Question

Pick out 5 - 10 items of clothing from your closet. Now check the labels. Where were your clothes made? List your favorite brands of clothing, shoes, or other fashion accessories. What is your brands stance on sweatshop labor? Do workers who make your favorite products earn a living wage? Does this affect how you feel about purchasing those products? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Answer

My garments were mainly manufactured in Vietnam, India, America and China. My favorite textile brand is Free People and Frye. While studying my brands working practices, I discovered that Free People has joined the Ethical Procurement Network aimed at ending human trafficking abusses and slave labour in raw materials sectors such as cotton. However, the company is not disclosing enough information openly on its human rights position. Free People claims to protect the values of most workers ' rights in its Code of Ethics, but this guideline is not made public, which is uncommon even for a fast fashion company. Free People states that suppliers are obliged to conduct business according to the law. This involves being free from the use of child or forced labor, segregation and complying with wage and hour laws, as well as welfare , education and environmental regulations. Yet there is no indication that a living wage is being paid to staff . The company is not tracing vendors properly or publishing a supplier list online. It is a concern as workers' safety can not be guaranteed if a company can't trace its whole supply chain. I think the policies should be more transparent to Free People. A good start would be to release its Code of Conduct and supplier list to the public, as well as to enhance its efforts to trace all of its supply chain.

I can not disregard the fact that slave labour does not influence how I feel about purchasing those goods because I have the ability to build an economy where child labor and sweatshops cease to exist by the choices I make and those I want to stop. And my speech, along with others' voices, will help inspire companies here and abroad to make sure that all employees are paid equally and treated with dignity.

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