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?

Toastedteacakes it is not losing faith in humanity to my mind, for me it is being more and more uncomfortable with hugely profiteering companies that are so far removed from the workers in third world countries, who work for tiny amounts of money, suffer so much - it is the companies and their endless thirst for bigger profits that are completely without an ounce of humanity to allow such tragedies to keep happening.

Garment workers die, in factories around the globe, not just in Bangladesh.

Yes good idea frugal I will do I said upthread that I've looked at Brook Bros. site and there is no mention at all of where their shirts are made (the labels say China) it's as if they've been magicked out of the air!

At least some people care Toasted but IKWYM

TapselteerieO
I know. I am just having one of those days.
Your posts have been eye openers for me, along with many others in this thread - so thanks to everyone who has become involved. I was already pretty well aware of these issues, but not to this degree. So surprised (or am i????) to see the higher end designers in top list. Disgusting.

And although I am not very well versed politically, i do wonder about the government's claims of an idle shirking workforce.........in view of where all the jobs have actually gone! Didn't many of these companies used to be based in the UK or US and actually employ workers at a legal wage?

Of course, they are all aware of this, the companies, the politicians. They rely upon the fact that the average working Joe ain't thinking about it. So I am pleased to see this issue gaining more support at ground level.

Lovely Ppet! I really believe in grassroot activity! If anyone remembers the trainer exposes and boycotts of yore, they seem have had some effect - industry standards were raised and the culprits have done some genuine improvements. Companies are nervous and consumer action can have a real effect. They are listening right now.

If you are feeling sad, disappointed or pessimistic, listen to this interview of Elizabeth Cline of 'Overdressed - Responsible shopping in the age of cheap fashion' fame - you'll get a succinct analysis of the current situation but also some reasons for cautious optimism, lots of inspiration and ideas how to change. (The transcript here and her brief essay on Bangladesh here; Her book is excellent too.)

If you'd like to do something but don't know where to start, some ideas here:

• Reconsider your relationship with fast fashion. Slow down the cycles, stop visiting stores like Zara and H&M and similar chains weekly or monthly - go back to just two or four seasons per year.
• Stop buying clothes from supermarkets. They are leaders in the race to the bottom. (Fairtrade ranges a possible exception.)
• Check the ethical / sustainability track record of brands you like - Ethical Consumer or Rankabrand can get you started.
• When you shop, ask the salespeople about the origin of the clothes and whether they carry ethical / fairtrade alternatives (Zara supposedly listen to what the customers say)
• If you want to be trendy, check whether you can do it with what you already have. Fashion is very cyclical and some themes (pastels in the spring, summer whites and nautical clothes; gothic, leather, byzantine patterns in the fall) come back nearly every year
• Mend, alter, sell or swap the clothes that you cannot or don't want to wear any more
• Stop using charity shops as a waste disposal system - we are currently donating more than they can actually deal with, a lot of it is dumped in landfills and developing countries
• Buy used clothes from eBay and charity, consignment or vintage shops
• Check some ethical clothing alternatives - many new players out there!
• Support middle-range fashion - they need your help and they tend to be the most responsible
• Do some grassroot activism - it will take only a few minutes of your time to send feedback to your favorite brands

Oh and loving everyone else's messages too - Tapselteerie's in particular - thanks all for great input, ideas and inspiration. I've been a fast fashion addict but am trying hard to change and become more responsible...

Just seen on the BBC website that the death toll from Rana Plaza has reached 600

I've just signed the Avaaz. petition about this I can't link but you can get it on google they have a lot power. A good point toasted about most of the west's jobs all having gone to the lowest wage economies.

Ppeat thanks for the tip! Signed, will post a link soon!

I found a couple of great potential (and fashion-oriented!) sources for more ethical / sustainable clothes -

1. Ethics Girls - my new favorite, relatively affordable and great-looking basics that look like normal clothes iyswim - lots on sale!
2. Fashion Conscience has been mentioned already - UK based and if you like pattern, lots of choice.
3. Fashioning Change a startup that finds ethical alternatives to high street and designers - say you like Zara and Marc Jacobs clothes and would like to find an ethical alternative. Absolutely love this, I found a lot of great-looking things there, too bad they are US-based!
4. The Green Room on ASOS Great basics - but check the labels as criteria and claims vary.
5. The author of 'Overdressed' has a shopping directory - mostly US-based brands (J Brand! Band of Outsiders!) but Chinti & Parker and People Tree on the list.

If you have ever shopped at H&M or Gap or their sister brands please take a minute and sign the Avaaz petition.

Have nudged two brands today.

Thanks for those fashion and signing the Avaaz petition (theyre amazing BTW because they have soo many followers and a lot of power).

For the past few days I've examined the labels of whatever I have been wearing. I've checked the ethical and sustainability record of the companies and brands. If their websites don't address these issues, I have contacted them.

Well, I understand that in many cases customer feedback can go directly to the junk mail folder

But today I received feedback from one of the companies, Lily&Lionel. The scarf I asked about was made in India. Here is the reply:

"Hi Frugal
We do understand your questions over ethical issues and we are equally concerned over this matter and have always taken steps to ensure that all of our supplies are totally satisfactory in all aspects.

