With all the greenwashing going on lately, it’s important to KNOW where your clothes/shoes/accessories come from by doing your own independent research and using your own judgment. I’m not going to say that baby steps aren’t important, and I do believe that every little bit helps, but if ethical sourcing and business practices are important to you, don’t just take the company/manufacturer’s word for it, VERIFY for yourself that they meet your standards. (We’ve made it easier by putting together a comprehensive list of smaller online boutiques that specialize in ethical & eco-friendly shopping)
So, since today marks the launch of Topshop’s US-based site, I’ll use them as a “case study.” First, I consider Topshop part of the “fast fashion” movement (read this & this); specializing in trendy, of-the-moment pieces that are of questionable quality and really meant to be worn one or two seasons (not years) at most. In fact, Topshop gets new designs in every week (about 300) and the average shelf-life for these pieces is generally a couple of weeks, as opposed to six months at “traditional” retail stores. This, in and of itself, is not very environmentally friendly – we should be focusing on buying/producing high-quality garments that will last for many years.
Fairtrade Tunic |
Fairtrade Jacket |
Also, they have a small “fairtrade” section, which intrigued me, but there is absolutely NO information about what this means on their website; I had to turn to google for more information. One of the articles I referenced above mentions that Topshop sources a few items from People Tree, which sells clothes made from organic and often Fairtrade cotton, in addition to a couple of other “fairtrade” companies. I guess if you’re going to buy into “fast fashion,” better that it’s ethically & fair trade sourced…but maybe not if the company as a whole uses “sweatshop” labor to produce most of its clothing.
It’s obviously up to each individual to decide whether or not to buy from shops like this at all – as consumers, we do vote with our wallets – and you could argue both sides, either boycott the company altogether, or only purchase fairtrade items from Topshop to encourage them to ethically source MORE of their pieces and ultimately abandon questionable wage practices. I, personally, will try to stick to buying my clothing/shoes/accessories from small, independent designers, who disclose their sources and business practices; my heart lies with independent designers and small business owners.
Ultimately, IF organic cotton, ethical business practices and fairtrade sourcing is important to you, do your research on any company that makes claims to being earth-friendly/fairtrade/etc., and be sure to consider the WHOLE company – that’s where your money goes…
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Hi – good stuff. I think it would be interesting to compare different brands and assess how much of the sale price goes to the different parts of the supply chain. I suspect we would find that there is little difference in the pay of factory workers, fairtrade or not. I don’t know that there would be much of a differential even when comparing small independents and large brands – because the costs of running a small operation are proportionally higher than a large corporation.
Also, it is worth pointing out that the British Fairtrade Mark (I’m not sure whether this is the same as in the USA) only refers to cotton producers in clothing – which is obviously a very small part of the whole supply chain and represents a very small cost of the final garment. The factory checks are less important and there is no guarantee of a better wage for the factory workers – the standards just state that the working conditions should be reasonable.
In terms of Topshop, I suspect they are selling the products because they can be sold at a premium. The real question is whether the added value to the cotton farmer is worth the additional cost on the garment.
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