Clothing advice

[seanom]

Hello there, so most of my clothes are bought from a clothing stre that was involved in a scandal I think because of ( and I could be wrong ) the pay those who make the clothes in Asia is very low and there was something I read about children working aswell. Anyway the thing is, and my question applies not only to this particular clothing store but also to other stores who have their clothing manufactured by people who recieve little pay in Asia: Can I still wear the clothes because otherwise I would not have alot to wear???

 

[underacloud]

Hello there, so most of my clothes are bought from a clothing stre that was involved in a scandal I think because of ( and I could be wrong ) the pay those who make the clothes in Asia is very low and there was something I read about children working aswell. Anyway the thing is, and my question applies not only to this particular clothing store but also to other stores who have their clothing manufactured by people who recieve little pay in Asia: Can I still wear the clothes because otherwise I would not have alot to wear???

What seems to us to be little pay for someone in Asia may in fact be a great employment opportunity in a desparately poor community. We can’t condone child slave labor, but child employment in circumstances of desparate poverty is a different question.

It is a complex issue, but I think it’s an oversimplification to say that one should avoid such clothing and it does people in abject poverty no favours, as it will ultimately minimise their employment opportunities. On the other hand we should where possible buy from manufacturers who have ethical standards, such as we see now with chocolate and coffee via the Fair Trade certifications.

 

[Arrependida]

What seems to us to be little pay for someone in Asia may in fact be a great employment opportunity in a desparately poor community. We can’t condone child slave labor, but child employment in circumstances of desparate poverty is a different question.

It is a complex issue, but I think it’s an oversimplification to say that one should avoid such clothing and it does people in abject poverty no favours, as it will ultimately minimise their employment opportunities. On the other hand we should where possible buy from manufacturers who have ethical standards, such as we see now with chocolate and coffee via the Fair Trade certifications.

:thumbsup:I totally agree with this post. Coming from a poor country myself, and having seen and dealt with a lot of very poor people, my family included, in such places it can actually be a blessing to get a job in what people in the western world like to call “sweat shop”. Trust me, it is a more dignified way of earning a living than begging or living off of the government (food stamps)

 

[Monte_RCMS]

What you can do is look at the labels for country of origin and select clothing items based on countries that you favor.

 

[Nan_S]

Try to find clothes that aren’t made in such a place. Even your underwear is made there. For that matter, try to find just about anything that you use every day, except food, which isn’t made in such a place.

Unless you like stringing fig leaves together, you’re probably not going to be able to get around this problem.