"Where can I buy clean clothes?"

"Where can I buy clothes that aren't made in sweatshops?" is probably the question we at Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) are asked most frequently, over e-mail, by phone and quite often in person.

It's a fair enough question, but to date there are no easy answers. Boycotting particular countries or brands doesn't necessarily support workers' struggles to improve conditions in those countries. While buying "Made in Canada" products might benefit the Canadian garment industry, it doesn't guarantee that your clothing wasn't made in sweatshops. The "Union Made" label is a pretty good guarantee of fair working conditions, but you won't find it on many apparel products sold at the local mall.

Despite the general lack of ethical shopping options, there are a few promising developments. As more and more American and Canadian consumers become aware of sweatshop abuses and ask questions about where and under what conditions clothes are made, there is clearly a growing market for sweatshop-free clothing. A few companies and fair trade initiatives are beginning to fill the void in the sweat-free niche market.

Pioneering Efforts

A new USA catalogue company, No Sweat Apparel, plans to sell clothing produced exclusively by members of independent trade unions in North America, Europe and the developing world. Its "Union Made" sourcing strategy is designed to help protect unionized workers in the North and fragile union victories in the South, and to support worker organizing. No Sweat Apparel plans to launch its first catalogue in December 2002.

Two other ventures have taken a more USA-focused approach. All SweatX brand clothing is sewn in a unionized factory in Los Angeles, which is run as a cooperative with the workers as co-owners. Hoping to cash in on the American university demands for clothes made under ethical conditions, the company plans to focus on wholesale orders of popular collegiate apparel styles, like T-shirts and caps.

Another Los Angeles-based company, American Apparel, also markets its products as "sweatshop free." The T-shirt and undergarment manufacturer claims to have discontinued the use of sweatshops, subcontracting and offshore factories. It says its workers receive a living wage, health benefits and pensions. Its ads fail to mention that its employees are not represented by a union.

A fourth initiative, the British-based Ethical Threads, sells T-shirts made by women's cooperatives in Nicaragua and Bangladesh, and by a network of factories in Britain employing people with disabilities. According to the Ethical Threads website, conditions in all of its workplaces meet or exceed international labour standards outlined in the International Labour Organization Conventions. Ethical Threads T-shirts are being marketed to rock bands, concert promoters and others purchasing for the British music industry.

No Easy Answers

These "sweat-free" alternatives may not be the answer to the growing problem of sweatshop abuses, but they do show it's possible to respect workers' rights and compete in the marketplace. They are also setting new standards for transparency and accountability by revealing where their products are made, and committing to respect and promote international labour standards.

Before sweat-free choices are widely available at the local mall, there will need to be increased pressure on apparel industry giants to eliminate sweatshop abuses throughout their global supply chains.

While ethical shopping may be a small part of the solution, supporting garment workers' struggles to organize and improve their working and living conditions continues to be the most promising route to a sweat-free garment industry. That's not an easy answer to the question, but it's still the best answer.

For more information on these companies, please visit:

www.nosweatapparel.com

www.sweatx.net

www.americanapparel.net

www.ethicalthreads.co.uk

Ian Thomson wrote this article for the Maquila Network Update, the newsletter of the Maquila Solidarity Network. For information about campaigns and activities check their website at: www.maquilasolidarity.org.

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