Dirty laundry on show for London Fashion Week
Wednesday, 13 September 2006 23:00
From www.cleanupfashion.co.uk >>
• New research reveals Gap no longer sweatshop bad boys
• Arcadia, Asda, Matalan slammed for complacency
On the eve of London Fashion Week, new research from a coalition of development agencies, labour rights groups and trade unions reveals that Gap’s CSR programme is having an impact on working conditions, while LFW sponsors Arcadia group and budget chains Asda and Matalan are among those “getting away with nothing more than cosmetic changes” rather than preventing exploitation of workers producing the clothes they sell.
As ever, behind the glamour of London Fashion Week is a story of low pay, long hours and ‘sweatshop’ conditions, but Labour Behind the Label’s new report, ‘Let’s Clean Up Fashion’ presents the most comprehensive comparison of fashion chains to date. Using information from the retailers themselves and evidence from on the ground in developing countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia, it puts many chains’ dirty laundry on display. A new website will monitor companies’ responses, and allow consumers to pose questions. Said LBL’s Sam Maher:
Helping workers out of ‘sweatshop’ conditions is no longer about boycotting Gap. It’s about being an active consumer, writing to whoever you buy from and letting them know you are serious.
The report details how some companies, notably Gap – for many years synonymous with the use of sweatshops – are taking positive steps to improve workers’ rights, while others like Arcadia, Asda and Matalan are not taking the issue seriously. Ruth Rosselson, of Ethical Consumer, said,
It’s no surprise that cheap fashion retailers like Arcadia and Matalan rely on exploiting their workers to get by. Their responses to consumers and campaigners show a clear lack of understanding of the
systemic exploitation at the heart of the clothing industry.
Brands like Asda claim to be taking steps, at the same time as pushing down prices paid to suppliers so they can sell trousers for £3. Their policies smack of a box-ticking, PR-orientated approach.
The LBL report examines what companies are doing to make sure workers in their suppliers get decent pay, finding that poverty wages are still endemic throughout the clothing industry. On Monday the coalition is launching a new website, www.cleanupfashion.co.uk, where consumers can discuss the increasingly sophisticated responses they receive and further challenge companies.
Read the executive summary
Download the report
Contact Martin Hearson, 07868 637663,
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Ends
Notes for editors
1. Let’s Clean Up Fashion is an initiative of Labour Behind the Label, No Sweat, Ethical Consumer, Women Working Worldwide, Tearfund, Methodist Relief and Development Fund, National Group on Homeworking, War on Want, Homeworkers Worldwide and Community trade union.
2. Labour Behind the Label is a campaign that supports garment workers' efforts worldwide to improve their working conditions. We educate consumers, lobby companies and government, raise awareness, and encourage international solidarity with workers. Our members include trade unions and their local branches, consumer organisations, campaign groups, and charities. We are the UK platform of the international Clean Clothes Campaign.
