Just want to share with you the responses that I received from various companies. Many of the responses I read with a dubious grimace. I'd like to be a bit more reassured by their responses but I am sceptical. I am encouraged in the knowledge that we are changing the face of retail. Within 5 years I strongly believe that we will be able to by certified fairtrade garments in these stores. Crazy. Well this year I bought all my fairtrade Easter eggs from a regular discount shelf in Coles. Ahh the stuff of dreams! So let's be encouraged and keep writing to these stores and make the change!
Dear Keshena,
Thank you for contacting us via our website.
Sustainability is a major focus for Kmart Australia Limited with a key emphasis on building meaningful social and environmental commitments.
The ongoing respect for basic human rights, ethically and responsibly sourcing the products we sell and working with our key vendors to assess and improve the working conditions in their factories are the main drivers of Kmart’s ethical sourcing commitment.
As one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest retailers, we are committed to supporting the communities in which we operate by adhering to good corporate behaviour and values. Through close relationships and our Ethical Sourcing Code we aim to ensure that goods sold within our stores are made in safe working conditions, national laws are obeyed and all workers are treated fairly.
Every year our business releases a sustainability report which covers our performance in areas from financial through to team, community, environment and ethical sourcing. The next report will be released later this year in November and will be available on-line at www.kmart.com.au
We thank you for your interest in ensuring all retailers behave ethically and encourage you to continue to question when you have concerns.
King regards
Kmart Customer Care Consultant
Dear Keshena,
Thank you for contacting David Jones with your concerns to Fairtrade
clothing and products.
I have asked our Buyers here at David Jones and they are proud to be a
signatory of the Textile Clothing & Footwear Union of Australia. The TCFUA
is an ethical code that has provisions to ensure that members and other
workers in the clothing industry, specifically employees and contractors to
Suppliers are engaged in terms and conditions no less favourable than those
contained in either the Federal Award or the relevant State Award. Part of
our agreement with them specifies that we need to provide them a full list
of all of our suppliers both in Australia and Internationally for their
auditing proposes.
In the rare event where it is discovered that a Supplier has breached these
terms we have steps in place to take action immediately, the most severe
outcome being that we may terminate our contract with them.
Kind regards
Customer Relations Specialist
Hi Keshena,
Thank you for writing to us in relation to our policies regarding the production of Target merchandise.
We wish to advise Target is strongly opposed to the exploitation of workers in Australia or overseas, and all of our suppliers must adhere to our Ethical Sourcing Code of Practice. This Code states "Suppliers should not be associated with production processes which may exploit workers”.
Target expects suppliers to comply fully with legal requirements of the countries in which they operate. Additionally, suppliers should be alert to any signs that a production process involves exploitation or represents a danger to health, safety or the environment. In line with our risk matrix, our suppliers are obliged to conduct social compliance audits of factories supplying goods to Target or provide us with documentation that is evident they are adhering to an international code which we recognise.
In order to enforce these standards with our overseas suppliers, they must all agree with and sign our “Ethical Sourcing Code of Practice" before we conduct business with them. This Code of Practice ensures that all of our local and overseas suppliers comply with these measures, which prevent any form of exploitation from occurring. If a breach of this Code of Practice is demonstrably taking place, we will cease to do business with the supplier concerned and reserve the right to take further action.
We trust that these measures assure you of our commitment to Ethical Sourcing. We hope that Target's initiative in supporting and endorsing such measures will be supported and imitated by many others in the retail industry.
Kind Regards
Target
Dear Mrs Keshena,
Thank you for taking the time to contact Big W.
In regards to your enquiry, although we do not market our products this way, all clothing products sold at Big W are Fairtrade or ethically manufactured.
Kind Regards -
- Customer Service Team
A journey into buying ethical clothing in Australia
Showing posts with label advocacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advocacy. Show all posts
Not just hemp rainbows
One of the big issues that the fairtrade industry is facing is that people assume that it is all hippie, rainbow, hemp fabric that isolates its wears as fringe dwellers. Although I’m partial to the odd trip to St. Andrews market I am not a die-hard hippie and tend to walk a blurred line of fashion styles. Fairtrade needs to break this image if it is to enter mainstream. And to make a real, authentic difference to the exploited workers Fairtrade clothing must break into the mainstream.
If you feel strongly about this don’t forget to send an email to the large chainstores using the letter templates.
Letter asking company for further transparency and request fairtrade
It is our hope that by using this letter template you will be inspired to write and email as many companies as possible to request transparency and Fair Trade products. These companies spend endless money on trying to discover what their customers want; so lets tell them.
Below you'll find a list of companies with a link to the feedback forms that they request their customers use, as well as a letter template. Feel free to use what we have written if that makes it easier. Just simply copy and paste the text into an e-mail or the customer feedback form and fill in the missing details.
Below you'll find a list of companies with a link to the feedback forms that they request their customers use, as well as a letter template. Feel free to use what we have written if that makes it easier. Just simply copy and paste the text into an e-mail or the customer feedback form and fill in the missing details.
Please email any or all of the following companies:
Target
K-mart
BigW
Myer
David Jones
Harris Scarf
Letter Template:
Title: What are your practises? I'm looking for Fair Trade products.
Date:
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to your company to find out if you stock and/ or produce any Fairtrade clothing and products. I am very concerned about buying Fairtrade and ethically produced clothing and goods. I have decided to make it my practice to familiarize myself with the conditions under which my clothing was made. I no longer want to merely buy clothing based solely on price and design. I want to know that the clothing I wear is not underpaying people who deserve fair pay and treatment.
I have decided that I will only be purchasing clothing from companies who are listed as producing Fairtrade or ethically manufactured products according to Fairtrade certification or Ethical Clothing Australia http://www.ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au/consumer/accredited-brands
Sincerely,
Letter congratulating companies for their ethical practices
Below is a template letter that you could use to write to companies who are demonstrating ethical practices. Please tweek the following letter and make it your own. By writing these letters we hope that they will be encouraged to continue and even extend their responsible practices and hopefully move closer to being entirely fair trade in terms of labour practices.
Title: Congratulating you for being ethically responsible
Date:
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to your company to congratulate you on being recognized for manufacturing your products ethically. I am very concerned about buying Fairtrade and ethically produced clothing and goods. I have decided to make it my practice to familiarize myself with the conditions under which my clothing was made. I no longer want to merely buy clothing based solely on price and design. I want to know that the clothing I wear is not underpaying people who deserve fair pay and treatment.
Thank you for producing ethical clothing. As I result I will continue to purchase your products.
Sincerely,
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