Is the Bargain Worth their Lives? Looking Beneath the Tag / Christina Rolston
My four-year-old boy has a favourite word at the moment - why? As you can imagine I love this stage, but also find it rather exhausting! He is incredibly inquisitive and challenges me constantly to think broader and deeper about my answers.
While helping him change his clothes one morning, he asked me why his clothes have tags. My simple answer was, the tags help to distinguish between the front and back. This answer didn’t satisfy him.
I further explained, the tags on our clothes are an identifier. The tags identify where the clothes are made and who makes them. I can see his mind tick over furiously, while my mind is hit by a ten-ton truck as I realize the state of our current world and the need to teach him more about it and its realities.
Both my husband and I have a big responsibility here to provide what we believe are the right answers/information. How we raise him and his family life will have an immense impact on shaping his values, beliefs and ethics. I must be held accountable to take action and lead by example as kids are great at copying.
The identifier tags on my son’s clothes took me back to 2013, when the issue of ethical fashion hit the headlines.
The Savar Buidling Collapse. Ring any bells?
In April 2013 in the Savar Upazila of Dhaka District, Bangaladesh, a five-story commercial building named Rana Plaza collapsed.
It is considered the deadliest structural accident in modern human history, and therefore also the deadliest garment-factory accident in history.
Let that sit with you a minute.
Mums, daughters, sisters fathers, brothers, sons and friends were badly injured or worse, lost their lives, while doing their jobs which earnt them, little next to nothing. All of this so you that you can buy the latest trending clothes, a new pair of shoes, or a sweet shirt. If what I say seems hard hitting and harsh - good! The way we value life in our current world needs a shake- up.
How did we get so far to say that another human life can be treated appallingly and work in horrid conditions? All to fulfill our greed for consumerism?
Those precious lives lost in Bangaladesh have not gone unnoticed. Since this tragedy there has a been a surge in action and information. Take Baptist World Aid for example, exposing the reality of working conditions (social and environmental) from offshore corporates through their ethical fashion report. Using a grading system and publishing it world-wide has forced transparency and encouraged many companies to make significant changes. The report has also given us as consumers more information, opening our minds and eyes to the hard reality of how and where our clothes are produced and the impact it has on those producing countries. What I would love to see is each fashion store display their grade, similar to some restaurants, essentially forcing further transparency and giving the consumer an informed choice about where their money is spent.
Don’t get me wrong, I love shopping! Splurging on a new shirt or even shoes is thrilling. However, I have found before I spend my pocket money I am weighing up “do I need this?” or “do I want this?”, two very different questions. From my personal experience and talking with various people, the answers to the above questions are often rooted in our desire to feel good, to fill a void or to fit in/please people. In my younger years these have been some hard and very real struggles. Journeying through those difficult times and being in the place that I am now it feels so good to say I love who I am and I love who I am becoming. I am forever thankful to my God for taking me on this journey, filling those empty spaces and teaching me that my identity is found in Him.
When I do have those rare opportunities to splurge, how do I know my choice are ethical?
Information and education is key. Supporting New Zealand options, with ethically sourced materials, is a great place to start. Because of the cost to source the right materials and make it here in New Zealand, the prices can be high. Op-Shop! My incredible sisters-in-law have taught me the ways of the op-shop and how to find great treasures. The bonus with op-shopping is that the cost is low and more importantly it’s an environmentally friendly choice. If the op-shop is not your thing and you want to hit the mall, download an ethical fashion guide; Tear Fund’s Ethical Fashion Guide, Baptist World Aid Fashion Guide or the app Good on You. This app allows you to instantly search your favourite store and view their grade. Good On You also keeps you up to date with the latest news and information around ethical fashion.
Ethical choices can be made if you are wanting to cull your wardrobe. Take St. Vincent De Paul in Wellington, who have created ReSew, a new initiative designed for repurposing unsaleable clothing and textiles. - Genius! There are also places, such as your local op-shop, Trade Me or Facebook Market where your clothes can be donated or sold with no environmental harm.
The next time you grab something out of your drawer or wardrobe be mindful of that tag. Be mindful that someone has made that for you. Be mindful of the impact of your buying choices. Through education and learning let’s be conscious consumers. Read the fashion guides and be shaken up, be aware of the labour cost. You have the power to choose where your money goes; let it go towards a vote against exploitation and for safe and fair working conditions.
Christina Rolston