PLEASE NOTE: One of the most important issues in the clothing industry is workers' rights but our ethiscore rating treats all categories equally. Therefore, the High Street companies receiving the best ethiscore in our 2006 report were not necessarily better than the others in this sector in terms of workers' rights. They have simply not yet attracted as many criticisms across all the categories that we cover. In some ways, and as in the sportshoe sector, the companies that have made most progress (such as Gap) are those that have attracted the most criticism. So we have not presented our usual rating table for the High Street retailers, none of which we recommended as best buys in the report. Instead we have listed alternative clothing companies on the table, all of which we would consider to be best buys.
Labour Behind the Label’s 2007 report ‘Let’s Clean Up Fashion’
presented the most comprehensive comparison of High Street clothes shops
to date. If you are looking for a best buy on the high
street, download the full report.
A companion website (www.cleanupfashion.co.uk),
will monitor companies’ responses, and allow consumers to pose questions.
On the website you can:
• find out more about the companies you buy from,
• learn about the issues that are important to workers,
• read articles about the garment industry, fair trade and producer
countries,
• say what you think in a blog and,
• take action. Each time you buy clothes, send them a ‘Take a
Stand on Fashion’ postcard.
Clothes Shop report from issue 98
Fairtrade cotton launches in the UK, but has it reached the high street dummies? Jenny Rhodes and Lindsay Whalen investigate.
There is wide range of clothing on the high street. We're spoilt for choice.
Fast fashion is here, with new ranges which are both cheaper and quicker
to arrive in the shops, than in the past. Increasingly we don't want to
pay much for our clothes and treat them as if they have a "wear-by" date,
making today's fashion must-haves tomorrow's fashion disaster.(5) Clothing
deflation is predicted to continue, with increased competition from clothing
manufactured in countries with low wage economies - and this is where the
majority of the problems lie. Most retailers do not own their own factories,
and clothes manufacture is contracted out to factories, mainly in the third
world, where labour costs are lower. To produce cheaper clothes means someone
has to lose out. In the case of clothing, this means the people growing
the raw materials, producing the cloth and making the clothes.
Race to the bottom
The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) has criticised companies for encouraging a 'race to the bottom'. Production is moved to low cost countries where, according to the ETI, "governments are often desperate for the investment and foreign exchange offered by these companies. So they compete for business by relaxing labour laws and their enforcement — for example, exempting key export sectors from minimum wage legislation. Suppliers in turn keep their prices down in order to retain and gain business. And buying companies often turn a blind eye to the resultant exploitation of workers".(21)
One positive development since our last report on clothes shops in 2002 has been the start of a programme of mature corporate social responsibility reporting by GAP. Its 2003 and 2004 reports have openly provided detail about significant levels of labour rights violations in its own supply chains. Campaigners generally have given GAP credit for the "candour and transparency" of its report and expressed hope that it would serve as an example to other clothing companies.(39)
Made in secret
There is no requirement in the UK & EU for clothing to be marked with its country of origin.(11) In Ethical Consumer's shop survey, French Connection, Moss Bros and Primark were found not to have labelled their clothing with its country of manufacture. This means that at these shops customers are unable to avoid buying clothes manufactured in oppressive regimes, something you should certainly think twice about if the company concerned is not open about the production standards in its supply chain.
Because of these labelling issues, and for a consistent ranking across the
sector, we have assumed that all the companies source from at least six
countries on our list of oppressive regimes.
Ethical Trading Initiative
The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) was established in 1998 to improve the lives of workers in global supply chains. It is a voluntary initiative whose members commit to working towards applying the ETI Base Code. The code is based on International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions which include requirements that:
- Employment is freely chosen
- Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected
- Working conditions are safe and hygienic
- Child labour is not used
- Living wages are paid
- Working hours are not excessive
- No discrimination is practised
- Regular employment is provided
- No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed
Of the members of the ETI covered in this article - Debenhams, Gap, Inditex,
Marks & Spencer, Monsoon, Mothercare, New Lok, Next - Inditex (owners
of the Zara brand) are the newest members, having joined in October 2005.
