In the last year I've had the immense privilege of being part of this awesome project called "JustUs", which is essentially it's own pseudo-organization at this point. It began as a group creating a curriculum for young people on God's heart for the poor and how to engage with social justice accordingly, but it has grown beyond that.
Part of this project has been an ongoing blog about different social justice issues, and why it is important that we care about and engage with them. I had the opportunity today to contribute to our blog for the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, tomorrow. As this is an important topic, I decided to commemorate the day by sharing that post here, on my own blog:
In the 400 years of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, more than 15 million men, women and children were uprooted and shipped across the Atlantic. This week, on March 25, we remember those who were denied their humanity, and made to suffer for another's gain. We remember the horrors and dehumanization that racism and ignorance led to all those years ago. We mourn for those who were ripped from their homes, transported thousands of miles, publicly humiliated, sold as chattel and forced to do back-breaking work, day in and day out. We remember the people who lost their lives either aboard a ship, or due to harsh treatment and over-work, and we reflect on the after-effects of that horrible system which still pervades our culture today. We remember, and we cry “never again.” We hang our heads in shame and say, if only they had known what we know today, they wouldn’t have stood for that.
But unfortunately, that’s not true.
Those who were victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade deserve to be remembered and mourned, but more than that, they need to be remembered, and we need to be disgusted by the fact that it happened, so that we can respond properly to this fact:
There are more people in slavery today than there were in all 400 years of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade combined.
I don’t in any way want to belittle the horrors those 15 million people experienced, but I do want to emphasize that those horrors are not a thing of the past. Slavery is not an historic problem, but a current one.
Despite the fact that slavery is not legal anywhere in the world today, it is happening everywhere. In Uzbekistan, children are forced to pick cotton for the clothing we wear; in India, men, women and children are forced to work in kilns, reaching up to 130 degrees for up to 17 hours a day; in Ghana, children who don’t know how to swim are forced to work long hours on tiny, rickety fishing boats; and in North America, young women are trafficked and forced into prostitution.
So as we reflect on the Slave Trade this week, with the knowledge that, though the Trans-Atlantic trade is over, humans all over the world are still being bought and sold, what can we do? The problem of slavery can seem too big for us, too overwhelming. Maybe as you read this, you’re despairing, feeling like your hands are tied and that no matter how much you want to, there’s nothing you can do to stop it. If so, I have some good news for you. There is something you can do.
First, you can tell people. Part of the reason slavery is still so common today is because it’s kept quiet. You don’t see it often, and if you do, you probably aren’t aware the person you’re seeing is enslaved. Spread awareness, and educate people about the problem. Help bring this darkness into the light, so that many more will be forced to look upon this great tragedy, and be moved to compassion.
Secondly, you can change some of your consumer habits. Check out www.slaveryfootprint.org to find out how many slaves are used by the companies you purchase from, and to send them notes, letting them know that, as one of their customers, you want this to change. And until you’ve heard they’ve made changes, begin purchasing from companies you know are against slavery.
Thirdly, partner with one of the great organizations that are already working hard in the fight against slavery. Check out International Justice Mission, Free the Slaves, or Made in a Free World. Take a look at their websites to find out what they’re already doing and how you can be a part of their work.
Slavery is not just a bad memory, but also a horrible reality, so as you reflect this week on the 15 million victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, remember also the 30 million people living in slavery today, and decide on one step to take today to be a part of the solution.
The JustUs blog is full of really great content, so if you'd like to read through the previous blogs, you can do so here.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Toolbox for Ethical Shopping Pt.7
This morning, I read an interesting article about hashtag activism. It outlined what the issue was with it, but the part that stood out to me was a reference to something Malcom Gladwell said:
"We are swimming in knowledge, but lacking in understanding behind it."
I wonder how much my blog is contributing to this phenomenon. My hope is to give people the knowledge to make informed decisions when purchasing their consumer goods, but the truth is, the issue of ethical supply chains is immensely complex. I've wrestled with a lot recently as people have brought articles to my attention that contradicted what retailers websites said. Most people's initial reaction is to say that the business is just putting on a good front, but then the question is, why? If they can't and aren't trying to live up to the policies they put in place, why have many of them made them so robust? The companies who make no claim be ethical don't deal with the same criticism, so if you're not going to follow through, why make yourself a target? So it becomes much more complex than being only about who professes to have policies in place. When things go wrong in a factory, or many factories, how long will it realistically take before the problem is solved? Where does the responsibility of the corporation end and the individuals who manage and work in the factories begin?
