Eighteen cents an hour. It seems almost incomprehensible that a person might work for this pittance in the twenty first century, but this is the average wage for a garment worker in Bangladesh. I only learned this after another tragic incident in the country which exports over a billion dollars worth of manufactured clothing every year. A factory which had already been deemed unsafe collapsed with three thousand workers inside, killing more than three hundred.
We also heard that clothing from major brands, including Loblaw's Joe Fresh, were found in the rubble. I have a Joe Fresh hoodie, a gift from one of my daughters. I like it, and it was affordable for her as a gift, as was the clothing we have given to our adult kids. But we are increasingly aware that "affordable" clothing is often produced in conditions akin to slavery, with long working hours and unsafe conditions. How can I decry the slavery of another century and contribute to it in this one?
What is the solution for me as a Christian who thinks he has a commitment to justice? Surely we can develop a system of Fair Trade clothing the way we have the option of Fair Trade coffee and tea and other products. I listened to a Bangladeshi Canadian woman who asked that we not stop buying products from Bagladesh because it would result in great hardship. She suggested that we be willing to spend more for the products, which would still seem like a bargain. If an eight dollar tee-shirt was ten dollars, would that be the end of the world for most of us?
And maybe we could all get along with less. As we empty our closets of a lot of clothing we just don't wear anymore I am uncomfortable wth my level of consumption. How much of this did we buy because it was relatively inexpensive? We both notice that the duration of fashion trends gets shorter and shorter, and part of that is our North American access to off-shore produced goods. There is no point in blaming brands like Joe Fresh if we are driving the demand.
What are your thoughts about what has transpired in Bangladesh? Are you ethical until you get to the cash register? Do you think this incident will change your buying habits?
2 comments:
This story really is appalling, and the first place my mind went was the many Joe golf shirts and hoodies that stock my closet.
I've always tried to buy plain, one colour T-shirts and the like in order to avoid that "dated" thing that tends to happen, and I thus get a ton of longevity out of my closets. (Last week, I had to laugh when I realized that the long-sleeved T I wore to school was the same age as my grade sevens!)
Having said that, I would be all for fair trade clothing. Two dollars wouldn't be that much more to pay, and I could feel better about the effect my money could have.
As a parent of a growing teen, we were at a store today buying t-shirts that were needed. When we got to the cash, I took a look to see where they were made, Bangladesh. I stood there having a discussion with my daughter about what had just happened in Bangladesh, struggling with my inner self as to whether or not to go through with the purchase. I too heard the woman speak about not boycotting products from Bangladesh, as it would make matters worse. It was an inner struggle, and in the end we did purchase the t-shirts but I left with an unsettled feeling. It is something to struggle with.
I recently purchased a t-shirt for myself, paid $9.99 for it and like Ian it is a plain colour, and....wait for it....it was made in Canada! Finding things made in Canada is difficult and often they are more expensive but if this one company can do it, why not others? This most recent incident has got me thinking, I like your idea of fair trade clothing.
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