The ETI has three distinct types of members: trade unions, non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and corporates. Companies which join the ETI must submit
an annual report detailing progress in improving their supply chain. Companies
who do not show commitment to continuous improvement may be asked to leave
the ETI, though there doesn't seem to be any evidence that this has ever
happened.
Although members are free to employ independent auditing of their supply chains, this is not required as a condition of membership. Critics of social auditing argue that, where members choose to internally verify their supply chains, this verification may not be as rigorous as it should.(35)
Because ETI membership is voluntary, its success depends on companies maintaining their commitment to ethics. In January 2003 Littlewoods resigned from the ETI citing "changes in business priorities" following the sale of the company to the billionaire Barclay brothers in November 2002.(22, 23)The company laid off over two hundred workers including its entire ethical trading team. A statement released by the ETI at the time of Littlewoods resignation stated, "We do not know how, or indeed if, Littlewoods intends to address poor labour practices of those suppliers it knows are not meeting its corporate code of practice. Consequently, we now fear that Littlewoods could potentially be trading at a standard below accepted corporate practice and below a level that could be morally acceptable".(20) In 2005 Littlewoods was sold to Primark, owned by Associated British Foods and run by the Weston family. (24)
Fairtrade cotton
Garment production is not the only stage of the clothing supply chain that
has problems. Cotton producers at the bottom of the supply chain have also
suffered from market pressures. On 17th November 2005 the Fairtrade Foundation
launched its Fairtrade cotton mark. Fairtrade cotton will benefit small-scale
cotton growers in India, Mali, Senegal and Peru who, like many smallholders
supplying the world cotton market, have experienced real hardship because
prices have fallen to an all-time low in recent years. (9) The impact of
low prices has been further exacerbated by US and EU subsidies. The Fairtrade
mark applies to raw unprocessed seed cotton, which means that small farmers
get a fair price for their crop.(10) What the new Fairtrade cotton mark
doesn't apply to, however, is the making of clothing and the spinning and
weaving of cloth from raw cotton. Although the Fairtrade Foundation has
asked the companies to provide some evidence of acceptable working conditions
in the supply chain, the label provides no guarantee of this. Labour Behind
the Labour argues that the tools used to verify supply chains are "far from
perfect" and a recent Clean Clothes Campaign report found "significant weaknesses
in social auditing systems". (29) The Fairtrade Foundation is working toward
certification throughout the garment supply chain and cotton certification
is the first significant step in this process. Most of the companies involved
in this initial Fairtrade cotton mark launch have already been selling ethically
traded clothing but they are now able to source products independently certified
against internationally agreed Fairtrade standards. They are listed in our
Alternative Clothing Directory below.(9)
The European Commission is (at the time of going to press) examining a recommendation to develop a social label for products produced under fair conditions. Should the Commission accept the recommendation, a social label would be developed for products in 2006 to certify that, during production, human rights and International Labour Organisation standards would be observed. (28) Watch this space.
Moral fibre
Shoppers can also help improve working conditions in the supply chain, and reduce the problems from pesticides used in cotton, by buying organic cotton. The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) set up a project in 2003 with the aim of getting 10% of cotton textiles organic by 2010. PAN report that 20,000 people in the Third World die every year from poisoning by agricultural pesticides, and 3 million suffer acute or reproductive after effects. They also explain that cotton is treated with 10% of all pesticides and 22.5% of all insecticides applied in agriculture, although it uses only 2.5% of agricultural land.(33) A Greenpeace India study in 2003 examined the chronic effects of pesticides on children in cotton-farming areas of India. The study found that, compared to the reference group, children in cotton farming areas have reduced analytical, motor, concentration and memory abilities in about 80% of cases.(34)
Apart from buying organic clothing there is one other scheme for chemical-free clothing. A European initiative, The International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile Ecology (Öeko-Tex), have developed the Oeko Tex Confidence in Textiles label to certify that garments marketed with the Oeko Tex label are made from textiles that:
- Do not contain allergenic or carcinogenic dyes
- Have been tested for pesticides, chlorinated phenols and heavy metals
- Are free from formaldehyde, organochlorines, and biologically active finishes
- Have a skin friendly pH
Though the Oeko Tex mark is not used frequently in the UK it is found on
some goods produced by European companies marketing their goods in the UK
and is worth looking out for. A directory of companies and products produced
using the standard is available on the 'certified products' section of the
Oeko Tex website www.oeko-tex.com
or telephone +41 44 206 42 35.(32)
Genetic Engineering
According to UNCTAD, cotton grown from genetically modified crops currently accounts for around 35% of the global market. In the absence of undertakings from any of the companies on the main table that they are avoiding GM cotton, they all receive a mark in the genetic engineering column for selling GM cotton products.
