Child labour discovered at Shein suppliers.

[HoxtHun]

Here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/08/23/child-labour-discovered-shein-suppliers-london-stock-market/

Shop Cider is not ethical.

https://directory.goodonyou.eco

I use sites like this to check. Trouble is consumerism out of control and people think they need loads of clothes etc. we don’t. Buy better, buy less.

Thank you.

I used to save up for Gudrun Sjodren, but the colours and proportions weren’t quite right. I’m insufficiently Amazonian for the sleeve length. 3/4 arms worked though.

Where is fairly acceptable these days, does anyone know?

Read here, @SensibleSigma:

https://communityclothing.co.uk/pages/our-mission

And there are always lists available online of (at least British) manufacturers who try to do as little harm as possible.

Absolute non shocker of the week... Producing anything that cheaply involves exploitation of some kind.

I've started reading Patrick Grant's book - how to buy less rubbish. It's brilliant and confirms what I've been trying to do for a while. I buy second hand and I've started making my own clothes. Realizing exactly how long it takes to make a garment has really brought home the human cost of fast fashion for me.

That said I still definitely have too much stuff...

What happens to these kids though if they're not working? They have to beg or join the sex trade? Their whole family potentially starves to death? While child working is completely unthinkable here it's not the same in a country where there is no UC, no housing benefit, no child benefit, no NHS, no social services, no food banks.

I don't buy from Shein as I like to buy clothes I have tried on - but who's making sure these kids are ok when they're kicked out their jobs because the rich west think children shouldn't be working?

I’m trying to make as well. But very slowly. I keep my favourite worn out things with the intention of copying them.

@BumbleNova yes! This year I made a resolution to buy less. Particularly clothes. I have loads already. My kids buy second hand all the time as it’s the ‘cool’ thing to do so I followed their lead.

i used to love browsing the shops but honestly can’t remember last time I fancied it! It’s liberating just buying what you need.

What happens to these kids though if they're not working? They have to beg or join the sex trade? Their whole family potentially starves to death?

Does a child working at Shein manage to lift them or themselves out of poverty?

Child and other Labour in China etc…they aren’t just earning a living. It’s forced labour in sweatshops, working under constant surveillance.

I try not to judge buying from places like Shein. I don't know anyone's situation and I'm not exactly perfect myself.

I do absolutely judge buying it and then dumping it on a charity shop to dispose of.

No surprise here.

I read that their clothes have also been shown to exceed the legal limits for toxic chemicals, so it's a no from me.

Beth216, I think that's a really good point and in reality, it's not as if child working can be eradicated. We can though try to force manufacturers to actively work with the countries they're engaging in clothes manufacture. They need to pay fairly and take responsibility - through their own due diligence - that the workers employed are paid a fair (for their country) wage and have welfare facilities.

The employing companies are not based in the country of manufacture and there are levers in place - legal and monetary - to ensure compliance. I audit businesses in the UK as part of my job and there's a raft of questions there about 'onward/out of country' working practices - and that is followed up, not just box-ticking. We might not have control of working practices in other countries but we do have input and ultimate control of businesses here by dint of not working with them if we choose not to.

I know it's not quite the same for consumers but we get to choose who we spend our money with. I've told Johnnie Boden and his crew to stop contacting me because as a customer that spent £££s per year on his stuff when it was manufactured here or in EU, it now isn't and he gets not a penny piece from me.

That was what I was trying to say too? Everyone who is buying ethical clothes is denying them an income, surely? So we should be campaigning against child labour in the relevant countries?

No but they might eat the next day without reporting to selling themselves instead of their labour.

Agreed. They just want their next "haul" to show off on instagram or TikTok. To hell with the human or environmental cost.

There's a wealth of choice in charity shops. You can great stuff for a few pounds without adding to landfill or toxicity.

@BumbleNova I spent decades following my mother around fabric stores (she’s a talented seamstress, I’m not) and seeing her make clothes, so I’ve always been aware of how much it costs in materials, labour and time to produce decent clothing.

Obviously large scale manufacturers benefit from economies of scale - and I daresay basic t shirts can be cheap to make - but I’m not at all easy with people flaunting their £9.99 wedding guest dresses …

Floisme, that is another thing - charity shops and the re-selling of fast fashion. It just doesn't last. I work with some of the clothes bank outlets and visited one of the big plants in Bilston. It was a real eye-opener.

The good quality clothing that can be re-used is really on the decline. Fast fashion is trending and when it's reached the end of its life (after a few wears) it's fit for the bin. Even its use in textiles (sound muffling, as an example) is so limited because of its material composition.

My daughter and I haven't got a lot of money but we don't waste it on fast fashion.

@HoxtHun you are absolutely right! And I am very much learning as I go. Its been very rewarding to create my own clothes. Plus it dramatically slows down my acquisition of new clothes...

Of course child labour os terrible, but could I ask what will happen if the factory got rid of all its child labour.How would the children survive? Would they starve or be forced into prostitution or crime?

Really? No shit. So surprised.

Buy cheap tat..someone somewhere is paying.

There is! Look for B-Corp companies.

’An analogy that is commonly used is that B Corp Certification is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk.
In short, B Corps are companies that undergo a rigorous certification process to improve their social and environmental performance. They don’t just say that they’re good businesses or socially responsible businesses, as so many other businesses do.’

For fashion, Chloe and Sezane are two off the top of my head.

That 'community clothing' is having a laugh!

They want us to buy that??