Consumers happy to pay more for clothes if workers not exploited: report

An Oxfam survey has found Australians are willing to spend more on clothes if fashion retailers behave ethically.

Bangladeshi women workers stand in line for security check, to go out for lunch at a textile factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 2, 2005.

Bangladeshi women workers stand in line for security check, to go out for lunch at a textile factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 2, 2005. Source: AAP

Almost 90 per cent of Australians would be willing to pay more for clothes if garment workers are not exploited.

Oxfam Australia's chief executive Helen Szoke said the survey of 1000 people showed Australians supported fair wages and safe conditions for garment workers.

She said 21 per cent of those polled were happy to pay more than $10, another 30 per cent would pay between $5 to $10, and 48 per cent would pay an extra $2 to $5.

The poll comes as an Oxfam scorecard reveals seven out of 12 major Australian fashion retailers are not publishing a full list of names and locations of overseas factories.

Bangladesh is the second-biggest supplier of clothes to Australia.

"Workers making clothes in Bangladesh are paid only about $A20 a week, and often work up to 11 hours a day, six days a week," Dr Szoke said.

"This is not enough for these women to lift themselves out of poverty."

Sunday marks the third anniversary of the collapse of the eight-storey Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh, where 1134 people died and hundreds of others were injured.
Another report, published on Wednesday by , looked at the Australian fashion industry, and found that most companies haven't acted to make sure garment workers receive a living wage.

Data collected found the number of companies able to show that a portion of garment workers, who are usually in third-world countries, earn significantly above the minimum wage has more than doubled.

Two thirds of these companies haven't taken any action to ensure workers receive a living wage, or enough money to cover basics such as food, water, shelter, clothing and healthcare.

Pumpkin Patch, Oroton, General Pants, and Best & Less all rated poorly in the report.

A total of 87 companies that own 300 brands were assessed by Baptist World Aid, with each given a rating ranging from A to F based on how they mitigated the risk of exploitation.

Just two scored an A+: Etiko and Audrey Blue.

Findings on fashion companies

  • 87 companies assessed
  • median grade was C+
  • six received A grades, nine received Fs
  • 79 per cent trace input suppliers, up from 49 per cent
  • 39 per cent trace raw materials suppliers, up from 17 per cent
  • 5 per cent know where their raw materials come from
  • 3 per cent publicise data about wages paid to workers
  • 48 per cent publicise which countries they source from

Some of the best and worst performers

  • As : Etiko, Audrey Blue, Adidas, Patagonia
  • Bs : Cotton On, Country Road, Target, David Jones, PacificBrands, H&M, Inditex (Zara)
  • Cs : RM Williams, Quiksilver, Bardot, Billabong, Big W, Coles, Lowes, Myer
  • Ds : Lorna Jane, Pumpkin Patch, Oroton, Best & Less
  • Fs : Boohoo, General Pants, Roger David, Seed Heritage
 

 

 


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3 min read
Published 21 April 2016 8:04am
Updated 21 April 2016 8:05pm
Source: AAP


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