According to UNCTAD, cotton grown from genetically modified crops currently accounts for around 35% of the global market. In the absence of undertakings from any of the companies on the main table that they are avoiding GM cotton, they all receive a mark in the genetic engineering column for selling GM cotton products.
Teflon trouble
"Non-stick" chemicals normally found on pots and pans are increasingly found on children's clothing as well. Chemicals such as Teflon are being used in school clothing to make items last longer and to reduce the need for ironing. Perfluorinated compounds including Teflon are persistent in the environment, having been found in a wide range of wildlife species - including polar bears, dolphins, whales and in humans world-wide - and according to WWF the compounds are classified as cancer-causing chemicals by the US Environmental Protection Agency.(1) A study by WWF in 2004 found that 82% of people tested for man-made chemicals in their blood had at least one perfluorinated chemical present.(2) The study also found that chemicals such as PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of DDT), banned in the UK a decade before children in the study were born, were found in everyone, but on average the older generations had higher concentrations.(2) "The hidden use of toxic chemicals in clothing means that consumers are often unwittingly exposing themselves to hazardous chemicals that could have serious future consequences for their health and the environment. Children are usually more vulnerable to the effects of chemicals than adults, so the presence of these substances in school clothing is particularly alarming," said Morgan Parry, Head of WWF Cymru.(1)
Fur
Turning to more 'natural' materials, fur in fashion has always been contentious. The farming of animals 'solely or primarily for their fur' was banned in the UK in 2003. (6) But fur is still produced abroad and made up into fashion items both in the UK and abroad. Public opinion has generally swung against fur in the UK and it is now not often used in fashion goods. From the 1st January 2005 Inditex, owners of Zara, adopted a formal policy against the use of fur in its products from all the group's 2,064 stores in 52 countries. The policy was announced three days before a planned international day of action against Zara. Protests had been planned outside Zara shops in over 40 towns and cities throughout Europe and North America.(7)
Ethical Consumer surveyed the high street shops for fur products and found
none, except in John Lewis which had hats marked as "genuine fur felt".(8)
A spokesperson for John Lewis stated that the company operated "a strict
no fur policy for fashions". According to the company the products in question
were mislabelled and were made with wool and less than 1% rabbit hair. It
claimed that the label was "not a sufficiently clear reflection of its composition"
and John Lewis were seeking to get the product labelling changed as "the
label is therefore inappropriate and does not accurately reflect the product."
(25) Hat making traditionally sourced rabbit hair from machine-shorn poor
grade beaver, hare or rabbit fur pelts. (26/27) This is different from angora
rabbit hair which is obtained from factory farmed rabbits sheared for their
wool. It can be hard to tell fake fur from real fur. The Coalition to Abolish
the Fur Trade (CAFT) has a useful guide to telling the two apart on its
website www.caft.org.uk/fur-detective.html.
Vegans and vegetarians may choose to avoid a variety of other animal derived products found in clothing such as alpaca (the hair from alpacas - relatives of the llama), cashmere (obtained by combing a special breed of Himalayan goat), down and feathers (from the breast of geese and ducks, 90% of it is slaughterhouse by-product, the remainder obtained by plucking), fur (from trapped or farmed animals killed for their pelts), leather (a slaughterhouse by-product), mohair (from angora goats), silk (from cocoons of the silk moth caterpillar, which are killed to harvest the silk), wool (a byproduct of the meat industry) and felt (made from wool or rabbit hair). (26)
Alternative Clothing Directory
Ethical Consumer considers all companies that have made it into the Alternative
Clothing Directory to be offering ethical alternatives and therefore to
be better buys than any of the high street companies in the main report.
