Yves Rocher case in Türkiye
For justice beyond
borders
Why was a legal action brought against Yves Rocher?
Sherpa recalls that any person accused or prosecuted by a national or international jurisdiction is presumed innocent until found guilty by a final court decision. In this respect, an appealable decision does not constitute a final decision.
Subsidiary of the Rocher Group, Kosan Kozmetik manufactured Flormar brand beauty products in the Gebze industrial area in Türkiye. In 2018, the subsidiary made over 130 employees redundant, the majority of whom were women, who had recently joined the Turkish trade union Petrol-Iş and wished to assert their rights in the face of appalling working conditions: very low wages, exposure to harmful products in the absence of suitable equipment, and allegations of discrimination against women, etc.
Following a formal notice in 2020, Sherpa, alongside ActionAid France, Petrol-Iş and 34 former employees, took legal action against the cosmetics company in 2022 for failing to fulfil its duty of vigilance with regard to freedom of association and workers’ fundamental rights. 47 people subsequently joined the legal action.
Adopted in 2017, the French Law on the Duty of Vigilance obliges large French companies to establish, publish and effectively implement a vigilance plan containing appropriate measures to identify risks and prevent serious violations of human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the health and safety of individuals resulting from the activities of their subsidiaries, including those located outside France.
On the 12th of March 2026, the Paris Judicial Court found the parent company of the Yves Rocher Group liable of breaching its duty of vigilance. It ruled that the company should have identified the risks of serious breaches of workers’ rights within its Turkish subsidiary and that it was at fault for excluding it from its vigilance plan. The company was ordered to compensate six employees, the trade union and the organisations for the harm suffered, as the court found that the group should have been aware of these risks and had the power and the means to act to prevent the violations.
This is the first time a French company has been ordered to pay compensation for damage caused by its activities abroad. It is a historic ruling, achieved thanks to the tireless mobilisation of the factory workers.
Timeline
Key dates
Complementary ressources
Impact
Why initiate legal action?
The law is a tool of power in a globalised world. It underpins power relations and encourages impunity for the most powerful. Because of their transnational nature, or the political and economic stakes involved, many violations escape justice. Bringing cases before the courts means putting the debate back on a legal footing, giving a voice to the people affected and thus restoring the legal tool to social movements.
Thanks to the work of NGOs and journalists, the consequences of globalisation are increasingly being documented and denounced. Our legal actions make it possible to initiate an contentious proceedings, establish the facts and apply the rules of law to these situations. They also aim to provide practical solutions by putting a stop to violations, holding the players concerned responsible and/or enabling victims to obtain compensation.
In support of our advocacy and in parallel with our legal laboratory and capacity-sharing activities, our legal actions are designed to contribute to wider and lasting change. They fuel public debate to highlight the limits of the legal framework and the obstacles facing the victims of globalised capitalism. They set precedents that shape a more protective legal framework.
“Every day we heard that more people were being made redundant. I could see the pressure being put on my colleagues, and I knew my turn was coming.”
Güler Keles
Former worker in the make-up department
“I have become aware of my own rights as a woman, both at work and in my personal life, and I have learnt to defend myself.”
Sultan Kiliç
Former worker in the make-up department
