Non Chinese kids coats

[Thevoiceofreason2021]

Help, I’m trying to buy my toddler a winter coat, but I won’t buy Chinese products for ethical reasons. Does anybody have an ideas? I’ve tried ohm Lewis, Jo Jo, M&S, Frugi….or do I throw my ethics out the window? YANBU - keep your ethics YABU - get a grip and buy a coat even if it’s Chinese

*This.

It is unethical to buy new items.

Particularly for children who will grow out of the item next year.*

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Exactly. Anything you not be requires energy, water, and fabric to produce. Dyes too. It takes fuel to ship it to the U.K. then deliver it. Packaged in plastic.

Go on Nextdoor, olio etc. And get one from your neighbour. My kids hardly ever wear new unless it's gifted to me - because secondhand baby/kids clothes are almost always as good s as new anyway.

Could also see if there's any secondhand fairs because those are even cheaper than buying online, feels like stealing tbh!

I like Hatley, they are made in India but the company do give back to Indian charity too
www.hatley.com/uk_en/pages/about-us-giving-back

We've also had UK made but I can't think of the maker

What's the reasoning for boycotting China, because many of the alternatives aren't wonderful either.

Second hand is probably the way to go.

We have a couple of Landsend coats and they are made in Vietnam, not sure that's any better, but they last.

H&M seem to be making real efforts on traceability. How about this.

I think (perhaps naively) there's a difference between countries where the entire regime is problematic like Myanmar and China and countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam where there is endemic but not inevitable exploitation of cheap labour, and conscientious employers and purchasers can do some good.

Surely if you're trying to be ethical you would buy second hand?!

I don't get the " secondhand is the most ethical" argument as the item is still likely to have been made unethically, so if it is purely on ethical grounds surely those who can afford to should buy new ethical items to then go in the second hand pool.

Bon Point could be an option too

www.bonpoint.com/gb/

I try to avoid all Chinese products including electronics… it’s becoming increasingly difficult though.

@Hmmmm2018

I don't get the " secondhand is the most ethical" argument as the item is still likely to have been made unethically, so if it is purely on ethical grounds surely those who can afford to should buy new ethical items to then go in the second hand pool.

But the thing is, there are so many clothes already in existence that there's more than enough to go around. A lot of our "donated" clothing gets shipped to other countries to be processed /disposed of - another ethical issue.

I also agree that it's good to buy local, ethically produced clothing sometimes if you can afford to.

Thanks for all your input - really helpful I will definitely checkout the brands mentioned. As for why I boycott Chinese products; they contribute 23% of global emissions, they refuse to to commit to any environmental change, their human rights violations , not just the Uighur people but also what’s happening in Hong Kong, Taiwan and they have killed millions of people with Covid not to mention the economic hardship they have caused for some of the worlds poorest people. I honestly don’t know how any company claiming to be ethical can source Chinese products. The Chinese regime is terrifying and I certainly don’t want to financially support them in any way.

@StevieNix

I think second hand is your best bet if it’s for ethical reasons - if it’s not made in China the majority of other coats will be made in poor conditions in other countries. I would imagine it’s almost impossible to find one that isn’t

This is what we did, everything second hand.

they contribute 23% of global emissions how much of the world's total production to they have do you know? Not saying you don't have a point but if they manufacture for their own people and exporting then their emissions will be higher than a country that just imports everything.

Have you tried Barbour? Not all of their products are made in the UK but not in China last time I checked. The wax jackets are still made in the UK though.

Not everything made in China is made by forced labour. In fact the vast over whelming majority of China made products are made by workers who work through free choice (insofar as anyone without private income has a choice) in good conditions. Apple, Google and others have all of this audited and checked independently through the responsible business alliance.

Why do you have to label an entire country as unethical? That strikes me as quite prejudiced. There is a big difference between Chinese people and the Chinese government.

@Jonnywishbone

Not everything made in China is made by forced labour. In fact the vast over whelming majority of China made products are made by workers who work through free choice (insofar as anyone without private income has a choice) in good conditions. Apple, Google and others have all of this audited and checked independently through the responsible business alliance.

Why do you have to label an entire country as unethical? That strikes me as quite prejudiced. There is a big difference between Chinese people and the Chinese government.

I don’t think OP has stated the ethical reasons behind the boycott? It might not be (just) forced labour

But it is a largely state controlled economy so if you disagree with the government and the way it treats its people, you will have to avoid most if not all products made there to avoid contributing to the ruling party

@Jonnywishbone

Not everything made in China is made by forced labour. In fact the vast over whelming majority of China made products are made by workers who work through free choice (insofar as anyone without private income has a choice) in good conditions. Apple, Google and others have all of this audited and checked independently through the responsible business alliance.

Why do you have to label an entire country as unethical? That strikes me as quite prejudiced. There is a big difference between Chinese people and the Chinese government.

We don't need more stuff imported from China, there are plenty of good quality clothes you can buy secondhand. For me it's not about forced Labour, because I just avoid buying new where possible.

@Caspianberg

Kuling kids - sweden

Please tell me that is pronounced “cooling” and not “culling”

www.tobytiger.co.uk/

This place says that they use a family run factory in India.