The directory list is not a complete list.
Equop - 0117 941 2511 www.equop.com
Hug - 0845 130 1525 www.hug.co.uk
Gossypium - 0800 085 6549 www.gossypium.co.uk
Bishopston Trading (BTC) - 0117 924 5598 www.bishopstontrading.co.uk
Natural Collection - 0870 331 33 33 www.naturalcollection.com
Clothworks - 01225 309218 www.clothworks.co.uk
Footprint - 0771 481 1072 www.footprint-clothing.co.uk
Schmidt Natural Clothing - 0845 345 0498 www.naturalclothing.co.uk
THTC - 0207 524 7620 www.thtc.co.uk
Traidcraft - 0191 491 0591 www.traidcraft.co.uk
Enamore - 07833 326 147 www.enamore.co.uk
Funky Gandhi - 01932 831 248 www.funkygandhi.com
Tonic T-shirts - 0783 825 0749 www.tonictshirts.com
Greenfibres - 0845 330 3440 www.greenfibres.com
Howies - 01239 61 41 22 www.howies.co.uk
People Tree - 0845 450 4595 www.ptree.co.uk
Patagonia - 00800 0000 0041 www.patagonia.com
Siesta - 01227 786066 www.siestacrafts.co.uk
Codes of Conduct
Most of the companies in this directory have been awarded our middle mark for codes of conduct for workers' rights at supplier sites. This may seem unusual as many of them are included because they market themselves as fair trade. This was because our best rating for code of conduct requires that claims are applicable to all of the company's products, and verified by an independent third party. This applied to Bishopston Trading Company, Equop, Natural Collection, Natural Clothing, THTC, Traidcraft, Funky Ghandi, Greenfibres, Tonic T-shirts, People Tree, Patagonia and Siesta.
Hug and Gossypium received the best mark as all their products were in the process of being certified by the Fairtrade Foundation. This mark only covers cotton production, but they were all making considerable efforts to ensure that garment production also happened in satisfactory conditions. Footprint and Enamore also received the best mark for code of conduct as they manufactured in the UK. This doesn't ensure cotton production happens in good conditions though. Howies received the worst mark for code of conduct as no information was available.
As most of the companies were very small, and there is no Fairtrade Foundation certification for clothing manufacture, we have awarded companies positive marks for product sustainability if they market their clothes as fair trade and have reasonable codes of conduct.
Environmental Reporting
Most of the companies in this directory have been awarded our best mark for environmental alternatives because they are small and offering organic clothing. Organic clothing has a significantly lower impact on the environment as it is not drenched in pesticides. Enamore and Footprint were also given the best mark in this category despite not having organic certification, as both were attempting to manufacture in sustainable ways. Patagonia, People Tree and Traidcraft were not considered to be small companies as their turnovers exceeded £3 million, so we were looking for comprehensive environmental reporting. None of the companies had two quantified future targets, and none had any independent verification to back up environmental statements. Despite being a small company, Siesta was also given the worst mark in this category, as it provided no evidence that it was trying to reduce its environmental impact at all.
Other alternatives
The annual Paris Ethical Fashion Show, www.ethicalfashionshow.com, in its second year in 2005, acts as a showcase for the best in ethical fashion
and provides a platform to foster dialogue and the exchange of information between companies concerned by fair trade and sustainable development in the fashion industry.
Fashioning
an Ethical Industry is a project launched by Labour Behind the Label
and funded by DFID, to provide fashion college students and teachers with
a global view of social and environmental responsibility in the garment
industry.
The Ethical Fashion Forum is a network of designers and labels working
to add value to fashion. Email
to join the mailing list.
The Soil Association
website provides a directory of organic clothes and textiles (0117 314
5000), as does Pesticide
Action Network (020 7065 0905). The British Association of Fair Trade
Shops provides a directory
of independent fair trade shops nationwide (07796 050045).
