Nike has faced decades of criticism for a range of unethical practices, primarily centered on labor abuses and "sweatshop" conditions in its global supply chain. Historically, the brand became a symbol of corporate greed in the 1990s due to reports of child labor and hazardous working conditions in Southeast Asia. In more recent years (including reports up to 2026), Nike has been accused of "wage theft" in countries like India and Cambodia, where garment workers were allegedly paid below the legal minimum wage during the global pandemic and subsequent economic shifts. Investigation reports by groups like ProPublica have highlighted instances where workers in Nike-contracted factories fainted en masse due to extreme heat and exhaustion. Furthermore, Nike has been criticized for its environmental "greenwashing," where its high-profile sustainability marketing sometimes masks a lack of significant reduction in water pollution or a continued reliance on non-organic cotton. Tax avoidance has also been a major point of contention, with allegations that the company utilizes complex "offshore" structures to minimize its tax obligations in the U.S. and Europe. While Nike has implemented a robust "Code of Conduct," activists argue that the lack of transparent, unannounced third-party audits allows these systemic abuses to persist.