What I'm trying to say here is that this whole issue is so complex that there's no way that a seven part blog series is going to answer all your questions and give you all the information so you know the exact conditions every piece of clothing, every shoe and every cell phone you purchase was made in. I don't have all the answers, in fact, I have hardly any of the answers! So I urge you to take what I've written and put it in your "ethical shopping" toolbox, but look for other tools to accompany it. Search for news articles about your favourite brands. Seek out fair trade alternatives to the things you usually buy. And keep an open mind when reading articles, watching videos, listening to what other people say about different brands (including me!), and searching out policies on a corporations website.
That being said, let's take a look at the last seven stores in my local mall, Coquitlam Centre.
Urban Barn
Urban Barn is a furniture and housing goods store. Sadly it has no information on its website about its supply chain.
Urban Vista
Urban Vista is another furniture store, and also has no information about where or how its products are made on its website.
Walk with Ronsons
Walk with Ronsons is the umbrella company which owns Ronson's Rack, which I wrote about in a previous blog. All Walk with Ronsons shoes are Canadian designed and manufactured.
WATCHIT!
WATCHIT! is (you guessed it!) a watch retailer. They also carry sunglasses and other accessories, but have no information on their website about where or how their products are made.
Starbucks
Starbucks has at least one Fair Trade certified coffee, but they work closely with Conservation International to ensure that all their coffee, as well as their tea and cocoa, is ethically produced. Starbucks is all about transparency, and requires that suppliers have evidence of payments throughout the supply chain, so that Starbucks knows exactly how much money reaches the farmers. They also publish a progress report about their coffee purchasing on their website for all consumers to read.
Waves
Waves Coffee falls somewhere between really awesome, and could potentially be better. Their website states that all their coffee is purchased directly from small lot farmers, which is awesome. But one of the things they're famous for is their real Belgian chocolate in their mochas and hot chocolates. However, their website says nothing about the sourcing of the chocolate that they use, or of their tea.
West49
West49 is a skate/surf shop that carried multiple different brands. They have no information about their supply chain on their website, so I would proceed with caution. However, as they carry multiple different brands, it might be worth researching the brand you're interested in before writing them off entirely.
Zumiez
Zumiez is another skate/surf shop, which has its "Code of Conduct" posted on its website. This Code states that Zumiez will not conduct business with any factory that uses forced labour, or child labour. The Code also prohibits partner factories to engage in harassment, abuse or discrimination. It also outlines rules for compensation of the factory employees, as well as overtime, length of work weeks, and health and safety in the workplace. The Code also states that both Zumiez and third party auditors engage in both announced and unannounced audits of the factories.
Well, that's the end. I hope you will be able to use this as a resource to aid you in your own journey of empowering rather than harming others through your consumer habits, and I hope this information has served to make the murky waters of corporations supply chains a little more clear.
To sum it all up, after all my research, here are the stores I would recommend checking out first, next time you're looking for a specific consumer good:
Clothing
American Eagle, Aritzia, Eddie Bauer, H&M, Hudson's Bay, Le Chateau, Retimans, RW&Co., Sears and Zumiez.
Shoes
ALDO Shoes, Call it Spring, Footlocker, Hudson's Bay, Le Chateau, Naturalizer Shoes, Ronson's Rack, Sears, Walk with Ronsons and Zumiez.
Underwear
Hudson's Bay, La Senza and Sears.
Coffee, tea and chocolate
DAVIDsTea, Purdy's Chocolate, Starbucks and Waves.
Sporting wear
Hudson's Bay, Lululemon and Sears.
Bath and cosmetic products
The Body Shop, Lush and Merle Norman.
Kids Clothing
The Children's Place, Gymboree, Hudson's Bay and Sears.
Houseware items
Hudson's Bay, and Sears.