Vintage and second hand
There are a wide range of sources of second-hand (translation for fashionable types: vintage) clothing. You can find good clothes in charity shops but it's a case of "adopting" a shop, visiting it regularly and trying the clothes on. If you have an Oxfam Originals near you they stock specialist retro, designer and high street fashion. There are many other charity shops besides Oxfam; the Association of Charity Shops has an online database that you can search for shops in your local area.
There are also many independent vintage clothing shops, and antiques markets and fairs frequently have clothes stalls. Antiques News provides an online directory of fairs throughout the year, although they will usually also be advertised in your local newspaper. Independent dress agencies are also good, and it's worth finding out whether you have one locally. At these shops you take items of good quality unwanted clothing for sale. When the item is sold you receive a percentage of its sale price and the remainder goes the the dress agency.
If you can't face stepping out of your front door, the ultimate agency is eBay, another good source of second hand clothing, though of course you can't try items on before you buy.
A more social solution may be the clothes swap party, where you invite your friends round - along with their unwanted clothes - and swap amongst yourselves. Clothes left over at the end of the day can be taken to a charity shop.
Repairs and Alterations
In the past, clothing was expensive and most people would have had the skills to mend and alter clothes to make them last longer. Hot Courses provides an online directory of nationwide higher and further education courses including clothing alterations. However, most high street dry cleaners also provide in-house clothing repair and alteration services for a few pounds and these are worth checking out.
Links
Vintage Clothing Links
References
1 www.wwf.org.uk/core/about/cymru_0000001330.asp
27/10/2005
2 www.wwf.org.uk/news/n_0000001359.asp
03/11/2005
5 Clothing Retailing July 2005 Mintel
6 www.caft.org.uk/factsheets/mink-impact.html
03/11/2005
7 www.caft.org.uk/zara
27/10/05
8 ECRA Shop Survey 29 October 2005
9 First Fairtrade
certified cotton products launched in the UK 17/11/2005
10 Fairtrade
Certified Cotton The Fairtrade Foundation 2005
11 www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?r.13=1074016...
02/11/2005
12 www.labourbehindthelabel.org/publications/altclothing.htm
03/11/2005
13 www.privateequityonline.com
13/02/04
14 www.hoovers.com
13 October 2005
15 Baugur increases French Connection stake The Independent
11/10/2005
16 www.privateequityonline.com
12/09/05
17 Austin Reed Group Plc Report & Accounts 2003/2004
18 www.yahoo.com
11 October 2005
19 www.ethicaltrade.org
09/11/2005
20 ETI Statement on Littlewooods and Ethical Trading Initiative
Membership 31/01/2003
21 Moving Production: Stalling the race to
the bottom Ethical Trading Initiative 2005
22 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barclay_brothers
10/11/2005
23 www.bbc.co.uk
10/11/2005
24 www.hoovers.com
10/11/2005
25 Email from John Lewis to ECRA 10/11/2005
26
www.vegsoc.org/info/clothing.html
11/11/2005
27 www.fao.org/docrep/x5082e/X5082E0h.htm
11/11/2005
28 Greens succeed with demand for social labelling Jean
Lambert 15/11/2005
29 www.labourbehindthelabel.org/tempnews/fairtradecotton.html
17/11/2005
30 High street billionaire is a "Greench"-campaigners
Labour Behind the Label 16/11/2005
31 www.bbc.co.uk
20/10/2005
32 www.oeko-tex.com/en/main.html
28/10/5
33 www.pan-uk.org/Cotton/cotabout.htm
17/11/2005
34 Arrested Development: The Impacts of pesticides on
Children's Mental Health and Development Greenpeace India December 2003
35 Looking for a quick fix: How weak social auditing is keeping workers
in sweatshops November Clean Clothes Campaign 2005
36 Laura Ashley
Annual Report 2004/2005
37 Annual report 2004/2005 Moss Bros Group
38 H&M Annual Report 2004
39 www.maquilasolidarity.org/resources/codes/memo17.htm
21/11/2005
40 www.waronwant.org/?lid=10055
24/11/2005
41 www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.html
24/11/2005
42 Advocates for Animals telephone conversation 18/10/2005
43 Email from Mary Bull 12 October 2005
44 www.bigcampaign.org
25/11/2005