Contractors unwilling or unable to comply were suspended or terminated. But even the most carefully constructed questionnaire doesn't always offer guidance in the ethical jungle of the global village. When another NBC report revealed unspeakable conditions in Bangladeshi factories producing for Wal-Mart, Levi auditors looked into their contractors there and found underage children working in the factories. The easy call became less easy. Some countries, like China, dismiss Levi's Terms of Engagement as rank interference.
Critics dismiss it as naivete.
Dunn sees it as the wave of the future. Dunn even believes that the Levi code can become a benefit for the company's contractors. If they can meet our requirements, it means they can work for anybody in the industry. Richard Rapaport writes on business and technology from San Francisco.