25th February 2009
19 companies score worse than Primark in new ethical ranking of clothes shops
In 2008 stories about child labour and low wages at Primark suppliers were splashed across the front pages. On February 25th a new report from Ethical Consumer magazine reveals that conditions for workers supplying 19 other clothes retailers could be even worse.
“There's a real gap between the best and the worst performers on the high street," says Ethical Consumer editor and report author Rob Harrison. “Companies like Urban Outfitters, Moss Bros and BHS, score zero in our survey. They appear to have no policies in place to prevent abuses by suppliers. We urge consumers to vote with their wallets against the exploitation of the people who make our clothes.”
The report also examines how poor ethical standards in the high street have led to an explosive growth of smaller, more ethical, brands. Companies specialising in Fairtrade and organic clothing have mushroomed from around 20 in 2006 to nearly 250 in 2009.
Scoring best for ethics amongst the high street retailers are Monsoon and Marks & Spencer. Scoring best amongst the ethical specialists were Bishopston Trading, Gossypium and Traidcraft. All the ethical specialists were listed as Best Buys. See the full list.
The best way for consumers to help address this issue is to buy only Fairtrade and Organic labelled cotton clothing and reward those retailers raising the bar on standards with their business.
NOTES TO JOURNALISTS
Supply Chain Policies Ranking Table
Retailer.......................Score out of 100
Monsoon.....................79
Marks & Spencer.......74
Gap..............................71
Next..............................62
H&M.............................58
Tesco...........................53
Mango..........................49
River Island..................45
Sainsbury’s..................45
Primark........................42
John Lewis..................38
ASDA..........................37
Debenhams................37
New Look....................37
Topshop......................34
Zara.............................33
TK Maxx......................20
Esprit..........................19
Matalan......................16
Karen Millen..............15
House of Fraser.......11
Peacocks.................10
FCUK..........................3
Ann Harvey.................0
BHS............................0
Dunnes.......................0
Edinburgh Woollen Mills..0
Moss Bros.................0
Urban Outfitters.........0
Ethical Clothes Specialists
F= Fairtrade, O= organic
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