sweatshops, and how can i avoid them

just dave

Avoidance from support that is.

I'm just wondering where there are good quality and good looking clothing stores or sites that are sweatshop free. I'm really trying to live justified to some standards that I think are ideal for the 21 century.

How possible is this? thoughts? do you guys think this way at all?

keeponrockin

I think American Apparel is sweatshop free.

evenflow

I was going to say if in the interview they only offer to pay you $1.25 a day for 20 hour days it might be a sweatshop, but I see you mean purchasing from them, so I'm all out of ideas.

Claireack

In the UK they have Fair Trade labels for food products, can't remember seeing it on clothes, oh hang on maybe I've got a t-shirt. Not sure.

TravisTheSky

Claireack wrote:

In the UK they have Fair Trade labels for food products, can't remember seeing it on clothes, oh hang on maybe I've got a t-shirt. Not sure.

Loads of certified Fair Trade food here in America as well! Especially chocolate and coffee. Well, coffee isn't exactly a food, but it's one of my staples.

just dave

how much more is this type of clothing. I know i have to make sacrifices to help the world be better. haha

Jeanwah

Here's a list of some sweat shop free sites - http://www.newdream.org/marketplace/clothing.php
Some of the places have pretty nice clothes. If you really want to avoid sweatshops, just research a chain before buying anything from them and stay away from major corporations (more than likely using China to make their goods).

Claireack

TravisTheSky wrote:

Claireack wrote:
In the UK they have Fair Trade labels for food products, can't remember seeing it on clothes, oh hang on maybe I've got a t-shirt. Not sure.


Loads of certified Fair Trade food here in America as well! Especially chocolate and coffee. Well, coffee isn't exactly a food, but it's one of my staples.

Coffee I can take or leave, but chocolate, well, couldn't live without it! It's a food, and I've worked out that if you get it with bits of fruit in it it counts as of part of your five fruits/veg of the day (ok maybe I'm stretching things a little there!)

Kel Varnsen

It's kind of tricky though. I mean on one hand it doesn't seem like a good idea to support places that have really really bad working conditions. But at the same time the people who work in them aren't working there because its fun, or to save up money for a vacation. They are working there because they need the money to survive. So if their factories close then these people either have no jobs, or they have to take jobs that are much much worse like prostitution.

just dave

yeh its a catch 22. I am realizing that being green or socially conscious sp? lol is really tricky.

a friend of mine is using cloth diapers to avoid landfills, but how much water and soap do you have to use instead. really hard.

I just figure you have to destroy the beast that is the sweatshops and the people have to adjust. I know that is more cruel than it sounds, and those people i'm sure will have a hard time adjusting in a poor country.

I don't know, idealism is hard.

Claireack

just dave wrote:

a friend of mine is using cloth diapers to avoid landfills, but how much water and soap do you have to use instead

In some areas over here they have cloth nappy collection services where they take them away and wash them on mass and return them, which is a good idea I think. Obviously it's using energy to deliver them but if the service was more widely available it perhaps would dissuade others from using disposables as it would be easier - especially for working mums etc.

just dave wrote:

I just figure you have to destroy the beast that is the sweatshops and the people have to adjust. I know that is more cruel than it sounds, and those people i'm sure will have a hard time adjusting in a poor country.

Some form of gradual change?? Not sure of the answer though. The Fair Trade system is a good incentive.

Drowned Out

Kel Varnsen wrote:

It's kind of tricky though. I mean on one hand it doesn't seem like a good idea to support places that have really really bad working conditions. But at the same time the people who work in them aren't working there because its fun, or to save up money for a vacation. They are working there because they need the money to survive. So if their factories close then these people either have no jobs, or they have to take jobs that are much much worse like prostitution.

I dunno man…that is circular logic in the same vein as ‘if I don’t do it, someone else will’. Nothing changes with that kind of thinking (not to pass judgment, I admit at times I fall back to that position when it serves a purpose).
Those jobs are not helping the people in those countries. The wages are rarely high enough to provide a minimal standard of living, and the consequences of allowing those companies into the country are usually much higher than the benefits to the average working stiff. When you look at the big picture – these countries can only develop the infrastructure necessary to play ball in the bigs by selling their souls (and resources) to international banks and corps….which inevitably leads to a downward spiral of debt/ tax, reduced public services (public funding imbalances caused by debt repayment contracts), and land-grabs… all of which detrimentally affect those sweatshop workers. The outward appearance is that they are better off… but in most cases they’re getting screwed by corrupt, selfish politicians, and corporations that will move on as soon as the workers start demanding better wages or conditions, long before the factories are even built.

