Child labour & cotton

[QuakerBear]

This is a link to an article on the BBC. I don't usually like the BBC as it's very sensationalist, but if there's a smattering of truth in this it's awful:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/n ... 068096.stm

Question: what do we/I/you do to stop this?

[old tree man]

the sads truth is we have to source everything these days, especially with the big companies, they have no scruples just profit

Russ

[ina]

Oh, I'm perfectly sure it's true - and not just cotton, and not just Uzbekistan, either. My way out of that dilemma - buy whatever I can fairtrade and organic; that way you are as sure as you can be that no child or other forced labour was involved. All my newer t-shirts and shirts are sourced ethically, also my undies; jeans are still a bit of a problem (somehow fairtrade doesn't come in large sizes ), but I managed to get "normal" trousers. They aren't that much more expensive; and I don't spend much on clothes anyway.

[Wombat]

Very sad! We need to be better informed about the stuff we buy, no doubt about it!

Nev

[marshlander]

Sadly nothing changes - our school year gave children August off to bring in the harvest.

[ina]

Yes, tattie holidays were common probably in most parts of Europe. But there's a difference whether it's enforced, with threats of violence by the government etc., or just part of the rural year - if you wanted to eat tatties in winter, you had to pick them, and everybody did! Cotton picking is not for subsistence, it's for export, and creating revenue for the government...

[marshlander]

Oh yes, of course I agree! I was just saying child labour is nothing new and sometimes helps the family make ends meet. That's not to say it's acceptable in this day and age.

[Thurston Garden]

Yes, tattie holidays were common probably in most parts of Europe. But there's a difference whether it's enforced, with threats of violence by the government etc., or just part of the rural year - if you wanted to eat tatties in winter, you had to pick them, and everybody did! Cotton picking is not for subsistence, it's for export, and creating revenue for the government...

But if you say 'Tattie Holidays' or Tattie Week' now to a bairn they look at you like you are daft! Tatties come in plastic bags from the supermarket don't they?

[oldfella]

The sad truth is we in the west buy by price, and not by ethics or even quality, so this practice will continue.

[QuakerBear]

Just before Christmas I bought a few M&S Fairtrade T-shirts, this was the first time I'd seen Fairtrade clothing. I think I'm going to research major shops abit now. I'm not sure I can stop supporting this exploitation altogether as I won't be able to get the information, but I'm going to make a start.

[ina]

It's only come to the shops just recently; I've been buying my clothes online for years now - no problem to get a wide variety of stuff! And even if it's a bit more expensive, everything I bought is very good quality, and lasts for years. (I've got most of my stuff from green fibres. Bishopston clothing is good, too - I think that's where our Ish cotton bags came from, too - their clothes are made in India, and are a bit more "ethnic". Too colourful for me for everyday wear, but I have a wonderful jacket from them.)

Same goes for bedlinen and towels, btw.

[citizentwiglet]

I get quite a lot of my stuff (when I can afford it, that is..) from Natural Collection. Otherwise, most of my clothes are second hand from charity shops or hand-me-downs - not brilliant, I know, but at least I'm not fuelling it by buying 'new' IYSWIM.

Sadly, a lot of it is prohibitively expensive for me to buy, particularly when it comes to children's clothes. Ellis grows so fast I really can't justify £35.00 for a pair of jeans he'll be out of in 3 months (probably just as he needs new shoes too). But again, thanks to things like Freecycle and generous friends and relatives most of his stuff is second-hand, too.

But it is awful. I'd love to think it was the 'typical' cheap stores we all know about that are the main offenders, but that's simply not the case. Many of the rather more exclusive brands still use unethically producing materials with more profit lining their fat wallets. I would prefer my child to have an unethical winter coat from a cheap shop than an equally unethical coat that cost me a fortune, if you see what I mean....

[ina]

I would prefer my child to have an unethical winter coat from a cheap shop than an equally unethical coat that cost me a fortune, if you see what I mean....

I do - which is why I've been buying cheap jeans for work. I always hoped that not being able to get ethical jeans in my size would help encourage me to loose weight - but not enough as yet!

[citizentwiglet]

I'm so glad you understand, Ina. I was worried that my post didn't sound right. People of certain sizes, and people on extremely limited incomes don't have the luxury to choose, do they?
Some folk DO have the money and time to do bespoke, and even their suppliers could be getting their stock unethically.
I want to do so much, I want to be soooo ethical about everything but, sadly, my available money (and millions like me) is fuelling the trend for cheap clothing. I CAN'T let my son go without a warm coat or decent shoes - I owe him that. And if Freecycle or relatives or charity shops can't deliver what I need for my budget, then I'm afraid I would need to look at the cheaper places, I couldn't afford anything more. I need to keep him warm.