If you're in the market for some new technology, this is a tricky one. I would personally still buy Apple if I for some reason needed to buy new, as they are doing more than any other company to respect the dignity and value of the people in their supply chain. There have obviously been problems, which they claim to be trying to fix. We cannot expect these problems to go away over night and hopefully we will see some of them resolved as the company works to correct them. Maybe I'm delusional and they're just dotting the "i"s and crossing the "t"s for show. If you can, I would suggest buying second hand.
May you use this knowledge to bring you to a deeper understanding of how your purchases affect people around the world. May you use it to develop responsible consumer habits, as well as compassion for the girls, boys, women and men exploited around the world so that we can have more "stuff." And may you use it to do your part in changing the system that disadvantages, and enslaves millions of people worldwide.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Toolbox for Ethical Shopping Pt. 6
This last weekend, I spent my weekend in Calgary, hanging out at a booth representing Wellspring at the Canadian Youth Workers Convention, where we were advertising our new youth curriculum, JustUs: Poverty and Justice Explored. It's pretty awesome. You can check it out at www.thereisjustus.com. But that's beside the point. During this event, I spent a lot of time standing around and chatting to other exhibitors. One of these exhibitors was from an organization called Defend Dignity, and they work in Canada to eliminate sexual exploitation through education and a lot of really cool programs. I walked over to chat because I was interested in finding out about their work, and because they had t-shirts with quotes from Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa written on them. As we chatted, he happened to mention they were giving away t-shirts for free, so I am happy to announce that I am now the proud owner of a new t-shirt. I picked the Mandela quote, partially because I think Mandela is awesome, and partially because I love the quote. My new t-shirt reads:
"To be free is.. to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." --Nelson Mandela
It's a great quote, yes. But spend a minute thinking about that. If we were to define freedom the way Mandela does, how many of us can truly claim that we are free? I hope and strive to live in this freedom, but I am aware that it is not my reality. This is one reason I began this journey to live justly, and specifically to learn about where my clothing comes from, how it's made, and what conditions it's made in. I hope by choosing to buy clothes that are made in a safe environment, by people who are paid fairly and are given many opportunities, I will respect and enhance the freedom of the textile workers all over the world.
This is part 6 of 7 of my review of Coquitlam Centre Mall stores. Check out parts one through five here.
Sears
I know department stores aren't the most popular places to shop these days, but Sears Canada has a reputation for conducting their business ethically. Their "Social Responsibility" website is easy to find (thankfully for me!), and is extremely deep and detailed. Their Code of Vendor Conduct is printed in 26 languages, and is required to be posted in all of their factories, so that those it is meant to protect can see and read it - which is awesome! Realistically, some of the people who work in their factories may not be able to read, but giving them access to the document that protects them from oppression is pretty amazing. I'm a little surprised that this is the first company I've come across with this policy, as it's pretty ingenious. This Conduct, which, in theory, all workers will be able to read and know, states that child and involuntary labour, harassment and abuse, and discrimination are prohibited. It also states that the factory must be safe and clean, and that employees are not to work more than 60 hour weeks, with at least one day off every seven. It also clearly states that each employee should receive wages, including overtime pay and benefits. Can you imagine how empowering it would be for these employees to walk by this every day? On top of that, at the bottom of the document it has contact information, saying specifically who you should get in touch with if any of the policies are violated. On top of this, they also have a web page on Conflict Mineral Policies. A 2012 Act adopted by the US Securities and Exchange Commission requires companies to disclose the use of conflict minerals originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or surrounding countries - this includes tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold. The website states that Sears is "committed to ensuring that it's products are obtained in a socially responsible manner and is taking steps to ensure compliance... including conducting supply chain due diligence to identify the presence of conflict minerals in those products that it contracts to manufacture."1 Sears also conducts regular audits of it's factories, which include interviewing factory workers. They also have a factory improvement process, as they believe that it is important to support factories that do not meet standards and help them improve rather than just terminating the relationship, as termination negatively affects the workers they were trying to protect in the first place.
