Primark, TKMax and so on.

[Iamjustthemilkmachine]

Primark: surely their clothes are made by children somewhere, otherwise how can they be so cheap? So, how do you (if you do) justify buying there?
TKMax: how does it work? why do I get to pay half the price for a grobag there? I don't like thinking that my purchases benefit the wrong kind of company, but of course cannot really afford clothes with ethical labels, so increasingly use second hand clothes, which is fine, but just wonder what's going on with these 'cheap' companies? If you know the truth please share!

TK Maxx sells ends of lines and catalogue clearance, so that's why they are cheaper.

don't kid yourself into thinking that expensive = more eithic though, a lot of people I know avoid primark for eithical reasons then go to an unethic expensive store because they assume that more expensive at point of sale = fairer prices from cradle to grave

Primark have improved their practices as far as I know. Now I think they are about as awful as everyone else on the high st. I don't think h & m are too bad . Years ago I know gap, Nike and top shop were all really bad ethically but maybe that has changed.....

grumplestilskin I didn't put together price with ethical-ness, I was talking about fair trade clothing.
dingdong I know that gap and nike actually improved their practices dramatically precisely because it became known how bad they were. I have not heard anybody complaining in the same way about primark.
Thanks Talulla for the tkmax explanation!

I wouldn't shop in primark however tkmaxx is end of lines so although go in there occasionally

Most of clothing sold in the UK is sourced in China, Bangladesh, India, Turkey and Romania. Each country has different issues. Egregious child labour is not such a problem in China as in India and Bangladesh (particularly in labour intensive hand finished garments with sequins etc...) . In China the issue is health and safety, and overtime above legal limits (although the legal limits are considered unreasonably low both by employers and employees so they both flaut them). child labour is also a big issue in the cotton supply chain.

Point is low price doesn't necessarily mean child labour, and child labour isn't the only ethical issue in the clothing industry - there is the right to join a trade union, working hours, health and safety risks, bullying at work etc.,,

The thing about Nike and Gsp in the 1990s is not that they were actively seeking out to have their clothes made in bad conditions, but that they didn't know, and didn't make it their business to know (very few clothing companies run their own factories and there is a lot of sun contracting)

For my money Nike and Gap have been the leaders on supply chain labour standards, H&M and Zara the it seriously. The cheaper stores Asda/Walmart and Primark have dragged their heels more because of price pressure but are getting the medsagr. It s always good to tell companies you care about this stuff - write to them, ask shop floor staff about codes of conduct for factories etc..

Primark's cheapness is more down to low quality, high volume sales - which has negative environmental impacts - rather than uniquely poor labour standards.

Most child labour is on farms, in domestic industries and in the informal sector and as servants not in export manufacturing.

Thanks Himalaya! that's precisely the kind of thorough answer I was looking for!

I work for TK MAXX. Basically, we cut out the middle man. We pay cash for our purchases, where many companies pay on credit. We send a wagon to collect our purchases, where many companies have them delivered. We buy NOW for this season, where many companies buy a year in advance. We markdown our stock on a regular markdown cycle to make way for new stock, where many companies have a sale at the end of a season.
Go on the TK MAXX website, as once you have put in your email details you will get to hear of their final clearance dates well in advance.
I am very proud to work for TK MAXX.