After over two years of legal battles, British household appliance manufacturer, Dyson has dropped its libel case against UK-based Channel 4 News, following the television broadcaster’s investigation into forced labor allegations at a Malaysian factory supplying Dyson products. This marks a significant moment in the fight to hold corporations accountable for labor abuses and exposes how powerful corporations use legal intimidation to stifle transparency.

Channel 4 exposed forced labor in Dyson’s supply chain

Channel 4’s 2022 investigation revealed exploitative working conditions at ATA IMS, a Malaysian factory contracted to manufacture Dyson products. The report uncovered severe forced labor practices, including long hours, inadequate living conditions, and recruitment fees that workers from Nepal and Bangladesh were forced to pay.

The investigation also showed that concerns over forced labor at ATA were brought to Dyson as early as 2019, but Dyson denied these claims until September 2021, when an audit exposed serious abuses at the factory. ATA IMS denied the allegations, and Dyson continued to resist accepting responsibility, despite the mounting evidence.

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