Sweatshop Free/Fair Trade Shopping

January 30th, 2009 by Mollie
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I was asked in response to my post yesterday to provide some suggestions as to what some of the best/worst companies to support are with regard to fair trade or to provide a resource.  Co-op America’s Repsonsible Shopper is probably the best resource that I can point you to.  It allows you to search for companies and get information about their environmental and social track record.  It is not a comprehensive list, but they are always adding new companies to their directory. Gap (this includes Old Navy and Banana Republic), Wal-Mart are some of the most notoriously bad companies as far as fair trade practices go.  Gap has repeated accounts of terrible working conditions overseas, including employing children as young as 10 years old in their sweatshops.  Some of the biggest complaints against Wal-Mart involve its treatment of workers in America.  According to reports, thousands of their employees are underpayed and rely on government assistance to meet their basic needs.  Nike is another traditionally bad company to support, however, they have been making a concerted effort to change their overseas labor practices. They recently have been more transparent about the locations of their factories and are being independently monitored.

Co-op America also has a great article on sweat shop free clothing.

Here is a list of some basic tips:

  1. Buy local.  Not only does this support your local economy, but you get to know the person creating the product and you can ask them as many questions as you like about their practices.  This goes for anything from food to clothing.  The clothing will more than likely be more expensive because it is handmade, but it guarantees that the product that wasn’t made in a sweatshop.  Etsy is a fun site to check out for handmade goods.
  2. Buy used products.  Go to a thrift store or local consignment shop and look around.  You will find some great deals.
  3. Research the companies you are buying from.
  4. Look for a UNITE label.

It is important to note that none of these can guarantee that the entire product was made in a fair trade facility.  Most products are assembled from pieces made all over the world and a Made in America label could mean that only the finishing touches were put on in America (like buttons).  However, following these guidelines is still important.  It is just not a perfect solution to the social justice issues of labor practices.

Here are a few more helpful resources in your search for responsible shopping:

No Sweat Apparel

Co-op America’s National Green Pages

Green Home’s Products Page

Fair Green Trade

The Green Earth Directory

Finally, I would like to leave you with an interesting article on Portland, OR, a city that is attempting to go sweatshop free.

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 2:43 pm and is filed under Environment, Green/Sustainable, One/Change tips, Products, Social Justice, resources, socially beneficial. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • Kris, that's simply not true. Primarily GAP "outsources" their production, most big Multinational Corporations do, they think of it as a sly way to separate themselves from the sweatshops (that's why you almost always hear a spokesperson claim they had no idea their products were being made in sweatshops). So, even if some shops have been "unionized" or GAP placed better "standards" on their partnering companies, they still have done little to change their practices. It was only a year or two ago that it came to light that children were working in sweatshops in India making Baby Gap (RED) clothing. Children! They've got a long way to come.

    Back to the post, great list Mollie.
    As someone who also thinks it's important for these choices to be in reach of people from all economic classes, I choose and encourage others to choose to use thrift stores as often as possible. Many of the fair trade options are simply too expensive for many people. Second hand is a great alternative.
  • Kathryn
    Thank you, this is great information. We have been looking to find better ways to not only support our local economy, but use our purchasing power for the better. With the spring coming, a lot more festivals take place. This is a great way to find local sellers or fair trade products from around the world. We find that there are always at least a few booths that will have handmade products produced by women in Africa/ SE Asia. They are often filled with cool jewelry ( I bought a necklace made from rolled magazine pages), purses made from rice bags, and tons of bead work. These women are not only paid for their products, but they are also using recycled materials to make them. The prices may be a bit higher, but think about where you want your money going. An important tip is to make sure you ask the seller where the money goes first, make sure it does go back to support these women. It is possible that some companies claim to support these women, but that may not always be the case. Just be careful.
  • Kris
    So, I heard a few years ago that GAP, Inc. unionized and was holding better practices. Has anyone else heard that? Quite possibly, their original practices were so poor that improving on them was still not doing much.......?
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