A Guide to Shopping Sweatshop-Free

In our current society almost everything we wear, read, and use on a daily basis has been made somewhere overseas. This is especially the case for clothing, with an estimated 97% of all clothes being made abroad. When looking at a tag, it is difficult to find an item that does not say made in China, made in Vietnam, or made in Bangladesh. The great thing for companies is that having their products made in a country like Bangladesh greatly reduces the cost of production.This reduction of production costs also makes products much cheaper for the consumer. Within recent decades the demand for fresh product has been increasing rapidly, along for the want for lower prices. This is especially seen when it comes to our clothes. The want for the most recent clothing styles has created a new term ‘fast fashion’, where companies compete to have the freshest product while maintaining a low cost. Sales such as Black Friday, and the recent Cyber Monday are huge ways for companies to supply this much cheaper product to the general population and it is now even emerging in countries outside of America such as Canada. Though these inexpensive products seem great they are coming at a greater cost.

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Earlier in the year  Andrew Morgan released his eye-opening documentary “The True Cost”, which exposed the consequences of the western world’s consumerism, and want for a lower price. Andrew was inspired to make the documentary after the 2013 collapse of Rana Plaza, a factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The collapse was named the deadliest garment factory accident ever, and claimed the lives of over 1000 workers. The documentary exposed the horrors which occur inside the sweatshops, and the violation of garment workers rights; 85% of them being women and children, many working without rights or a minimum wage. Rana Plaza is not the only place where workers are subjected to unsafe working conditions, sweatshops are still being run by many huge corporations around the world who are responsible for making our clothes.

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If you are someone who is interested in having a sweatshop-free wardrobe, here are some tips to help you do so:

     1. Do your research

In order to be sweatshop free, it is important to research where your clothing is coming from. A good way to do this is to go to the websites of your favorite clothing companies to see if they have any information about where their clothing is being made, and if they adhere to any human rights acts such as the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act(2010). Another way to see if the clothing brands you like use sweatshops is by contacting them directly by phone or through email.

Some great brands that are sweatshop free are:

Patagonia, American Apparel, The North Face, People Tree, Tree of Life, Rapuanui, Monsoon 

      2. Buy products that are made in Canada

One way to guarantee your clothing is made in an ethical way is to purchase products that have been made in Canada. This way there is little to no worry about how the workers have been treated, and unlike in countries such as India and Bangladesh, there is a clear minimum wage in place. Though some believe that purchasing inside of Canada takes away from the workers overseas, it has been stated by many factory workers abroad that they do not want people wearing clothing made with their blood.

Some companies which are Canadian made/ sell Canadian made products are: Roots, Tristan, Judith and Charles, Mutton Head, Norwegian Wood      

      3. Purchase second hand

Purchasing second hand clothing is a great way to shop ethically while saving money. Buying items that are sweatshop-free while trying to save on budget can be a challenge, but buying clothing at secondhand stores is a great way to reduce this cost. You may have to do some digging, but places such as Value Village, and Goodwill have some unique pieces, and amazing hidden treasures.

      4. Shop less

An estimated 15% of discarded textiles are recycled while the rest are placed in landfills, accounting for a huge amount of landfill waste. Not only that but this is also a large cause for the maltreatment for garment factory workers because of the constant demand for clothing. It is common for a worker to be working up to 14 hours a day, in order to meet clients demands. Cutting down on the amount of clothing you purchase is a great way to cut back on the environmental, and the ethical impacts of fast fashion.

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Ultimately, the goal is not to stop companies from having factories overseas. Instead it is about making companies create a safer working environment for their employees abroad, along with at least a living wage and appropriate working hours. Collectively we have the power to change the negative impacts of fast fashion and how companies treat their workers. You vote with your dollar, and by not purchasing sweatshop made products, it sends a message to corporations, encouraging them to change their current practices. It is important to think consciously about who made your clothing and where it came from, because no good deal is worth sacrificing the well being of another person.