Cotopaxi Repays Taiwan Mill Workers for Predatory Recruitment Fees

HR Dive · United States · Sep 2, 2026

Outdoor apparel brand Cotopaxi has repaid workers at two Taiwan fabric mills for predatory recruitment fees tied to its production volume, following forced labor indicators discovered in 2024. The remediation involved collaboration with the Fair Labor Association, Verité, and industry groups, and is part of a broader push to establish a 'No Recruitment Fees' standard across Taiwan's textile supply chain. Cotopaxi was one of more than 40 buyers linked to nine Taiwan-based suppliers with evidence of labor abuses identified by nonprofit Transparentem. The case highlights escalating forced labor risk concerns for U.S. fashion companies, which ranked the issue as their sixth-largest concern in 2026, up from tenth in 2025.