ange(red) and bothe(red)
Saturday mornings are a big deal for my son and me. Each Saturday we get up and head out for donuts. This particular Saturday, after donuts, we went shopping so that he could buy a gift for his mom. I knew some of the things that she wanted so we went to the mall to take a look.
One thing that she wanted was a new coat. She had a nice winter coat that my daughter tried to improve using a glitter marker - so rather than look like Elton John she decided to try and find a new coat. This task is not as easy as one would think.
Over the last year, I have really made a commitment to only buy things that are made using fair labor. So when I see a “Made in China” or “Made in Sri Lanka” tag, I do not buy it, until I do a little research on the product. This is because in many of these countries children are forced to labor in horrid conditions.
With this is mind I thought, maybe I can buy something from Gap under the Product (Red) label. If you are not familiar with Product (Red) it is a new line embraced by companies like American Express, Motorola, Armani and Gap. Each company creates a product that is red and has the Product (Red) logo on it. In exchange, part of their profits go toward the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Product (Red) was made popular by Bono, the spokesman for the line, when he appeared on Oprah. During the show they trounced all over Chicago in a red car shopping for (red) stuff. Oprah put her philanthropic spirit on display buying gross amounts of anything with the (red) logo on it. With each purchase, up to half of the purchase would go to solving a piece of the problem in Africa.
Armed with this knowledge, I thought, “I should by my wife a Prodcut (Red) coat for Christmas.” So my son and I went into the Gap (a store that I have stopped shopping in due to its well-known connection to unfair labor practices). Ignoring all the other “Made in Cambodia” stuff we went to the Product (Red) area. I felt I could shop with confidence because, according to one Gap spokesperson, “Bono personally inspected the factory where the RED products were being made in Lesotho this year and, she says, it was ‘sparkling.’”
I grabbed the coat that I thought my wife would like best, and looked at the tag. The tag read, “Made in India.” I then looked at another coat’s tag it said, “Made in China.” I was bewilde(red) to say the least. I walked to wear the (red) t-shirts were on display, those were made in Lesotho, but the rest of the (red) stuff was made all around the world where people like Amitosh work.
In an Ocotber 28, 2007 article, Dan McDougall, wrote an article in The Observer. In the article he wrote:
“Dripping with sweat, his hair is thinly coated in dust ... the hand-embroidered garment on which his tiny needle is working bears the distinctive logo of international fashion chain Gap. Amitosh is 10. Amitosh works 16 hours a day hand-sewing clothing.
[Amitosh said], ‘I was bought from my parents' village … and taken to New Delhi by train,' he says … I've been told I have to work off the fee the owner paid for me so I can go home, but I am working for free … I don't get paid. It has been like this for four months.’ India has also become the world capital for child labour.”
These kind of sweatshops are a long way from the “sparkling” manufacturing plants in Lesotho. While Gap has claimed that they were unaware of this kind of thing, their less than stellar reputation connected to unfair labor practices makes this a little upsetting. Now they can have a person in India work, receiving 1% or less of the profit off the apparel he or she makes, so that what they make will go toward the global fund in Africa.
This sounds a little backward doesn’t it? Clothes made in India, the sweatshop capital of the world, are going toward charity? There is the chance that these clothes are not made by children like Amitosh, but until Gap is abundantly clear about how and where their clothes are made, maybe one should simply give money directly toward the Global Fund (if they want to give money in the first place). What is so upsetting is that Gap wanted everyone to know that about their factory in Lesotho, but never spoke of everywhere else their clothing would be made.
Gap has been very political in answering direct questions when asked about working with sweatshops. Their response is (paraphrasing), “We give it the ‘ol college try!” Please take a moment and email GAP to ask them about their India made Product (Red) clothing. Needless to say, we did not buy a coat for my wife - but we think she will like what my son bought anyway.
One thing that she wanted was a new coat. She had a nice winter coat that my daughter tried to improve using a glitter marker - so rather than look like Elton John she decided to try and find a new coat. This task is not as easy as one would think.
Over the last year, I have really made a commitment to only buy things that are made using fair labor. So when I see a “Made in China” or “Made in Sri Lanka” tag, I do not buy it, until I do a little research on the product. This is because in many of these countries children are forced to labor in horrid conditions.
With this is mind I thought, maybe I can buy something from Gap under the Product (Red) label. If you are not familiar with Product (Red) it is a new line embraced by companies like American Express, Motorola, Armani and Gap. Each company creates a product that is red and has the Product (Red) logo on it. In exchange, part of their profits go toward the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Product (Red) was made popular by Bono, the spokesman for the line, when he appeared on Oprah. During the show they trounced all over Chicago in a red car shopping for (red) stuff. Oprah put her philanthropic spirit on display buying gross amounts of anything with the (red) logo on it. With each purchase, up to half of the purchase would go to solving a piece of the problem in Africa.
Armed with this knowledge, I thought, “I should by my wife a Prodcut (Red) coat for Christmas.” So my son and I went into the Gap (a store that I have stopped shopping in due to its well-known connection to unfair labor practices). Ignoring all the other “Made in Cambodia” stuff we went to the Product (Red) area. I felt I could shop with confidence because, according to one Gap spokesperson, “Bono personally inspected the factory where the RED products were being made in Lesotho this year and, she says, it was ‘sparkling.’”
I grabbed the coat that I thought my wife would like best, and looked at the tag. The tag read, “Made in India.” I then looked at another coat’s tag it said, “Made in China.” I was bewilde(red) to say the least. I walked to wear the (red) t-shirts were on display, those were made in Lesotho, but the rest of the (red) stuff was made all around the world where people like Amitosh work.
In an Ocotber 28, 2007 article, Dan McDougall, wrote an article in The Observer. In the article he wrote:
“Dripping with sweat, his hair is thinly coated in dust ... the hand-embroidered garment on which his tiny needle is working bears the distinctive logo of international fashion chain Gap. Amitosh is 10. Amitosh works 16 hours a day hand-sewing clothing.
[Amitosh said], ‘I was bought from my parents' village … and taken to New Delhi by train,' he says … I've been told I have to work off the fee the owner paid for me so I can go home, but I am working for free … I don't get paid. It has been like this for four months.’ India has also become the world capital for child labour.”
These kind of sweatshops are a long way from the “sparkling” manufacturing plants in Lesotho. While Gap has claimed that they were unaware of this kind of thing, their less than stellar reputation connected to unfair labor practices makes this a little upsetting. Now they can have a person in India work, receiving 1% or less of the profit off the apparel he or she makes, so that what they make will go toward the global fund in Africa.
This sounds a little backward doesn’t it? Clothes made in India, the sweatshop capital of the world, are going toward charity? There is the chance that these clothes are not made by children like Amitosh, but until Gap is abundantly clear about how and where their clothes are made, maybe one should simply give money directly toward the Global Fund (if they want to give money in the first place). What is so upsetting is that Gap wanted everyone to know that about their factory in Lesotho, but never spoke of everywhere else their clothing would be made.
Gap has been very political in answering direct questions when asked about working with sweatshops. Their response is (paraphrasing), “We give it the ‘ol college try!” Please take a moment and email GAP to ask them about their India made Product (Red) clothing. Needless to say, we did not buy a coat for my wife - but we think she will like what my son bought anyway.