I’ve been mulling and stewing and thinking about the issue big business + retail clothing for a while now, but especially since the recent tragedy of the building that collapsed in Bangladesh over two weeks ago. The death toll is nearing 900 persons, lots of them women.
As is the case of every for-profit business, it comes down to the bottom line. Everyone is chasing the dollar – that’s what big business is.
So, herein lies the issue of ethical treatment of people everywhere – I’m sure we all agree that this is what we wish for all people, working everywhere in the world: Fair pay. Sane working conditions. Safe working conditions. We all want this and more for each employee on the planet. The problem is, how can you know workplaces everywhere are doing right by their people? How can you know if you don’t see with your own eyes?
Moving towards being more conscious socially, being eco-friendlier, making sustainable choices about what we buy, use, ingest, etc. is tricky and complicated business. Trying to live a moderate life without over-consuming, without wasting, without pesticides, without child-labour, that supports your local retailers, and growers, and artisans, and trying to make your carbon footprint smaller… it’s all quite a lot.
Okay, maybe it’s easier for some. Maybe it’s easy for lots. But this stuff is complicated as hell.
We can’t all raise our own chickens, or even always buy the locally raised organic variety, simply because the hefty pricetag doesn’t allow it if you’re budgeted and you need eggs. One could argue that it taxes the environment and one’s body otherwise, which is a far heftier price to pay… but did you drive out to the country to get your eggs? Did you take photos of those adorable free-range chickens with your iPhone? They’re made in China, you know.
Footprints, footprints.
Are you a bad person if you don’t compost? If you didn’t ask who picked the coffee you’re drinking today, does that make you pro-chemical-ingesting-child-labour lovers? If you don’t buy everything locally, are you ruining farming in your community? If you don’t buy all your clothes from Etsy or from the Goodwill, are you then saying it’s okay for 13 year old girls to sew your jeans for close to twice the average work day in buildings one fart away from falling to the ground in ruin?
No, of course not. Because nothing is quite so absolute. Doing one thing does not necessarily cancel out the other thing. You know what I mean?
I don’t think any of us is so unfeeling or uncaring. But I don’t think we can take every single issue to task because there are simply too many of them. Since somewhere down the line of each and every socio-economical problem is a person trying to make ends meet for his or her family. That’s the crux. And every person on this earth loves and values his or her children and family just as much as you do yours.
So, when we do our best to budget for all things – for our homes, our food, our clothes, entertainment, etc., we make choices at each turn. Sometimes the choice is simply made by our wallets. Sometimes, we get a better sense of love for community, or indeed, for the earth, when we put our money where our hearts and minds are. We have to pick and choose.
Some people live on communes, and live off the land, reap what they sow, and it’s all very kumbaya-my-lord, delicious, and nutritious. I applaud these people – no, really. I couldn’t wouldn’t want to live like that all the time. (And you can’t make me try, either.) But, I’d like to think I can be moderate, and do what I can.
Maybe probably more can be done. Much more. But I’m not sure a boycott of Joe Fresh or The Children’s Place or any-other-retailer-not-totally-made-in-Canada is the answer. Because Rana Plaza fell down in Bangladesh two weeks ago, but it could have been the building next door to it, with other retailer’s goods being processed inside. Or it could have been a factory in Thailand. Or in the Philippines. And we already know lots of bad stuff goes down in China, right? And yet… and yet. Footprints are not always of the carbon kind.
I’d like to think that social pressure on companies like these forces them into doing better for the people that manufacture for them, but global manufacturing is not a black and white subject. But, now that everybody’s got eyes, the global marketplace gets a little bit smaller every day. (Thanks in part to iPhones – go, China!) The flipside, of course, is that consumer goods go up, Up, UP in price… which is fair and mathematical, and not really a bad thing when you can afford to buy. The question is, can we afford to? And, can we afford not to? Ethically, I mean? On all goods everywhere, amen? If you do right by some things, but not all the others, is that enough? That’s the part I struggle with.
Sometimes I just want some coffee, yo.
Spring finally showed up and I need to get myself a few things for this season and next, but I can honestly say I have trouble spending $55 on a t-shirt, even if it’s made here in Canada. Corporations will always go where they can find the best value – it’s up to government to legislate. In the mean time, we should all just do what we can to strike a balance.
Oh, and? That thing about Abercrombie & Fitch is a bunch of bollocks from a man clearly has some body-dysmorphic issues and/or loves him some plastic surgery pretty hard. I actually ADORE IT when people say this kind of thing out loud, (deplorable as his sentiments are) so you can really know what a person stands for – it’s the ones who say things in secret who are shady, not that ridiculous guy. He was being honest about what he thinks. The proof is in what happens to his bottom line… and sadly, I would not be surprised at how unaffected their earnings might be, come Q4. (PS – I’ve never been a fan or consumer of A&F.)
What to do? What do you think? Let’s hash it out.
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I could be wrong about this, but I thought American Apparel was made in the USA… hence the higher pricing for many of their goods. (I don’t shop there because I can’t really afford to, and also because their owner is a reprehensible cad who’s marketing is RIDICULOUSLY overtly sexualised, using too-young models AND he’s, um… hard to work for… so I’m not giving him any of my bucks.)
