What's Stopping Us?

Besides the reasons I've previously listed about convenience and price, there is also a certain stigma that surrounds advocating against issues. Unfortunately we live in a time and have lived in a time for quite a while where not caring is cool. Advocating for causes and issues is not seen as something admirable, instead it is seen as pretentious and annoying. "Tree Hugger" "Bible Thumper" are a couple names tossed around for those who care more than most about certain topics. This prevents a large amount of people from standing up for what they believe in and speaking for a cause, it limits our ability to get involved when we're constantly bashed for doing so. I think this is a way to deal with our insecurities about the issue, instead of admitting that sweatshops are a major problem and that we contribute to it daily we ignore it and bash those that acknowledge it. Hopefully as trends change it becomes more accepted to advocate for causes or people become more willing to speak their minds, because there is no room for progression with muffled opinions and ignorant remarks.
Really the only thing stopping change is us, we're the only ones who get to decide how important an issue is to us and it's our responsibility to do something about it.
Do you care? Do these facts bother you? If the thought of sweatshops and people your age and younger being forced to work under grueling conditions daily bothers you, then why aren't you doing anything about it? Progress is simple and so is change, what isn't simple is getting everybody involved, but shouldn't that be the easiest part? If you're looking for a way to make a difference, start today. Do some research, find a company that really pisses you off and talk about it to anyone willing to listen, What's stopping you?

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What Can You Do About It?

1. Raise Awareness
No progress will be made if it's not a talked about issue. We have to all not be okay with what is going on and stop ignoring the problem. If we're not against the current system at our end, we can never expect change on their end. We can't accept what is currently happening as a norm and carry on purchasing freely as if this doesn't matter.

2. Boycott
This is an extreme action and has arguably less of an impact than expected, however it relates to #1 with spreading awareness. If enough people were publicly unhappy with a current company and the way they choose to manufacture their products eventually they would be forced to comply with our wishes and the laws as they fell under public radar. Companies could get away with less and would be more inclined to change their ways as the image of their brand declined.

3. Buy Fair Trade
This is also something that may not be the easiest solution but it really is one of the only ones. Buying fair trade ensures that the products you purchase don't come from these horrible places, however it's more money and less convenient. It's unrealistic to expect that everyone can afford, has access to and is willing to purchase all fair trade products. It's going to take a dramatic shift in the way fair trade is sold, marketed and made available before it becomes a more popular trend.

4. Buy Secondhand
The damage has already been done, buying secondhand not only saves you money but it also doesn't support the large brands that use sweatshops. This is of course a temporary fix, it doesn't stop the mass productions but it does lessen the amount of purchases you make. This is more of a solution to a guilty conscience than anything, but it is somewhat beneficial.

5. Don't Say You Can't Do Anything

"When pressured, companies have demonstrated they can deliver products at good prices while providing fair wages and working conditions, as the recent example of hand-stitched leather soccer balls proved.

Pakistani children 6-14 years old were crammed into dirt-floored shacks, laboring over tiny stitches that crippled undeveloped fingers sewing six sides of 32 panels to create one "handmade" soccer ball. The ball would sell for $30-50 in America, and the child would receive about 30 cents. Balls were sold by Nike, Reebok, Adidas and other familiar names.

Consumer pressure led to the world governing body of soccer signing a code of conduct forbidding child labor or forced labor in soccer ball production. As a result, now Nike and Reebok plan to build soccer ball factories in Pakistan employing only adults and developing education programs for children. These programs will also employ other members of the family when children are removed from the factory."

There may not be any quick fixes or ways to end it all at once, but like most things it's something you have to work at. If everyone just cared a little bit more these problems would eventually be solved, but they aren't going to solve themselves. 

The main solution to these problems is to educate everyone as much as possible and don't stop talking about it until something is changed. 

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Bangladesh

One of the more recent scandals that took place was the building collapse in Bangladesh which killed around 400 people. The factory was run by Loblaws who faced a string of complaints of unsafe working conditions. Police had ordered an evacuation of the factory the day before the collapse due to large cracks in the wall and yet more than 2,000 workers returned for work the next day at the owner's request who was later arrested for this decision

With this in mind it isn't the full responsibility of Joe Fresh for this tragedy, however they play the largest role in the lack of regulations for the factory. They apologized and offered compensation for the families affected however this does nothing to correct the problems. This relates a lot to the mindset that Forever 21 holds with 'we'll fix it later'. They don't regulate the factory, they don't do regular check-ins and play no role in maintaining the facility. If this happened in North America the outrage would be ridiculous, yet this is something that most people my age have never heard of. As I've mentioned in the past the problem doesn't lie solely at the consumer level however we do have the responsibility for lack of a better phrase to give a shit. Loblaw still made a tremendous income and those 400 families are still suffering a loss of income and family member. This was a completely preventable situation that should never have happened and the worst part is that it will likely happen again.