Sephora
Sephora is a huge make-up company. They are one of the few cosmetic companies that have a "Supply Chain Transparency" page on their website. In accordance with the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, Sephora has adopted a statement saying that suppliers are prohibited from engaging in forced labour, human trafficking, child labour and harassment and abuse. It states that Sephora has communicated this with it's suppliers, but does not conducts audits of it's supply chain (hence the yellow grade.) The website says they will "consider" audits should they feel a supplier is in significant risk of breaking their Code of Conduct.
SoftMoc
SoftMoc has none of their supply chain policies on their website, so we cannot be sure of how their shoes are made.
Spencers Gifts
While the consumer goods sold in Spencer's Gifts are a little strange at times, they do have some policies in place for it's supply chain. I'm always told not to judge a book by its cover, but I'll be honest, I judged Spencer's Gifts and was surprised they had any policies at all. They aren't extremely thorough, and skip the issue of child labour altogether, hence the red rating. But they do state that they require all of their suppliers to follow local laws governing human trafficking and slavery, and it requires a third party auditor to confirm suppliers' compliance with laws.
SportChek
SportChek has no policies on their website, so we can't be sure of how their gear is made. It would be worth researching the brands they carry individually. In a quick glance through the website of some of the larger brands, I found that Under Armour seems to have decent policies in place, but could not find much about Nike or Adidas.
STREET
STREET is a Canadian owned and operated clothing store. It does not have its own website, but is part of the Below the Belt in Coquitlam Centre, and carries the same brands.
Suzy Shier
Suzy Shier's website has no policies stated.
Swimco
Swimco doesn't have any policies on its website, so I checked out a few of the brands that they carry. Billabong does have some great policies in place, and, though I couldn't find a website for 24th and Ocean, Sears carries them, and considering their policies I must assume they are up to snuff. More research needs to be done on the individual brands.
Target
All Targets in Canada are closing, so I had to go to the American website to find their policies. While they do have some a code of conduct for their vendors, this code of conduct says absolutely nothing about how Target ensures compliance of this code. In fact, it seems to rely on the factories to report any violations of the code.
The Source
I personally really dislike the Source. It thoroughly bothers me that their slogan is "I want that" as if our society isn't greedy enough as it is. But thats a rant for another place and another time. The Source has no policies stated on its website, but like every other IT retailer, it carries many different brands of electronics, so it would be best to research those brands individually.
Tip Top Tailors
Tip Top also has no information on its supply chain listed on its website.
Town Shoes
Town Shoes has no information on its supply chain, but does provide a list of brands they carry. Once again, further research is required on the individual shoe brands.
Triple Flip
Triple Flip is a girl's athletic clothing store. Sadly, they have no policies on their website.
This blog post makes me a little sad. Only ONE store that you could confidently walk into, pick something up off the shelf, and be certain no one was harmed in the making of it. If you have the time to check out a few more brands carried by some of these stores, please comment below and let us know what you find! My hope and desire is to enable myself and others to be free in Nelson Mandela's sense of the word - to "respect and enhance the freedom" of the supply chain workers who make our clothing, shoes and cosmetics, and in the process, to allow us to experience our own true freedom.
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
A Follow-up on Apple
Any of you who have read parts of my series on the companies represented at my local mall will know that I like Apple products. I'm amazed with the policies on their website and am pretty happy that they don't use slave labour in the mining of their tantalum.
However, a friend of mine brought a pretty disturbing news article to my attention today, and I want to thank her for challenging my high opinions of the company. I hope to keep an open mind about the companies I write about on this blog, as I know often policies don't equal reality. There are tons of stages to a production line, and often only a few of them can be monitored closely. Not to mention, if a company does not own it's factories, I'm sure a lot of policies slip between audits. The question that really matters is, how is this dealt with once the slip is found? Does the company admit to it and either end the relationship with the producer, or work to correct it? If they choose to provide incentives and training to help correct the situation, and their employees choose not to take the incentive, what can they do next? Many things play a part in the ethics behind a companies production line. On the multinational corporations end, they are responsible for policies, monitoring, transparency and solutions to any problems they find. On the factory managers end, they are responsible for following those policies in hiring, providing safe and healthy working conditions, and pay. But the question comes down to who is to blame if a fourteen-year-old wants to help his or her family meet their needs and provides false ID saying they are of age to be working?