Our factories are visited by us and inspected on a regular basis and they are all compliant on salaries, health and safety conditions, employers benefits and age. We have been working with them all for many years and you can be assured that we are most careful on our production and only proceed with caution and constant checks.

We are currently in discussions regarding the addition to our website of ethical production matters and will be implementing this in the near future.

In the meantime, we can advise that we will never compromise on our policy standards so you can certainly feel secure in the purchase of Lily and Lionel products"

Prompted by the response (and looking forward to a much more detailed webpage), I contacted another company whose cardigan I'm wearing today.

The information and feedback I will get will definitely affect my future purchasing decisions.

It does not take very long to write these inquiries - please do join me in nudging the brands!

OOh good for you fashion They sound like a good company what do Lily and Lionel make I've never heard of them!

Interesting; i've just asked google for Brooks Bros. email adress and was categorically told they don't give it out !! bizarre I wondered if you're on Twitter fashion? I'm not maybe there's another way i spose I could call their Head Office. Or actually snail mail them !

Well I've just left a message on their FB site which is just a promotion site so hopefully it'll burst the "aren't we wonderful with our smashing new Great Gatsby look?" bubble .

Ppeat - or should I call you Fruit - I've used old-fashioned e-mail and my real (googleable) name. I tried to access my Twitter account but may have deleted it and am not active on FB. May have to start one soon.

I use the contact/ customer feedback forms on company websites. Found them for all except D&G, who gave no means of contacting them.
I interpret that as a total lack of interest in their customer base. Think my fling with Dolce is over...

Congratulations on that; perhaps I should call you Frugal !! IMO the way these companies view their customers (with view to services etc.) is extremely telling. There was also a site like trip advisor giving feedback from the customers of BB and there were very few happy ones. A lot of criticism for the bad snooty service from a firm "that makes its clothes in China"

You have to also bear in mind that some of these 'factories' if not all of them are the main source of livelihood for a vast majority of the population in some these countries. Boycotting the product may have the ripple effects of people who are just on the edge of the poverty line to slipping under it.
There should be impetus for the brands sourcing this kind of labour to urge factory owners/builders to maintain a minimum standard of operations.
Moreover, these companies should be urged to put aside funds as a part of their CSR to assist these factory owners/builders to build and maintain minimum standards so that these already deprived people are not deprived any further.
Ethical sourcing for the high street fashion industry is the next competitive edge.

Susana you are right and we are not boycotting here - instead, we are in various ways trying to ask the companies to do their fair share for their subcontactors. And the flexibility of subcontracting arrangements can go both ways. If everyone starts shunning a certain company (say one of the supermarkets) and preferring their competitors who are being more responsible, the laborers can start working for the company that gets our business.

Personally, I will prefer companies that can show me that they are doing something. Quite a few companies are already aware that they are being watched and that the race to the bottom cannot continue.

I'm also thinking of checking out the big etailers I use and nudging them. ASOS have the Green Room and Atterley Road are stocking People Tree and Yoox have had Livia Firth's special range. I'd like to find these options at Matches, NAP and Outnet too.

Dear big clothing companies, I'm not interested in the cheap tat you are currently pushing. I just want a shortsleeved scoop-necked, slightly fitted but not too clingy white or cream t shirt, size M, made from 100% fairtrade non-Uzbek cotton, made by people who have been paid a living wage. I just want the shirt - not the blood, sweat and tear stains. I will pay for it, but are currently not offering this basic staple.

Fruit I used to be a Fashionista but am trying to become more and more Frugal

Thanks for the paper and pencil idea, that might actually be a good way of contacting high-end/luxury companies who don't want to hear from us. Mulberry (who are easy to contact) have a CSR page that is a bit sparse in detail (the labor part is missing - are their bags made by elves?) and Gucci have done a sustainable bag - the many other of the traditional big names seem to be missing the boat. Young emerging designers are often very eager to find domestic manufacturers and more traceable supply chains, so there is hope...

To go back to the OP, I think anything second hand is good, M & S have various fair trade articles (though I think the label refers to the cotton rather than the garment).
People Tree are ethically (and expensively) sourced as are Bishopston Trading still going after 28 years at more reasonable prices.

More here
www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/page/ethicalfashiondirectory

I have no commercial connection with any of these companies.

....and made in UK should be a good sign of ethically produced too.

Hi
I have read this whole thread with interest, as I stated from the outset I have direct experience with working with/ in factories
I completely agree with much of what I written and the direction most people on this thread want to move in however there are a couple of points I do want to reiterate as a misconception
1- cheap does not always mean bad; supermarkets are very different to primark, new look has a pretty stringent code of conduct, m&s, next etc lead the way in developing factories and encouraging others to follow. Fair trade sold cheaply is at cost to retailers not shop floor workers. In same way expensive does not mean good automatically.
2- uk production is not a by-word for quality standards

Did you know it's not law to put country of origin on label most uk retailers do, question those who don't

Yep, there's no intrinsic link between quality and ethically produced.