Your labour costing on the dresses you made for your girls is accurate, only you paid yourself more than most Canadian garment workers are paid – and it would STILL cost the consumer more to buy it here. That’s the world of business and marketing – it ALL costs. That said, the pricing for Canadian-made product would not stand to go down at all – and our cost of living is much higher here than in many foreign countries… that’s how come these jobs are outsourced to begin with – it costs WAY less to make them abroad than at home.
The only thing I’ll say about Joe Fresh’s super-low pricing is the company doesn’t actually make much of a profit from the line – the pricing is low in order to drive people into the grocery store, and it works – people tend to buy more product the longer they stay in a store. The model works for the. (And you can read an consumer report about their earnings – it’s all public.) Let’s just hope that they, and other retailers outsourcing their labour get serious about being vigilant in taking a closer look how their items are being manufactured. Social pressure…
Thanks, Village!! Yes, giving pause before any purchase is a good thing… and considering where it comes from is pretty good practice, too. We have to keep our eyes open and not fall prey to having a disposable life.
You’re exactly right, Anny – that thing about the $55 t-shirt is often misleading as hell, and bigger brands just stand to pocket a bit more from their cheaply-made products than the littler guy. The murkiness of it all makes it seem impossible to know for sure. It’s hard to know who to trust.
I don’t overbuy, especially as it comes to the children’s clothes, because they only tend to fit for one season, and no kid needs 30 t-shirts. Nor am I necessarily brand-loyal – I search for well-made stuff that suits the lifestyle of my kids, but I’m also budget-conscious. I don’t tend to be impulsive, which helps. And yes, online shopping is excellent – and having a good look at what you’ve tossed into your cart the next day can help reduce that “excessive” trigger that we can all fall prey to, now and again.
Indeed – we DO have what we need. We have more than enough. 🙂
i’ve posed this question before…do we feel outraged about bangladesh? or do we feel guilty? i’m saying it’s guilt. i had a friend who said she’ll never shop joe again and yet is wearing american apparel legwear! and this is a smart person! unless your label says made in canada, you are guilty of supporting sweatshops (not YOU, you, but US you).
people freaked out over GOOP’s $70 ethically sourced blah blah t-shirt and all complained and moaned that they would never buy that when they can get one for $5 at the _insert major retailer here_ …now these same people it seems are freaking out over cheap t-shirts. so, which is it? unless you make your own clothing your footprint is huge and you need to come to terms with it. if you want canada made do it yourself or pay $$$ for it and don’t complain.
i made 2 sundresses for my girls a few weeks back. simple cotton sundresses…if i pay myself $11 an hour and add up my supplies then they are $40 each. will anyone here pay me that when they can go to h&m and buy a similar style for $6.95?
however, i’m sure the more we demand and buy canadian the prices will come down. we’re seeing it with locally grown food so maybe it will trickle over to clothing.
i, for one, support work overseas, too. i can’t support these bad working conditions but if i have to pay more for a cheap shirt to ensure a family overseas can eat that night i will. i hope major retailers will stop passing the buck and actually inspect these places and prevent their contractors from sub-contracting.
I love sharing what I have- food, costumes, clothes, my car, my books, my spirit. I love vintage and second hand. I lend. I wear things for years and my children and I think hard before each purchase.
So I guess that is my bit.
I like the thought that I have enough. And I am enough.
I won’t say I have thought place of origin enough but will now more with all the horror in the news lately. But I will say I am in big box seldom as it DEPRESSES me. A bit because of the amount of stuff and a bit for the holdiay decoration and music 8 weeks early and a bit because it erodes my good mood.
Good post, dolly.
Word! Decisions are even harder to make because everything is clouded over with misinformation and glossed over with marketing. That $55 t-shirt? Probably still made in a sweat shop — they can charge more because of marketing and branding. Spending more doesn’t always mean that is is more socially-conscious.
For me, it comes down to 2 things: (1) never pay more for a brand, pay more for quality so that you don’t have to buy more and reduce your footprint that way, and (2) don’t buy more than you need.
I don’t go to malls anymore because seeing all that merchandise and all the deep crazy sales for cheap ugly stuff makes you realise the mark-up and waste that is built-in to the industry (which I personally find sickening).
So I do 95% of my shopping online which I love for the convenience, but also for the opportunity to vet the cart carefully before checking out…sometimes over several days while I decide if I really need x or y. And then I repeat my personal shopping mantra to myself “we already have everything we NEED.”
Bottom-line — I buy less and feel glad 🙂
Thanks for agreeing, Preshus, and I hear you… it WOULD be great if our retailers sourced their products at home, but it would mean pricing a lot of goods outside the realm of attainable for many people. The cost of manufacturing at home would put a quick end to the $5 t-shirt. What you gain by being ethical is often at the loss of affordability. It’s a tough quandary, but maybe if we do what we can in as many places we can, we can strike some kind of balance.
I agree with you 100%. I really wish big business could make sure that they’re sourcing their products from ethical companies, but at the end of the day, the $$ wins out. And yes, I still plan on buying my kids $5 joe fresh and walmart t-shirts because it’s silly to spend my limited funds on more expensive ones. Ideally I wish those big companies would go back to sourcing their product at home instead of overseas; we could all use the jobs and the boost to our economies.