Shirts with a conscience

Last months building collapse in Bangladesh that killed hundreds of clothing factory workers put a spotlight on the sobering fact that people in poor countries often risk their lives working in unsafe conditions to make the cheap T-shirts and underwear that Westerners covet.

The disaster,which comes after a fire in another Bangladesh factory killed 112 people in November,also highlights something troubling for socially conscious shoppers: Its nearly impossible to make sure the clothes you buy come from factories with safe working conditions.

Very few companies sell clothing thats so-called ethically made, or marketed as being made in factories that maintain safe working conditions. In fact,ethically made clothes make up a tiny fraction of 1 per cent of the overall 1 trillion global fashion industry.

Its even more difficult to figure out if clothes are made in safe factories. Major chains typically use a complex web of suppliers in countries such as Bangladesh,which often contract business to other factories. That means the retailers themselves dont always know the origin of clothes when theyre made overseas.

For the consumer,its virtually impossible to know whether the product was manufactured in safe conditions, says Craig Johnson,president of Customer Growth Partners,a retail consultancy.

Most global retailers have standards for workplace safety in the factories that make their clothes. And the companies typically require that contractors and subcontractors follow these guidelines. But policing factories around the world is a costly,time-consuming process thats difficult to manage.

There were five factories alone in the building that collapsed in Bangladesh last week. They produced clothing for big-name retailers including British retailer Primark,Childrens Place and Canadian company Loblaw Inc.

I have seen factories in Bangladesh and other countries,and I know how difficult it is to monitor the factories to see they are safe, says Walter Loeb,a New York-based retail consultant.

Americas Research Group,which interviews 10,000 to 15,000 consumers a week,says that even in the aftermath of two deadly tragedies in Bangladesh,shoppers seem more concerned with fit and price than whether their clothes were made in factories where workers are safe and make reasonable wages.

Shopper Tom Burson,49,says that if someone told him a brand of jeans is made in sweatshops by 8-year-olds, he wouldnt buy it. But he says there is no practical way for him to trace where his pants were made.

In light of the recent disasters,though,some experts and retailers say things are slowly changing. Some retailers are beginning to do more to ease shoppers consciences.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc,the worlds largest retailer,said in January that it would cut ties with any factory that failed an inspection,instead of giving warnings first as had been its practice. The Gap Inc,which owns the Gap,Old Navy and Banana Republic chains,hired its own chief fire inspector to oversee factories that make its clothing in Bangladesh.

Still,Wal-Mart,Gap and many other global retailers have continued to reject a union-sponsored proposal to improve safety throughout Bangladeshs 20 billion garment industry. The proposal would be a legally binding agreement that would make them liable when theres a factory fire and pay factory owners more to make repairs.

Fair Trade USA,a nonprofit that was founded in 1998 to audit products to make sure workers overseas are paid fair wages and work in safe conditions,is hoping to appeal to shoppers who care about where their clothing is made. In 2010,it expanded the list of products that it certifies beyond coffee,sugar and spices to include clothing.

Still,well under 1 per cent of clothing sold in the US is stamped with a Fair Trade label. And shoppers will find that Fair Trade certified clothing is typically about 5 per cent more expensive than similar items that don8217;t have the label.

While some retailers are working to improve safety overseas,others are making a Made in USA pitch.

Los Angeles-based American Apparel,which says it knits,dyes,cuts and sews all of its products in-house in California,touts on its website that the working conditions are sweatshop free.

In an interview,the companys founder and CEO,Dov Charney,said companies can control working conditions but they need to bring the production to the US.

When the company knows the face of its worker,thats important, Charney said.