I know some pretty cool people. They are passionate about doing good in this world, and they put their money where their mouths are (?!) to actually make a difference to the things that bother them.
Take my friend John, for instance. This year, he and two of his friends (both called Andy) disposed of all their clothes (yes, all of them), and committed to only wearing garments if they knew who had made them, and knew that those people had been able to enjoy ethical employment practices (like not having to work in dangerously overcrowded, unstable factories, for instance).
That’s quite a challenge!
I wouldn’t know where to start looking, and, to be honest, I hear ‘fair trade’ and I think ‘expensive’ (and with good reason, with prices like £28 for a t-shirt or £78 for a shirt, replacing more than one or two items from my wardrobe is simply beyond my reach), and no matter how bad I may feel for the people making the clothes, it’s not quite enough to make me want to bankrupt myself.
Except I know those are at least to a certain extent just excuses, and they are born of the invisibility of those nameless, faceless workers overseas. I don’t know them, I don’t understand the world they live in, and to my shame, I find it all too easy to forget that they are real people.
That’s what John and co want to change. That’s why they’ve called the blog on which they’re sharing their experiences WhoMadeMyWardrobe.co.uk
Who Made My Wardrobe?
They believe that people matter, and that the anonymity of our supply chains is a big part of the reason why so many workers around the world have such appalling working conditions, which in some cases amount to slavery. Just as consumers in the 18th and 19th centuries told themselves that the Africans taken from their homes to America and the Caribbean to work as slaves on the sugar and cotton plantations weren’t really people like the rest of us, so we turn a blind eye to the humanity of workers in Bangladesh, India, Uzbekistan or Argentina.
As an example of how John and two Andys want to change this, read this story about the origins of the waterproof coats they bought, and meet the Colombian nun who had a hand in them. It makes a difference, doesn’t it, when you look into the eyes, even on video, of the person who cut the fabric that made the coat that you’re wearing. I can’t afford £150 for a waterproof coat, but I know that in future, when I see their business name (Paramo), I’ll take a second look, and pay attention to their products, because I know they’re doing good.
But what to do?
So, I have a dilemma. I want to care. I know this matters, and I want to be able to make a difference, but at the moment the gap between desire and ability is (or at least seems) just too great.
I know we don’t all have to be so drastic as to give away all the clothes we already own and start from scratch, so maybe I could start at least checking out the manufacturers these guys find when I next need something new. I think they’d say that even starting to wonder who made my clothes, where they lived, what their working conditions were like, what their hopes and dreams and opportunities were would be a start.
How about you? Where are you going to start? Maybe for you it’s a different area that has grabbed your attention, and I’ll start seeing websites asking ‘who made my tea bag?’ or ‘who tubed my toothpaste?’ Maybe it’s something else entirely.
A group of us were discussing some news stories the other day and thinking about how we should respond, and came to realise that one part of the answer was ‘don’t try to be an expert on everything’. We can’t care about everything, we can’t tackle every issue or be passionate about every injustice, so maybe the first step is to ask yourself ‘what do I care about?’
Then do something about it.
[Update: 31 March 2014. The guys want to make it easier for you to get involved, should you wish to. They are looking at creating their own clothing label, where all the clothes are produced fairly. Read more here, and help them out by taking their survey.]
on Mar 25th at 1:31 pm
Very good conclusion, I often find like you a big gap between desire and ability especially when it comes to ethical shopping but letting that develop into doing nothing is wrong, so yes, choose ONE thing to focus on. Possibly another question we also need to ask is “Do I NEED this?” as so often we buy for the sake of it not as we need. Also especially when it comes to clothes “Can I get it 2nd Hand?” thus ticking a different ethical box!
Regarding the BIG news stories and what we can do, when we had Keren our first child I suddenly found myself with a monthly gift, Child Benefit!!!! I was so aware of BIG news stories of child poverty around the world and God led me to Compassion who speak of changing “One Life at a time.” Since then we have sponsored a child and it is good to know one small positive decision can make such a difference.
on Mar 25th at 6:11 pm
Thank you, Joanne. Great way of taking action. I love hearing how people are doing the things on their hearts to make the difference they can with the resources they have available.
Anyone else brave enough to share how they’re taking action?
on Jul 23rd at 9:01 am
[…] Some of you will know that I’ve been thinking a bit about the clothing industry since some friends of mine were so convicted by the conditions of workers in the clothing factories of Bangladesh that they gave away all their clothes and committed themselves to only wearing things they knew had been produced fairly (you can read more here). […]
on Oct 17th at 10:42 am
[…] wrote a blog post that evening about John’s decision to sell or give away all his clothes – yes, all of them – […]
on Sep 4th at 6:29 am
[…] outraged by large-scale injustices, without getting their own house in order first (this relates to clothing and book purchases, too, as I’ve written about […]