I hope you all realize that I am NOT trying to defend Apple, or any other corporation that finds child labour in it's supply chain. All I am trying to do here is help you realize how complex the system is, and then provide you with evidence so that you can make your own decision on whether or not you feel comfortable shopping there. For me, this moves Apple closer to the yellow category. I think they have a lot of great policies and of course do not own their factories so cannot constantly be present, but have taken action to correct issues that have been found. However, they could be doing more, specifically in their tin mines. Below I have posted the link to Apple's policies, as well as some articles that bring up some disturbing evidence against them. Please read with an open mind, remember the complexities, weigh the evidence, and decide for yourself if Apple's doing a good enough job. Also, please take dates into account. Some of the situations written about have been responded to. Some still need a better response.
Apples policies: https://www.apple.com/ca/supplier-responsibility/
The Case against them:
July 2013: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/even-worse-than-foxconn-apple-rocked-by-child-labour-claims-8736504.html
March 2014: http://qz.com/183563/what-happens-when-apple-finds-a-child-making-your-iphone/
December 2014: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/19/371910482/apple-responds-to-bbc-on-conditions-at-asian-iphone-suppliers
I really do appreciate it if you challenge my opinions if something doesn't seem right to you! I would rather be corrected and have a better understanding of where I am shopping than be correct, so please, comment below with any concerns you have.
However, a friend of mine brought a pretty disturbing news article to my attention today, and I want to thank her for challenging my high opinions of the company. I hope to keep an open mind about the companies I write about on this blog, as I know often policies don't equal reality. There are tons of stages to a production line, and often only a few of them can be monitored closely. Not to mention, if a company does not own it's factories, I'm sure a lot of policies slip between audits. The question that really matters is, how is this dealt with once the slip is found? Does the company admit to it and either end the relationship with the producer, or work to correct it? If they choose to provide incentives and training to help correct the situation, and their employees choose not to take the incentive, what can they do next? Many things play a part in the ethics behind a companies production line. On the multinational corporations end, they are responsible for policies, monitoring, transparency and solutions to any problems they find. On the factory managers end, they are responsible for following those policies in hiring, providing safe and healthy working conditions, and pay. But the question comes down to who is to blame if a fourteen-year-old wants to help his or her family meet their needs and provides false ID saying they are of age to be working?
I hope you all realize that I am NOT trying to defend Apple, or any other corporation that finds child labour in it's supply chain. All I am trying to do here is help you realize how complex the system is, and then provide you with evidence so that you can make your own decision on whether or not you feel comfortable shopping there. For me, this moves Apple closer to the yellow category. I think they have a lot of great policies and of course do not own their factories so cannot constantly be present, but have taken action to correct issues that have been found. However, they could be doing more, specifically in their tin mines. Below I have posted the link to Apple's policies, as well as some articles that bring up some disturbing evidence against them. Please read with an open mind, remember the complexities, weigh the evidence, and decide for yourself if Apple's doing a good enough job. Also, please take dates into account. Some of the situations written about have been responded to. Some still need a better response.
Apples policies: https://www.apple.com/ca/supplier-responsibility/
The Case against them:
July 2013: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/even-worse-than-foxconn-apple-rocked-by-child-labour-claims-8736504.html
March 2014: http://qz.com/183563/what-happens-when-apple-finds-a-child-making-your-iphone/
December 2014: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/19/371910482/apple-responds-to-bbc-on-conditions-at-asian-iphone-suppliers
I really do appreciate it if you challenge my opinions if something doesn't seem right to you! I would rather be corrected and have a better understanding of where I am shopping than be correct, so please, comment below with any concerns you have.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Toolbox for Ethical Shopping Pt. 5
At the tender age of 9, Serkalem's family's poverty sent her into the labour force. Since her father's weaving and her mother's pottery could not make ends meet, Serkalem began assisting both her parents with their work, before heading out to work for other local weavers as well. For her long hours and multiple jobs, she received a wage of about $1.50 each week. Six years later, at the age of 15, Serkalem has only been able to complete up to 5th grade in school, and her work has left her with chronic pain.*
This story is just one of an estimated 150 million child labourers. If you read Serkalem's whole story on the No Child for Sale website, you'll be happy to hear it ends well. With support from World Vision, Serkalem has had the opportunity to spend a lot more time on her studies. But for millions of children all over the world, this isn't the case.
