"The adidas Group and Human Rights Defenders", 2016

The threats faced by human rights defenders come in many forms - physical, psychological, economic, and social…and can be triggered by different actors, both private and State. [T]he UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of [HRDs] recommend[s] that both States and businesses should play an active role in supporting and promoting the role of HRDs working in their sectors. The adidas Group has a longstanding policy of non-interference with the activities of [HRDs], including those who actively campaign on issues that may be linked to our business operations. We expect our business partners to follow the same policy. Often, our engagement with [HRDs] is constructive, especially where we identify areas of shared concern. In these instances, we may actively support the work of the HRD[.] We will also petition governments, alone or in concert with other actors, where we feel the rights and freedoms of [HRDs] with whom we are engaged have been impinged by…the State[.] We will also take direct action where there is clear evidence that a business partner has breached the rights of HRDs. If any HRD believes that the adidas Group or its business partners have directly impacted on their human rights they can use our Third Party Complaint Mechanism to lodge a formal complaint.