Sweatshop Support: the Power of Wealth

The story of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh has spread across the news and remains at the forefront to world-issues, almost a month later. In one collapse, killing at least 1,127 workers, the world had to face the realities of modern globalization under the disparity between dominant economic 'Western' consumerism and its partner, the economic subservience of the developing world. Western society has pushed cost over morality since the dawn of our consumerist culture, and so as a result, clothes are cheap and labor is expendable. The reality remains that, by outsourcing work to nations without enforced laws establishing worker's rights and safety like Bangladesh, we save money. Why change this system when we of Western society get to pay ten dollars less for that denim shirt than it would cost to make in the United States or a country with equivalent standards?

People are trying to change this system, bolstered by the Bangladesh incident, they can voice their views with a relevancy that draws the attention of the public. Online petitions voice resistance to the mistreatment of workers through bad conditions of major corporations like Gap, Walmart, and JC Penney. In researching, I signed a petition that addressed the disaster at Rana Plaza and asked six companies to "sign and implement the legally-binding Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement, and to encourage other companies to do the same". The petition left a spot open to explain people's reasons for signing, and the same sentiments rang again and again, that consumers cared more about people than clothing. But Western society purchases tell a different story, while the consumerist culture thrives on cheap goods systematically bought by the public, despite the spread of information on the sweatshop topic.

The mystery of global clothing rests in how and where all of them have traveled. Many clothing companies don’t even know what factories each garment came from, much less where the materials originated, the conditions of the workers, or their impact on the countries the garments travel through. In 2011, 98% of American-bought apparel was made outside of the United States, the amount of our dependence on foreign labor is staggering. Of course, not all of this labor originates from sweatshops, but the reason that most US factories are located in other countries is the fewer worker regulations and restrictions that we have in the United States. When taking three large clothing companies, Levi’s, H&M, and Nike, one can see how scattered their factories are and how few are in the United States.

 

How can the consumer challenge corporations’ sweatshop dependence? The reality is that the consumer is the only one who can, from the bottom up, if people endorse ethical clothing with their purchase choices, companies will strive to gain those buyers. An average American consumes 68 garments a year (more than one a week), and each one bought from a corporation that outsources labor has the risk of contributing to terrible working conditions. The Bangladesh crisis has brought the struggles of the sweatshop worker into the light, inspiring organizations and individuals already supporting the effort to act now. Skewed media, lack of information, and individual apathy for things ‘beyond our control’ have stalled movements. When we can see who really makes our clothing and the conditions that they endure, interest in the cause will build. The Bangladeshi victims and their families are recovering from the huge losses, seeking solace in the actions taken globally to address worker’s conditions and safety. Just like rights based on race and gender and movements supporting workers rights have transformed the United States, people will recognize the injustice of the system and take initiative. ‘Changing the system’ seems like a daunting and impossible task, but each purchase makes a difference. There are more options to address global outsourcing than ever before, many companies only sell sweatshop-free goods, the second-hand clothing booms, and new technologies allow for the spread information between people and individually, such as the app GoodGuide that helps rate goods ethically. The Bangladesh factory incident has spread the news of sweatshops to the public, now is the time to act.