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Brands Not To Avoid

These websites have listed the companies that don't supply from sweatshops. Most of these brands are very small and are lacking almost all of the major companies. The fact that the most popular brands are involved in the worst sweatshop scandals is extremely concerning to all of us. Have a look at some of these brands if you're looking to avoid supporting sweatshops:

http://www.veganpeace.com/sweatshops/GoodCompanies.htm

http://www.groundswell.org/6-quality-clothing-stores-that-dont-use-foreign-sweatshops/

http://humaneeducation.org/blog/2013/04/03/5-tips-keeping-sweatshop-free-closet/

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/05/08/1978501/consumers-shop-retailers-bangladesh/

The problem is that these brands aren't easily accessible, well known, or affordable. They exist to those who make it their main priority to avoid supporting sweatshops but not to the general public who are slightly less passionate. There will never be a solution if we don't make one. Unless products become easier to get and afford the incentive to stop purchasing from big name brands will never be there because the alternative is nearly impossible to rely on. Personally I purchase 90% of my household products at WalMart,  I have no means or knowledge of how to avoid it and no funds to start purchasing anywhere more expensive. It isn't an option for me to spend more, I simply could not afford to spend $5-$10 more per product. As much as the world advocates for change we don't really do much about it at a business level.

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What changed?

"As its moniker implies, Forever 21 targets college students, who belong to the very age group of those who crusaded for higher pay and better working conditions at apparel factories in the nineteen-nineties. The grand opening of F21 Red, however, was marked not by picketers but by customers who lined up early for gift cards. What changed?"  


In 1911, 146 workers died as a part of sweatshop fire in New York. In 1995 an apartment was raided in in El Monte, LA which revealed 70 Thai workers being held in slavery conditions sewing garments for well-known retailers. Students were outraged with concern, staging sit-ins and rallies to protest the mistreatment of workers and demanded change. Even in 2009 nearly a hundred universities protested Russell Athletic's and insisted recent workers who had been let go had been rehired. In the most recent years however a certain silence has been surrounding sweatshops, with much more private protests and less public awareness. It seems as though we have given up, however there are several factors that influence the quietness of this issue. The main reason being the economy-students don't want to risk having clothing prices hired. As selfish as it sounds, the price for clothing is 3-5x higher when manufactured at a salary regulated factory which is enough to cause most people to ignore the issue further. With tuition prices raised and the cost of living increasing it's an issue that will be present for many years to come without much opportunity for change.


The only other reason besides prices that I can think of is that it isn't happening here. Both of the above examples took place within the US as did the rallies and protests. America isn't Canada, and the third world countries are even further away which starts lack of compassion because it isn't directly effecting us. It's one of those things that we think "that's horrible." and that's about as far as it goes because nothing in our world is affected. But all of it is our world, and it's happening to people the same age as us with the same thoughts and feelings and hopes and dreams and we refuse to acknowledge that this is a problem. We find ways to justify it to ourselves or completely let it slip our minds because it's not something we want to think about and address, but we have to. Students need to take the initiative, we make up so much of the consumer population and although we can't all fly to Bangladesh and shut down the factories ourselves we can let the companies know it's not alright. We can raise as much awareness as possible because half of the problem is not knowing, and everyone should know what is happening, even if isn't happening to you.

The sad reality is that nothing has changed, companies just got sneakier and students got quieter. We've gotten stuck in the mindset of 'what can I do about it?' and never bothered to find out the answer. But we are the answer, we are the only ones who can control what we buy and who we buy it from. How have we gotten so selfish that cheaper products have become more important than human lives? How are we able to justify wearing clothing that we know was manufactured in a place where human rights, lives and freedom are taken away every single day?

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Forever 21

  It isn't a surprise that this extremely cheap retailer has several flaws in need of addressing. However it's unique because it not only has sweatshop-like conditions in third world countries, it also has received lawsuits of the conditions near the company headquarters in LA. 
   In 2001 Forever 21 was sued for inhumane working conditions at a manufacturing factory in Los Angeles. The workers were payed way less than minimum wage, worked 12 or more hours 6 days a week and worked alongside many cockroaches and mice. A documentary called "Made in LA" was released describing people's experiences working in these conditions and won several awards, however made little progress at the consumer level. Many organizations have attempted to boycott F 21, but little impact was ever made. The problem lies within the target market-college students. As a member of this target group I can completely understand the justification process of purchasing from a store that sells 8$ jeans. No one makes a profit selling 8$ jeans unless it took them 2$ to make, we're not blind to the facts. However, with 90% of each paycheck going towards rent, food and paying back tuition, 8$ jeans can not only feel tempting, but necessary. With a flakey, changing, and generally poor target market Forever 21 has branded themselves in an amazing way, selling cheap clothing but maintaining a socially acceptable brand name, and with this success comes power.
"I realized that they've been caught so many times, they've been publicly exposed so many times, they've even been sued — although many fewer times, because all they do is settle — and the light bulb went off: This is just part of their business strategy. They go ahead and they take what they want, and when they get caught, they pay up. It's probably cheaper than licensing it in the first place." -Susan Scafadi, Legal Expert. 

Forever 21 has launched new stores called F21 Red, producing even cheaper clothing. 
What amazes me most about this company's issues is that they are happening in North America and still no one cares. This is a problem that's happening in our backyard and it still isn't deemed important enough for us to change our shopping habits. "Up to 30 percent of the store's offerings are still made in Southern California. One Los Angeles factory worker told Bloomberg BusinessWeek she was paid 12 cents a piece to sew vests that sell for $13.80. It would take 67 vests an hour to earn $8 minimum wage."

So what do you think? How should we respond to these allegations and law suits, do we urge for a boy cot or accept that we value clothing more than lives? 
Let me know in the comments below.

Main Source:

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-secret-behind-forever-21s-dirt-cheap-clothing-2012-2#ixzz3V9LkhMXw

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