10. Ethical Fashion Show
About 85% of workers
in sweatshops are
women between
15-25 years old
• No right to unionize
• No overtime
• Pregnancy tests
• Sexual harassment
12. Ethical Fashion Show
The Retailers
• Pay a price that is fair
and sustainable.
• Pay a fair trade
premium.
• Give credit when
producers ask for it.
• Sign long-term
contracts.
13. Ethical Fashion Show
The Producers
• Implement sustainable
farming practices
• Often form
democratically-
organized co-
operatives
18. Ethical Fashion Show
Questions to ask when shopping:
Do you know where this was made?
Do you know how much the workers
who made this were paid?
Does [company name] have a
policy on workers rights?
23. For more information about fair
trade products in Manitoba, visit:
www.fairtrademanitoba.ca
Notas do Editor
Description: Quality of life starts with having access to a good job. Over 2 billion people in the world struggle to get by on less than $2 US per day. Some of those people are connected to us – we buy the food they grow, the clothes they make, and the products they put together.
Description: Still, they are sometimes invisible to us. How many of you have thought about the people that sewed your clothing? [Get audience to raise their hands]. What about the people that produced the cloth? The people that picked the cotton for the cloth? [Get audience to raise their hands].
Description: Here are the steps to produce a typical t-shirt. The cotton might be grown and harvested at a small farm in Uzbekistan. The cloth might be produced in Bangladesh. Maybe a woman in China sews the t-shirt. It is exported from China to the United States, and then distributed to the retailer in Canada. When we buy something in a store, we see the brand name, the style, the cut, the price – but not the people. How many of you have ever bought something because it was cheaper? [Get audience members to raise their hands]. What impact do those thousands of small decisions have?
Description: What’s the cheapest t-shirt you have ever seen? [Get responses from the audience]. If I can buy a t-shirt for $3.00, how can that pay for the cotton to be grown, the cloth to be woven, then transported, the shirt to be designed, cut, sewn, branded, transported, tagged, sold, and eventually end up on my body?
Description: In this show, we’re looking at alternatives to this system – ways of recognizing the people that make the things we use and respecting the environment.
Fashion Show Round 1 [Get audience to give a round of applause for the models.]
Description: Those were some great fairly made fashions. But in our current system the producers are invisible, so often our clothing ends up being made by the cheapest workers to employ – children. 121 million children are forced to work in unsafe labour conditions. Child labour reinforces cycles of poverty – by putting adults out of work and preventing children from getting an education.
Description: For example, the cotton for your jeans might come from Uzbekistan, might have been picked by a seven year old, working far away from his family for little or no pay.
Description: They might have been sewn by a young woman in China who is not paid for overtime, and is allowed only a couple days of vacation each year. As well, she may have to submit to pregnancy tests – women who are pregnant are routinely fired with no compensation. Sexual harassment is another common complaint in factories where clothing is made.
Description: When we buy clothing, we are voting with our dollars. Luckily, there are alternatives like Fair Trade.
Description: Many of our retailers in this show are FAIR TRADE. A product that is fair trade certified is checked by a third-party, and meets these criteria. For the retailers, these criteria are: Pay a price to producers that aims to cover the costs of sustainable production: the Fairtrade Minimum Price. Pay an additional sum that producers can invest in development: the Fairtrade Premium. Partially pay in advance, when producers ask for it. Sign contracts that allow for long-term planning and sustainable production practices.
Description: The producers must also be held accountable to certain criteria ... Producers often form co-operatives, so that everyone owns a piece of the business. Products should be produced sustainably.
Description: What does Fair Trade clothing mean? The clothing could be produced by a certified fair trade company, which means that they follow established guidelines which cover wages and working conditions. These guidelines were developed recently in the USA, and may soon come to Canada. Many companies are not certified fair trade, but they are members of the Fair Trade Federation, and have committed to follow the principles of fair trade. The clothing could also be made with Fair Trade Certified Cotton, which means that the people that grow and pick the cotton are treated fairly.
Description: There are also other ways to make your purchases ethical. Direct Trade: some companies maintain direct relationships with producers. This can mean that more of the retail price ends up in the pockets of the producer. However, direct trade relationships are not audited – so it’s up to you to make an informed decision about your purchase. Union-made: the clothing is made in a factory where workers are members of a labour union. These products may be from Canada or another country. The union can help workers stand up for their rights. Co-operative: the clothing is made by members of a cooperative. This means that the people that sew your clothing are also part owners of the company, rather than being just employees so they benefit more from your purchase.
Description: Ethical clothing also is kind to our earth! Certified Organic: made with cotton or another fibre which has been certified to contain no artificial pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. This can help protect our environment from toxic chemicals. Eco-friendly: could be made with an alternative fibre like bamboo or hemp. These use less agricultural inputs (like water and fertilizer) than traditional fibres like cotton. It could also be made using natural dyes or recycled fibres.
Fashion Show Round 2 [Thank models for participation, get round of applause!]
Description: What would happen if the questions we asked most often weren’t about the colour or the brand... But about the people involved in making the item? If each person
Description: Those were some great pieces of clothing! You can get these products certified fair trade.
Description: There are other ways that you can support fair trade and make a difference. One way is through Fair Trade Manitoba’s ‘One Month Challenge’ which asks Manitobans to only consume fair trade varieties of coffee, tea, and chocolate for one month, starting on Valentine’s Day each year.
Are there any ways your school could support fair trade? What about your school’s t-shirts or hoodies, your sports equipment – like soccer balls or volleyballs – or the food at your cafeteria? MCIC can help your school find suppliers for these products – often at competitive prices!
Fashion Show Round 3 [Thank models for participation, get round of applause!]