How do we know which retailers have ethical practices? Related to the Bangladeshi factory tragedy

[Cristiane]

The news from Banglaesh gets worse and worse - 352 people dead so far in the collapses factory where people made clothes for Matalan, Primark and ther names.

I don't want to buy from labels that don't use sweat shops and don't use suppliers that have coercive or dehumanising working conditions. Does anyone know if there is a list prepared of the most ethical retailers?

[morethanpotatoprints]

I think its ok to make a song and dance if you are rich and can afford to shop at the expensive end of the market. Most people I know who are poor or scared of losing their job right now couldn't care a flaming pig.
I would be ethical if I could afford it, but Primani it is for me.
Matalan was a surprise as this can be quite expensive for what they sell.

[winterdays]

More than potato prints how can you not care about so much death and suffering. The people are human beings just the same as your child, brother, sister

[morethanpotatoprints]

Winter.
I know and its a huge pity just like all the other injustices in the world. There are millions if we go looking for them.
There is only one reason people buy clothes from shops who have used sweatshops and that is low prices. Make their working environment better and pay them more and voila prices go up.
I'm not saying it isn't a shame, of course it is like any tragedy. I just can't see the point in putting these people out of work, maybe force them to starve because we want to play the compassionate missionaries.

[Takver]

I know this isn't helpful for everyday clothing, but Get Cutie in Brighton have fabulous dresses, and they're all made locally. They are expensive, but I have two of their dresses, one is my 'posh frock' for weddings etc, the other my party dress, and both have been going strong for about 8 years now and are still always admired.

I was very sad when Howies moved their production abroad, always supported them when their clothes were made in Wales.

[Takver]

"maybe force them to starve because we want to play the compassionate missionaries."

I think that it is a much more complex issue than that, though. Is production for export the best way forward for these countries? Or would production for home markets generate more wellbeing over all, for example.

[TapselteerieO]

I have no urge to buy clothes whilst workers are treated like this - I will have to buy my growing children replacement clothes, but I have no idea what the answer is to this.

Unless by some miracle workers rights are equal across the globe. If I was hurt working for one of the huge fashion chains in this country, through their negligence I could sue them for my injuries - if such companies want to make massive profits from cheap labour abroad they should pay damages directly to anyone who makes a garment for them and is hurt doing a job. There should be accountability.

[winterdays]

More than that's exactly the same arguments used when Britain outlawed child labour, dangerous factory conditions for miners and mill workers etc aren't we glad there were compassionate missionaries then. we have the luxury of relative safety at work, protection from absolute starvation so I believe we must use the power we have to try and make a change.

[Betty12]

Another vote for PeopleTree. Seem to be a really ethical company that get involved in campaigning on the bigger picture as well as treating people fairly. Not everything to my taste, but their wrap dresses are extremely kind/flattering.

[morethanpotatoprints]

Winterdays.

You are exactly right and my apologies for sounding like I don't care. I was just thinking that there was very little we could do about it and that we could make it worse in the long term for the people working in these places. But we are fortunate to have the H&S we have here, it is easy to forget how it used to be here.

[Takver]

Another retailer that seems pretty good, again not cheap but a lot of their stuff is merino wool, so very warm and long lasting: finisterre clothing

They have very detailed source information (eg where the cotton is grown) on a lot of their clothing.

[Takver]

If anyone fancies giving me an early birthday present, I'd like one of these

[winterdays]

More than ... And I come across self righteous and preachy which prob just puts people's backs up . Especially as I'm not sure exactly what to do

[joanofarchitrave]

morethanpotatoprints i was really interested to see in some of the links earlier that New Look tends to do quite well, whereas the really luxury brands (dior etc) are among the worst.

Yes, a lot of people aren't going to care, and a lot of people are struggling. Those groups aren't necessarily the same, far from it in fact.

[joanofarchitrave]

Oh blimey. Loving lots of the stuff on these links but anything in my size is rarer than hen's teeth i would be more ethical if i were stuffing less of the earth's resources into my face on a daily basis

[morethanpotatoprints]

Winter.

You have made me sit up and listen and as I usually show compassion for people less fortunate than us, I am ashamed. I am terrible if there is an argument against, I just have to press the button. i drive my dh and older dc up the wall with my contrary stances.

