, Inditex was among those believed to have been purchasing from Chinese-owned Hosheng Garment Company, where seven union workers were said to have been fired after they demanded a wage increase, as reported on by news outlet The Irrawaddy.

If Inditex follows through with its “phased exit”, it will join the likes of Primark, which had announced its own “responsible exit” from the country last year through collaboration with partners and stakeholders.