To the OP – buy used and you can wear whatever you want without the guilty conscience… You can buy a $100 sweatshop made tshirt for $5 and feel like you saved the environment by reducing waste

Anon

My cousin has a Nike sponsorship and they just did a tour of a Chinese factory. Those Nike Golf polos that will cost you $80 or more in the store cost Nike roughly $3.80 to make.

The most simple answer is to buy Made in USA.

Kel Varnsen

Drowned Out wrote:

Kel Varnsen wrote:

It's kind of tricky though. I mean on one hand it doesn't seem like a good idea to support places that have really really bad working conditions. But at the same time the people who work in them aren't working there because its fun, or to save up money for a vacation. They are working there because they need the money to survive. So if their factories close then these people either have no jobs, or they have to take jobs that are much much worse like prostitution.

I dunno man…that is circular logic in the same vein as ‘if I don’t do it, someone else will’. Nothing changes with that kind of thinking (not to pass judgment, I admit at times I fall back to that position when it serves a purpose).
Those jobs are not helping the people in those countries. The wages are rarely high enough to provide a minimal standard of living, and the consequences of allowing those companies into the country are usually much higher than the benefits to the average working stiff. When you look at the big picture – these countries can only develop the infrastructure necessary to play ball in the bigs by selling their souls (and resources) to international banks and corps….which inevitably leads to a downward spiral of debt/ tax, reduced public services (public funding imbalances caused by debt repayment contracts), and land-grabs… all of which detrimentally affect those sweatshop workers. The outward appearance is that they are better off… but in most cases they’re getting screwed by corrupt, selfish politicians, and corporations that will move on as soon as the workers start demanding better wages or conditions, long before the factories are even built.

To the OP – buy used and you can wear whatever you want without the guilty conscience… You can buy a $100 sweatshop made tshirt for $5 and feel like you saved the environment by reducing waste

I am not sure if I agree with the idea that "nothing changes with that kind of thinking". I mean it wasn't that long ago that workers in North America had to deal with terrible working conditions. They didn't change because the end users of their products decided no to buy them, they changed because workers took matters into their own hands. And like I said before the people who have these jobs aren't working for them because they like it they are working at them because having a really crappy job in a developing country is way better than having no job in a developing country. And if people stop buying the products that these people are making, the workers aren’t going to get raises, the factories are going to close. And then the people who once had crappy jobs have no jobs, which has to be much, much worse.

Drowned Out

Kel Varnsen wrote:

I am not sure if I agree with the idea that "nothing changes with that kind of thinking". I mean it wasn't that long ago that workers in North America had to deal with terrible working conditions. They didn't change because the end users of their products decided no to buy them, they changed because workers took matters into their own hands. And like I said before the people who have these jobs aren't working for them because they like it they are working at them because having a really crappy job in a developing country is way better than having no job in a developing country. And if people stop buying the products that these people are making, the workers aren’t going to get raises, the factories are going to close. And then the people who once had crappy jobs have no jobs, which has to be much, much worse.

But the problem I mentioned earlier is rarely overcome by labour movements in a global economy. These companies can just move on, bring in foreign labour, change the rules, or pressure the local government/dictator if their workers stand up to them.
I don’t know what the answer is. It seems like every problem in the world revolves around our greedy nature….people are exploited in the name of profit; I’m sure it’s always been that way….and it wont change unless the industrialized nations police themselves by setting standards and guidelines that are fair to their ‘colonies’, and the workers within them. Typical world peace – type scenario…who lays down their arms first (or who raises wages and improves conditions, unconditionally)? …and even if an agreement is in place…can you trust your rival to disarm when you do?
I have to think that buying local and boycotting companies that exploit the third world is probably the best way to affect change nowadays….the only way to get the attention of these all-powerful multinationals is to hurt their bottom line. Otherwise the inherent nature of a corporation continues to prevail – profit before people.

Jeanwah

Drowned Out wrote:

I have to think that buying local and boycotting companies that exploit the third world is probably the best way to affect change nowadays….the only way to get the attention of these all-powerful multinationals is to hurt their bottom line. Otherwise the inherent nature of a corporation continues to prevail – profit before people.

Absolutely. We vote with our dollars every day.