Lovely clothes but at what cost?

[WaltzingBetty]

A bit of a heavy thread for style and beauty but I think it's important to be informed

Reports coming out of China are suggesting mass internment, rape and genocide of Uighur women. 83 high street and luxury goods companies including Gap and H&M (and thus presumable &OS, cos etc) use cotton produced in forced labour factories where these women are held.

Sadly, by buying from these companies we are indirectly supporting racial abuse and torture of women.

The links below have more info, be warned the BBC report is deeply uncomfortable. But please don't turn away. Please contact these companies if you are a customer and ask for their policies on cotton sourcing and ask them to boycott China. Please.

https://www.saveuighur.org/83-companies-linked-to-uighur-forced-labor/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-55794071

Thank you for posting this, I had no idea...

That @BaffledShirley
It seems lots of popular companies are involved. Uniqlo and Zara are also on that list

If consumers are willing to speak up then maybe we can make a difference

It doesn’t surprise me :(

Unfortunately, people have got used to cheap clothes, it would be nice to see a move towards better quality and more expensive products.

@Mrstwiddle

It doesn’t surprise me :(

Unfortunately, people have got used to cheap clothes, it would be nice to see a move towards better quality and more expensive products.

I don't think the connection between cheap clothes and poor working conditions is a surprise. But torture and genocide is a different level.

Also there are plenty of 'good quality' and designer brands on that list, so I'm not sure buying more expensive brands is the answer.

Actually holding companies supporting these practices accountable is the answer

Thanks for posting op and you're absolutely right to bring it up here.

It's not only cheap clothing companies on that list, e.g. Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, The North Face and Lacoste are there too. And not just clothing either - BMW, Bosch and and Mercedes-Benz.

Sos cross post with you op but yeah, this time it's clearly about far more than cheap clothing.

Thank you for highlighting this @WaltzingBetty.
Man's inhumanity to woman again----

A family member works in the fashion industry and tbh all companies use these sort of places, so it’s not just a case of avoid fast fashion/cheap clothes.
I don’t really know what the answer is. A few years ago M and S did a ‘best of British’ campaign where I think the clothes were all produced in the U.K. They were very expensive compared to their normal range and the campaign didn’t last long, so I assume people didn’t buy the clothes.

I think though that this is a specific, shocking situation and I'm going to assume that any company will be horrified at being associated with it. So while I agree there's also a bigger and complex picture, I think we can all play a part by putting on the pressure.

Very very disappointed to see that list of shame. The Best of British merchandise was good quality, although I only bought some tights, but it seemed to fall between two points: too expensive for the core M&S customer, yet lacking the really fine finish that anyone accustomed to paying for top British made fabrics and garments would expect.

Thanks for posting it here, it's too easy to turn our heads and walk by. Marks and Spencer have signed the pledge enduyghurforcedlabour.org/call-to-action/

Does anyone know other companies that have?

Thanks for this thread, WaltzingBetty, and for the link to enduyghurforcedlabour.org/call-to-action/ , ScrapThatThen.

@Fairyliz

A family member works in the fashion industry and tbh all companies use these sort of places, so it’s not just a case of avoid fast fashion/cheap clothes. I don’t really know what the answer is. A few years ago M and S did a ‘best of British’ campaign where I think the clothes were all produced in the U.K. They were very expensive compared to their normal range and the campaign didn’t last long, so I assume people didn’t buy the clothes.

I think fast fashion sweatshops are fairly common

I don't think all companies use cotton from women who are tortured, and raped in an effort to eliminate their cultural heritage.

I think the attitude of 'it happens everywhere, what can you do about it' is a barrier to do anything

My previous knowledge of this comes from the Better Cotton Initiative in December.
bettercotton.org/bbc-news-report-on-xinjiang-bci-statement/

The BCI suspended licensing for Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region back then. This week's reporting seems several notches up from that: as you say, torture and genocide.

There might be some value in buying only clothing with the BCI logo. However the BCI is not primarily set up to deal with situations like the one in Xinjiang.

Use of the logo can indicate as little as 10% Better Cotton content; and the BCI has the usual dilemma that if it pulls out of regions then it loses the ability to monitor and influence. So although it has actually pulled out of Xinjiang, it does continue to work in other regions with unsatisfactory practices (pretty much by definition: no bad practices would mean BCI not needed).

Looking for BCI labelling might be something to do as an easy, additional consumer action that everyone can take. It's clearly not enough in itself, though.

Well as I understand it about 30% of the world's cotton comes from this area, so it is going to be a challenge for companies to ensure that they are not implicated in forced labour. Forced labour in cotton fields is also an issue in other areas such as Azerbaijan I believe.

Thanks for the link. Its not difficult to avoid the brands on that list. I will do so until they take action.

This is the list from March 2020, in the link in the OP.

Any companies which have since sorted out their supply chain need to say so very publicly (yes, I know they've been busy with other things since Mar 2020).

www.saveuighur.org/83-companies-linked-to-uighur-forced-labor/
Here are some of the 83 brands listed in the report as being connected to those factories using forced labor.

Abercrombie & Fitch, Acer
Adidas
Alstom
BAIC Motor
BMW
Bombardier
Bosch
BYD
Calvin Klein
Candy Carter’s
Cerruti 1881
Changan Automobile
Cisco
CRRC
Electrolux
Fila, Founder Group
GAC Group (automobiles)
Gap
Geely Auto
General Motors
Goertek
H&M
Haier
Hart Schaffner Marx
Jack & Jones
Jaguar
Japan Display Inc.
L.L.Bean
Lacoste
Land Rover
Li-Ning Mayor
Mercedes-Benz
MG
Mitsubishi
Nike
The North Face
Polo Ralph Lauren
Puma
Roewe
SAIC Motor
Skechers
SGMW
Skechers
Tommy Hilfiger
Uniqlo
Victoria’s Secret
Volkswagen
Zara
Zegna

Thanks OP. This is utterly sickening. Will avoid those companies.

Thanks OP. Hard read but I will not be supporting these companies ever again. This needs to stop :(

I think it's also worth actually emailing companies and asking them when they intend to sign the forced Labour pledge. Let's remember they're desperate for our business at the moment.

Well said, OP, and thank you for posting this. Agree we should all be writing to these companies and demanding answers - will do so now.

Pre kids I used to make a massive effort to use ethical and non exploitative clothes. I used to wear a lot of second hand stuff as it prevented extra landfill. It is really hard. People tree were ok. I thought h-m were ok as they do organic cotton but the environmental impact and the people impact aren't necessarily related.
And now there is a pandemic we can't even go to a charity shop.

Thanks for posting this OP. I buy a fair amount from H&M, Uniqlo and GAP. I'll be writing to them to asking if they plan to sign the pledge, and will avoid shopping with them. Does anyone have a template I could use?