Fair Trade, Fairly Traded, and Union Apparel- what to choose? Ethix Merch has strong opinions about the various ethical apparel labels. For Fair Trade T-Shirts and Clothing, we believe "fair-washing" is a threat to the gains made by the anti-sweatshop movement in recent years.
That said, we hope to inform you about the pluses and minuses of the apparel below, as well as the organic and local items we offer. Keep in mind all our embellishments are union, with eco options.
Here is our guide to help you navigate the options:
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| Union Made Apparel | Fairly Traded Apparel | Fair Trade Pilot Apparel | |
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Brand |
Unionmade, Unionline, Unionwear, Lifewear, Windjammer | Alta Gracia (Knight's Apparel) | Hae Now |
| Media | NYT: Factory Defies Sweatshop Label | WRC Reports Here | |
| Affiliation | Unions present in factories: UFCW, Unite Here!, etc. | Endorsed by the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) and United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) | Certified by Transfair (Fair Trade USA) |
| Standards | Union bargaining, U.S. Labor Laws | Living Wage paid by Knight's | Pilot Stage, Organic / Fair Trade Cotton |
| Resources | International Labor Rights Forum | Worker Rights Consortium | Fair Trade Resource Network |
| Fabric | Cotton grown with pesticides, no labor standard claims | Cotton grown with pesticides, no labor standard claims | Organic, Fair Trade Certified cotton |
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Distance |
Manufactured Locally | Manufactured near the U.S. | Manufactured in India |
| Who is supported? | Mostly Women, Immigrants and other marginalized communities in the U.S. | The marginalized community of Alta Gracia, Dominican Republic | The marginalized community near Raj Textile Corporation, India |
| the bad |
Styles and availability can be limited, since Union Made clothing is a small market | Alta Gracia brand is available exclusively through Ethix Merch (limited styles/colors in inventory) and college bookstores | Transfair (Fair Trade USA), the certifier for U.S. Fair Trade apparel, has come under intense criticism from many NGOs, including the WRC and the ILRF, for lax standards regarding unions and living wages |
| the ugly |
Union Made apparel struggles with incorporating environmental standards, so few organic options are available (none for T-shirts) | It appears there are no plans for ethical fabrics- the cotton blends are not organic or union made, though they are U.S. grown |
A WRC investigation in 2011 determined there are serious health and safety hazards and sub-poverty wages at the factory manufacturing Hae Now clothing |
| the good | With an over-100-year standard, unions let us know that locally made products aren't exploiting our neighbors. For cut-and-sew, a union label means issues are resolved through grassroots organizing | This Knight's Apparel project is a complement to the WRC and USAS strategy of getting universities to endorse the Designated Supplier's Proposal (DSP) | At the moment "the good" for the Fair Trade USA Apparel Pilot is difficult to determine. Arguably, by lowering standards the pilot is doing more harm than good to the long fight for sweatshop-free apparel |
Interested in reading more? Check out further info about fair trade t shirts and clothes from Alta Gracia and Hae Now apparel.
