That a reasonable public interest would be served by the full disclosure of garment industry production locations cannot be doubted. Manufacturers and retailers issue Codes of Conduct, and make claims to the public that their clothes are being made in conformity with their Codes. These claims are used to boost sales among consumers who may be worried about sweatshop production. However, if the production sites are held to be secret, the public has no way of ensuring that these claims have any iota of validity. Just as food producers have been made to reveal the true contents of their products, and not make false claims in their advertising, so apparel firms need to be made accountable to their consumers.
Disclosure is the only way to ensure that advertising claims are true.
A social movement has been unleashed, demanding an end to sweatshop practices in the apparel industry. The University of California can try to hide behind legalisms in an effort to protect the practices of its licensees. Or it can boldly join other universities in an effort to clean up some dreadful abuses. We want to be proud of our University. We do not want it to be engaged in helping exploiters.