Living Green
By Karen Allgire, MFA, RYT
Dear Co-op America,
How can I find out whether the clothes at stores in my area were made in sweatshops?
– Veronica M., Minneapolis, MN
Like you, many people do not want to buy clothes made in sweatshops The trick is how to find out whether that is the case with the stores you patronize. Whether you shop in an independently owned boutique or a chain store, ask where it sources its clothes and under what conditions the items were made. The better companies will be able to answer your questions about codes of conduct, working conditions and related issues with specifics.
Better companies will source from factories with codes of conduct ensuring worker rights (including freedom of association and freedom of harassment as well as fair safety, wage and hour standards); use independent monitors to check factories' compliance with the code; report publicly on the monitors' findings; and work with factories found in violation of the code to get them into compliance. It also is a good sign if a company is purchasing from supplier factories where workers are represented by an independent union and have collective bargaining arrangements in place, and if the company stays with these factories for a long time.
As for the stores in your local mall, you can look them up on Co-op America's Responsible Shopper Web site, www.responsibleshopper.org. Responsible Shopper allows you to look up and compare social and environmental information on companies selling the most common consumer products, including Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch and TJ Maxx. Each company's profile will list the allegations of poor labor practices that our staff has discovered. You also can find information about which corporations are linked to sweatshop abuses from China Labor Watch (212-247-2212, www.chinalaborwatch.org), CorpWatch (www.corpwatch.org) and LabourNet UK (www.labournet.net).
While good clothing options do exist, there are far too few. We need to work together to create more. Consider buying five responsible clothing items this year from Fair-Trade (www.fairtradefederation.org), green and cooperative (www.greenpages.org) and union (www.unitehere.org/buyunion) sources. Also, write or call companies to let them know you are concerned about their labor practices.
Dear Co-op America,
Anyone who has surplus boxes should check with local non-profit organizations to see if they'll take them. I work at a shelter for battered women, and we're always in need of boxes (and bags) to store belongings and to help women move.
– Laura, E-mail
Thanks for a great suggestion, Laura!
“Living Green” is brought to you by Co-op America, a national non-profit that provides green living, purchasing, and investing tips and resources. To join Co-op America and get a free copy of the National Green Pages™ directory of green businesses, call (800) 58-GREEN or visit www.coopamerica.org. E-mail Living Green questions to livinggreen@coopamerica.org.
