24 August 2022

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Shuvo and 12 other people who worked at that glove factory are now seeking compensation from Ansell for what allegedly happened to them there.

Their case was just lodged in a US court. It alleges that Ansell and a major US corporation, Kimberly-Clark, "knowingly profited" off exploitation by contracting the factory to make latex gloves.

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US workers rights lawyer Terry Collingsworth is leading the case against Ansell and Kimberly-Clark.

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Mr Collingworth believes the companies are firstly liable because, despite known concerns, they continued to source products from the region.

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In January 2021, Ansell responded to media reports about concerning conditions inside Brightway and said it had carried out a third party audit for compliance there in May 2019.

"The audit did not reveal these unacceptable living conditions. We are investigating why," the company said then.

In a statement, Ansell said it has "consistently communicated to suppliers" that it expects high standards of health and safety for workers, and that they need to remediate human rights abuses.

The Australian company's latest company results this week revealed it carried out 50 audits last financial year. It also specifically mentions the Malaysian glove industry and notes that it is seeing "improvements".

Kimberly-Clark said in a statement that it is "working directly with our suppliers to improve their performance".

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