I’ve done a bit of investigating ethical Free Software T-Shirts here in the past.
Even when they’re available, it seems a bit odd to buy a fairtrade t-shirt and then get it in plastic wrap and/or on a plastic hanger in a plastic bag. I also wonder about why and how it’s fairtrade, a sort of look behind the label desire.
Now Boxes of Fairtrade t-shirts are to be trialled in Midcounties Co-op stores – will it succeed and will we start to see more of this sort of packaging for ethical products? A cardboard comeback?
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4 comments so far
1 Albert // Sep 18, 2009 at 9:59 am
This is an interesting topic. Have you heard of American Apparel? They are a clothing company based in Los Angeles which promotes itself as an ethical business, but also capitalizes on the “made in the USA” label which many Americans are concerned with.
2 MJ Ray // Sep 21, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I’ve heard of American Apparel, but never bought from them. Buying from developed countries can mean that developed labour laws avoid sweatshops in that stage of the manufacture, but it also means that it’s not providing employment in less developed countries. It’s a tough choice and not one I’ve got a firm rule on.
There’s some criticism of American Apparel from the Clean Clothes Campaign (who were linked in the comments of a previous article here) at http://www.cleanclothes.org/component/content/article/9/100-american-apparel
3 Dom // Oct 7, 2009 at 3:33 am
Hey MJ,
Interesting post you put up there. I am currently living in Cambodia and since you said you have done a little bit of research, I’d like to ask you if you have heard of any organic fair trade t-shirts coming out of Cambodia?
Any help you can provide is really appreciated,
Cheers,
Dom.
4 MJ Ray // Oct 29, 2009 at 10:23 am
Hi Dom – sorry for taking a while to reply. My research is all linked from this and the previous article. I’m not aware of organic fair trade t-shirts coming out of Cambodia. Most of mine seem to be from India. Are there any?