New Shoes
June 13th, 2006 by Mollie
I am a runner that needed new shoes. I put off searching for a new pair of shoes for as long as possible because (1) I didn’t want to do the research to find sweatshop free shoes and (2) I wanted to buy quality running shoes and not some crappy pair of sweatshop free shoes. However, it got to the point where my feet were killing me with each step I took and I decided that it was finally time to begin looking. I did a little research and found that some of New Balance’s shoes are sweatshop free (the ones made in the U.S.A.). I called my local New Balance store and talked to the owner, who was super helpful, and he directed me to New Balance Chicago Online. I clicked on the link for Women’s and then Made in USA. I found the shoes I wanted, W766NC (Runner’s World Magazine Editor’s Choice award), ordered them, and voila….a good pair of sweatshop free running shoes.
June 17th, 2006 at 8:11 am
Are there any identifying trademarks on “sweatshop free” apparel? Have you a secret that you can share with us? For example on your new shoes is there any way of identifying them from ones not “sweatshop free”?
June 21st, 2006 at 7:54 am
Candy,
As far as I know there are no identifying trademarks on sweatshop free apparel. There are a couple of different things you can do when trying to buy sweatshop free gear: 1) There are stores that specifically state that they are sweatshop free (Alternative Apparel is one of these stores, although they don’t sell shoes). 2) Look on the website of the companies you are looking into buying a product from. There is usually an “about us”, “company”, or “corporate” section or something like that. In that section there is usually a “code of conduct” or “company policy” sub-section and there you will find some information on their practices, both environmental and worker rights. Unfortunately, you cannot always trust what they are saying because they may not be telling the whole truth, skipping over the negative and focusing on the positive or wording it so that it sounds better than it is. 3) One more thing you can do it send an e-mail or call (find e-mail and phone numbers in the “contact us” section of the website) and specifically ask if they are sweatshop free. In most cases they won’t tell you that they are if they are not. Ask if there is anything they sell that is completely sweatshop free (like New Balance’s made in USA shoes).
I will write a post soon with a list of sweatshop free companies. I hope this is helpful. Thank you for asking.
mollie.
July 5th, 2006 at 8:36 pm
I had to check if my new balance shoes were sweatshop free and was so sad to see that they were not listed as one of the ones made in the USA. I’m looking forward to you list of sweatshop free companies. You are so thorough! Thanks for your hard work.
November 14th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
Even if the particular shoes you buy from the company are sweatshop free you are still supporting a company that does have sweatshop manufacturing. Isn’t the point not to contribute?
November 14th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
check out hersey custom made running shoes
November 15th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Sarah,
Thank you for your comment. This is something that I am figuring out as I go along. I try my best and as I learn more and find better resources I make changes accordingly. I actually had the same conversation with a friend of mine when I first wrote this post. A lot of this I have found is making judgment calls and trying to discern what the right decision is based on what I know about my life, my needs, the environment, and human rights. What I decided with this particular decision was that given what I know about my life situation (too much information for this space) that running shoes was something that I needed and I needed ones that would give me the right support. I had a difficult time finding shoes that were fair trade and that were running shoes that would be able to fit my needs. So, in this case I chose to buy the shoes that I knew were sweatshop free and would meet my needs. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, that means not just supporting those shoes which are sweatshop free but also supporting a company that has human rights violations. I did realize this when I was buying the shoes and I thought over it quite a bit. I wrote to the company and talked to a few people in the company and after it was said and done this is the decision I made. I still feel good about my decision based on the context of when I bought them.
Thank you so much for mentioning this to me. I love being challenged. Also, thank you for telling me about hersey custom made running shoes. I found their website and I am going to look into them for my next pair of running shoes. Again, I really appreciate it. It is great to hear from you.
Have a good day.
Mollie
November 15th, 2007 at 10:31 am
the Hersey’s are expensive at first hit but after that only 50 bucks to resole year after year. Pretty cool. I know about the debate between needing to run for your mental health and wondering if that is worth sacrificing in order to not support the companies violating human rights. What good are you to anyone in need if you are a mental train wreck? Have joking maybe you can pay some crack head to steal your favorite shoes from the factory stores so it takes right from their pockets and not some individual shop keeper trying to feed his family. Against goverment law but morally a much better choice. God would be proud you gave it so much thought.