Do you know where the clothes that you are wearing come from? Do you know who made them? Do you know the effect of your spending power on other people? Every time you open your wallet and spend money you are making a choice. We encourage you to buy products that are made from sustainable materials, that have been ethically and fairly traded or that have been donated to charity. Larger companies often have little concern for the businesses are profit led; the best way to encourage them to change their practices is to decrease their profits. By voting with your feet, and more importantly with your money in support of shops that stock and promote sustainable and fairly traded goods, you as an individual can have a positive impact on a global issue. Along with numerous charity shops, who play a primary role in recycling clothes and bric-a brac, Brighton has a wide a range of ethically sound clothes and shoe shops. These independent shops supply goods that use:
- Fairtrade Materials
- These materials are bought directly by suppliers from the producers. Certified Fairtrade [1] producers receive a minimum price that covers the cost of production as well as an extra premium that is invested in the local community. The price of Fairtrade goods is a more accurate reflection of the true costs of production.
- Sustainable Materials
- Hemp [2] is a good example of a more sustainable material. It is stronger and more durable than cotton, its growth does not rely on pesticides, it does not require a harmful bleaching process, and it is naturally anti-microbial - good for nappies!
No Sweat [3]
By supporting shops and organisations throughout Brighton which do not stock clothes from companies dependent upon sweatshops, child exploitation and pollution you can play an active role in campaigning against sweatshop labour.
Did You Know?
- Factories in Indonesia making clothes for the western market employ people who work up to 60 hours per week, who sometimes have to take clothes home to finish, for as little as $1 per day. In the Novilon Garment factory 200 people work from 8.00am until midnight, and sometimes throughout night, depending on orders. Young women earn just enough to buy food for their family and cannot afford to pay somebody to look after their children who can often be found sleeping on piles of clothes.
- Nike has been caught using child labour. The corporation pays its workers a dollar a day in Indonesia and Vietnam and commonly intimidates and sacks workers who attempt to organise themselves into unions. It's no longer a secret that Nike pays its entire Indonesian workforce less than they pay golfer Tiger Woods for one year’s sponsorship. An Indonesian worker in a sports shoe factory will take home 0.4% (40 cents) of the $100 paid for the shoes in a US store. The brand name takes 33% of the cost; the factory gets 12% (the 0.4% workers’ wages comes out of this amount), transport and tax come to 5%, and the rest, 50%, goes to the store.
- In South China, Disney employs young Chinese migrant women workers to make toys, clothes and accessories. For as little as 10p per hour, they work up to 16 hours a day! Factories commonly ignore overtime laws and the women are forced to work them because they are so poorly paid that they have no choice. Some workers can be fined for going to the toilet or talking without authorisation. There have been complaints of unhealthy working conditions, for example exposure to injurious chemicals, delays of pay, and not receiving overtime pay. Food provided by the factory is described as 'pigs feed', dormitories as 'cages'. Workers who attempt to organise and defend their rights have been dismissed.
Even if we have awareness of the effect of mass exploitation of people and land by multi-national companies, does this shape our shopping experience? Does our knowledge prevent us purchasing that bargain in the window? THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS TO SAY NO to SWEAT!