In May, investigative news show Kalla Fakta (Sweden's TV4) aired a report which linked labor rights violations in Chinese factories making Dell electronic equipment to local governments in Sweden. Kalla Fakta put pressure on the government, and Stockholm County Council in particular, over the allegations of labor abuse, which drew from the investigative findings of China Labor Watch in 2013 and 2014.
The news report and resulting public outcry put considerable pressure on the Swedish county councils, ultimately leading to many severing business ties with Dell.
According to Kalla Fakta, before the news report, 11 of Sweden's 21 county councils had procurement contracts in which Dell was a supplier. A few days after the story aired on May 19, six of the 11 county councils decided to stop buying Dell products. Together these six contracts are worth 518.5 million SEK, approximately US$61 million.
Some of these contracts (such as the Stockholm contract worth $18 million and the Vastra Gotaland contract worth $34 million) would have included Dell as the only supplier. Other contracts would have included Dell as well as other brands as suppliers. Now none of the contracts include Dell.
The six county councils which took this action all say that they will not lift the ban until Dell have provided documented proof that the violations in the four Chinese factories referenced in Kalla Fakta and CLW's reports are rectified.
Below is Kalla Fakta's TV report. English subtitles are available using the "CC" button on the bottom-right corner of the video frame.