Liability of companies for damages in their production chain: a study based on the reality of the Brazilian garment industry

Many companies’ productive structure still makes modern slavery possible, under the aegis of decreasing production costs and increasing profitability. This situation is highlighted in the textile industry, in which large brands outsource suppliers and, successively, small workshops that may use slave labor. Considering the legal difficulty of holding companies accountable for human rights violations that occurred in their production chain, the objective of this study is to carry out an exploratory, documentary and bibliographic research of the international legal system on the subject. It is concluded that, despite the advances, there is still a legal gap to ensure this accountability