Ok, so what can we do? Maybe a list of all the suppliers that people know of would be a start for e.g I would never have guessed Matalan, but Primark are well publicised. I seem to remember a standard letter on here once that people sent complaining about fair trade I think ? it said that they were no longer happy to support the business unless the conditions changed. Maybe something like this to all the known companies.

[morethanpotatoprints]

joanofarc.

I love you.
I have bought many things from New look, they are also good for my dd, the only one I have to buy for now. Please don't tell me they are going bust.

[Reastie]

My absolute favourite shop is toto knits for children. Organic ethically made clothes. The animal cardis are the best! Everything is made by single mothers in Kenya and each piece has the makers signature on it so you can see who made it. I realise I sound like an advert there it's just I think their stuff is so lovely and so much nicer than children's stuff on the high street.

[TooMuchRain]

interesting article about this from the Guardian which includes info about the Bangladesh fire and safety agreement - this is only one country I know, but persuading our favourite retailers to sign up would mean we could more confident about their ethical practices

[ppeatfruit]

Yes that's very interesting thanksTooMuchRain. Has anyone got replies to tweets to the companies I wonder? (i'm not on twitter).

[girliefriend]

Sorry quite late to this thread but this is something I have been thinking about since the bangladesh disaster, I have noticed that pretty much all our clothes are made there and have been feeling guilty about it.

I am shocked though that companies such as John lewis score so low on the ethical trading list (page 2) I really would have thought better of them. Also if something is sold as fair trade and organic - such as some of Sainsburys TU range how can it then also be be scored so low ?

Also sadly as a single parent on a low income my choices are limited as I simply can't afford expensive clothes for me or my dd. I would however be up for a letter writing campaign or similar.

[FrugalFashionista]

Organic refers how the raw material has been grown. Cotton is often grown in Africa (Egypt, Mali) or Central Asia (Uzbekistan); the sewing is often done in Southeast Asia; wholly separate processes. Organic might be good for you (regular cotton farming involves lots of resource use, including pesticide use) but the stitching can still be done in sweatshop type conditions. In fact there may be more pressure to cut short labor costs as the raw material is more expensive.

If you are concerned please do read To die for - is fashion wearing out the world? It will change the way you see your clothes.

For example - if you buy a beaded or sequined garment, it is very likely that it has involved child labor. These production steps are often done by hand (machines can break the embellishments) and outsourced to slum-living home workers. Deadlines are tight and the children in these poor (often Indian) families usually help to meet them. Foreign observers have found children as young as 5 years old helping to sew these garments

[FrugalFashionista]

Is anyone interested in joining me in approaching the companies we use and asking about the ethical aspects of production?

It's simple - pick a company whose products you like, check their website for ethics/sustainability info, see whether they are ranked by www.rankabrand.org (or some other consumer watchdog organization). If not or if they are low scorers, email or tweet them or contact them via FB (ask about ethical policy and commitment to paying a living wage for example). Then come back here and tell whom you nudged (and possibly later) what response you got!

I just did this for the first time and it took no more time and effort than writing a post here would have: I wrote to MiH. (Will approach some other company later.)

Anybody else interested in chipping in?

[FrugalFashionista]

Okay, decided to nudge every company whose clothes I'm wearing today.
Six items (flipflops, jeans, knickers, bra, sweater, scarf). Done! The bad news: none of the companies I've endorsed with my hard-earned cash is particularly virtuous.

Only one had some coherent ethical /sustainability info on their website (good old M&S, knickers - and you have to go to their corporate site for that - I'd prefer to see the info in their e-store), and some of them (Havaianas!!!) earned the worst possible grade on Rankabrand.org

Nudging is easy - go here for the simplest template - Just Do It! Nike have apparently done something as they currently earn a 'B' score

The feedback (or lack thereof) will influence my future purchasing decisions...

[ToastedTeacakes]

i was really interested to see in some of the links earlier that New Look tends to do quite well, whereas the really luxury brands (dior etc) are among the worst.

I was also really shocked by this list. I don't know what to say. It pretty much makes you lose faith in humanity. So much greed and cruelty in this world.