If you still need to be convinced that purchasing your consumer goods from socially responsible companies is the way to go, just type "Child labour stories" into your Google bar. Spend fifteen minutes wading through the results. And then ask yourself, would I want this for my child? Go ahead do that right now. If your answer is "no," come back and keep reading.
Good. I'm glad we agree. It might not happen to your child, but it is happening to someone's. And that's not right. So, together, let's make it unnecessary by choosing to purchase products made in a fair and safe environment, by people of legal working age.
Today marks Part 5 of my 7 part series, looking at the supply chain policies of companies represented at my local mall. To read parts 1 through 4, click here. We'll start with the "O"s.
Old Navy
Old Navy is owned by Gap Inc., whose policies I reviewed in Part 3. If you want to know their policies, and why I put it in the yellow category, click here.
Payless Shoe Source
Payless Shoe Source is known for being a place to buy cheap shoes. Generally speaking, if a store is known for being cheap, it's probably not paying the manufacturers very much. I can't confirm if this is true about Payless or not, because their website offers no information at all.
People's Jewellers
Like most jewellery stores in Coquitlam Centre, People's Jewellers sells some Canadian diamonds, and they follow the Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct. This means those diamonds cane be traced from the mine, and can be bought with the knowledge that they were fairly mined. However, People's Jewellers website has no information on the other metals used in their jewellery.
Plenty
Plenty is a Vancouver based boutique store with international and in-house brands. Unfortunately for us, their website has no information on the supply chain for any of these brands.
Privilege
Privilege is another small boutique store in Coquitlam Centre. Once again, it's website has no information on the production of the clothing they carry.
Purdy's Chocolates
For those of you with a sweet tooth (like myself), you'll be happy to hear that Purdy's Chocolates is committed to sustainable cocoa farming. They are a member of the World Cocoa Foundation, which helps cocoa farmers and their families through programs that "raise farmers incomes, encourage responsible, sustainable cocoa farming and strengthen communities." They are also part of an organization called Winrock International, which has implemented a child labour prevention program in cocoa-growing communities in Cote d'Ivoire, whose main export is cocoa beans. The innovative program keeps children out of the cocoa farms by providing financial support for vocational training, summer camps, scholarships and microloans.
Reitmans
Reitman's website boasts a robust Code of Conduct for all it's suppliers. This code includes, but is not limited to, rules against the use of children younger than 15, or the age for completing compulsory educations, against the use of any type of forced labour, and against discriminatory hiring policies. On top of this, the Code has a long and exhaustive list of safety conditions that must be met. Their code of conduct also states that all factories must give authorized representatives unhindered access to all relevant records, whether or not they have been notified in advance. Reitman's also reserves the right to terminate its relationship with any suppliers that violate their code.
Rickis
Ricki's is owned by the same company as Bootlegger and Cleo, and none of their websites have any information on their supply chain.
Ronson's Rack
Ronson's Rack is a branch of Ronson's, which is a Canadian owned and operated show company. All shoes are designed, manufactured, and sold in Canada.
Rose Cosmetics
Once again, it would be best to talk to someone who has more knowledge of cosmetics and how they're made. But, I assume someone has to harvest the plants that are used in the majority of cosmetics, and Rose Cosmetic's website has no information about who does this, where it's done, or how it's done.
RW&Co.
I was relieved to find that RW&Co has pretty quality policies, as it's the only place I can find shirts that fit my husband. RW&Co. is owned by Reitman's Canada. If you've been reading thoroughly, you'll know why that's a good thing!
Children like Serkalem should be spending their time playing outside, learning their multiplication tables and reading fantasy books, not working 14 or more hour days in horrible conditions for little pay. We can be a part of making the need for child labour obsolete by refusing to support companies that use kids in their production line, and by supporting companies that refuse to use child labour.
