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Let's be friendsThe high cost behind the high street
Look good, pay less?
During Fairtrade Fortnight 2007 People & Planet groups targeted Primark, focusing on the influence of their fast-fashion approach - a trend which is driving down prices and working conditions throughout the retail sector.
P&Pers protested outside stores in six cities, drawing shoppers’ attention to the true cost of their clothes, and reaching an even wider audience through the press coverage they generated. The reaction from Primark made it clear that the campaigning had an impact, but it’s also clear that Primark are still not making meaningful efforts to challenge the causes of poor working conditions.
In recent years, public interest has sparked a proliferation of ethical promises from our high street stores, yet the workers who produce their goods still labour under unacceptable conditions.
Retailers are not taking responsibility for the conditions in their supply chain, or taking real action to improve standards. It’s time to redress the high street.
Topshop?
This year our primary target will be Topshop
- Topshop is one of the most influential brands on the high street and is the flagship brand of the Arcadia group, the UK’s second largest retailer.
Why choose a target?
Choosing a target allows us to focus our collective resources, and increase our impact.
Directly, we aim to significantly increase the pressure for our target companies to make a real difference; indirectly, we hope to raise the profile of these issues across the sector, so that no retailer can afford to be complacent. We’ll focus our efforts where we can have the most influence and where there is the most to be done.
Students are one of Topshop’s main targets - so it makes sense for them to be one of our primary targets!
Topshop has achieved a lot of positive publicity through a small number of limited ‘ethical’ initiatives, but token efforts are not a substitute for more substantial changes to the company’s operations.
The Arcadia group has not demonstrated a serious commitment to ethical trade. It is the biggest high street retailer not to join the Ethical Trading Initiative.
Topshop and the rest of the Arcadia group really need to get serious about ethical trade. A recent report of “Topshop clothes made with ‘slave labour’” (Sunday Times, August 2007), was the latest example of unacceptable conditions in its supply chain.