* Story from World Vision's "No Child for Sale" Campaign. Find it here: http://nochildforsale.ca/casestudy/weaving-a-childhood-away/
This story is just one of an estimated 150 million child labourers. If you read Serkalem's whole story on the No Child for Sale website, you'll be happy to hear it ends well. With support from World Vision, Serkalem has had the opportunity to spend a lot more time on her studies. But for millions of children all over the world, this isn't the case.
If you still need to be convinced that purchasing your consumer goods from socially responsible companies is the way to go, just type "Child labour stories" into your Google bar. Spend fifteen minutes wading through the results. And then ask yourself, would I want this for my child? Go ahead do that right now. If your answer is "no," come back and keep reading.
Good. I'm glad we agree. It might not happen to your child, but it is happening to someone's. And that's not right. So, together, let's make it unnecessary by choosing to purchase products made in a fair and safe environment, by people of legal working age.
Today marks Part 5 of my 7 part series, looking at the supply chain policies of companies represented at my local mall. To read parts 1 through 4, click here. We'll start with the "O"s.
Old Navy
Old Navy is owned by Gap Inc., whose policies I reviewed in Part 3. If you want to know their policies, and why I put it in the yellow category, click here.
Payless Shoe Source
Payless Shoe Source is known for being a place to buy cheap shoes. Generally speaking, if a store is known for being cheap, it's probably not paying the manufacturers very much. I can't confirm if this is true about Payless or not, because their website offers no information at all.
People's Jewellers
Like most jewellery stores in Coquitlam Centre, People's Jewellers sells some Canadian diamonds, and they follow the Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct. This means those diamonds cane be traced from the mine, and can be bought with the knowledge that they were fairly mined. However, People's Jewellers website has no information on the other metals used in their jewellery.
Plenty
Plenty is a Vancouver based boutique store with international and in-house brands. Unfortunately for us, their website has no information on the supply chain for any of these brands.
Privilege
Privilege is another small boutique store in Coquitlam Centre. Once again, it's website has no information on the production of the clothing they carry.
Purdy's Chocolates
For those of you with a sweet tooth (like myself), you'll be happy to hear that Purdy's Chocolates is committed to sustainable cocoa farming. They are a member of the World Cocoa Foundation, which helps cocoa farmers and their families through programs that "raise farmers incomes, encourage responsible, sustainable cocoa farming and strengthen communities." They are also part of an organization called Winrock International, which has implemented a child labour prevention program in cocoa-growing communities in Cote d'Ivoire, whose main export is cocoa beans. The innovative program keeps children out of the cocoa farms by providing financial support for vocational training, summer camps, scholarships and microloans.
Reitmans
Reitman's website boasts a robust Code of Conduct for all it's suppliers. This code includes, but is not limited to, rules against the use of children younger than 15, or the age for completing compulsory educations, against the use of any type of forced labour, and against discriminatory hiring policies. On top of this, the Code has a long and exhaustive list of safety conditions that must be met. Their code of conduct also states that all factories must give authorized representatives unhindered access to all relevant records, whether or not they have been notified in advance. Reitman's also reserves the right to terminate its relationship with any suppliers that violate their code.
Rickis
Ricki's is owned by the same company as Bootlegger and Cleo, and none of their websites have any information on their supply chain.
Ronson's Rack
Ronson's Rack is a branch of Ronson's, which is a Canadian owned and operated show company. All shoes are designed, manufactured, and sold in Canada.
Rose Cosmetics
Once again, it would be best to talk to someone who has more knowledge of cosmetics and how they're made. But, I assume someone has to harvest the plants that are used in the majority of cosmetics, and Rose Cosmetic's website has no information about who does this, where it's done, or how it's done.
RW&Co.
I was relieved to find that RW&Co has pretty quality policies, as it's the only place I can find shirts that fit my husband. RW&Co. is owned by Reitman's Canada. If you've been reading thoroughly, you'll know why that's a good thing!
Children like Serkalem should be spending their time playing outside, learning their multiplication tables and reading fantasy books, not working 14 or more hour days in horrible conditions for little pay. We can be a part of making the need for child labour obsolete by refusing to support companies that use kids in their production line, and by supporting companies that refuse to use child labour.
* Story from World Vision's "No Child for Sale" Campaign. Find it here: http://nochildforsale.ca/casestudy/weaving-a-childhood-away/
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