Sweatshop-Free & Fair Trade Products

The following are basic definitions and standards regarding sweatshop-free and fair trade products.

What is a sweatshop?
There are numerous definitions for the term "sweatshop". Along with many labor advocacy groups, EFJ defines sweatshop as a factory or other location where:

* Workers are paid a wage that does not allow them to meet their most basic needs and/or to take care of a small family.

* Workers face hazardous working conditions and/or verbal, physical, psychological, or sexual abuse.

* Workers face repression and intimidation when attempting to form independent unions.

* Owners/Managers of the factory refuse to engage in good-faith bargaining with workers regarding wages and working conditions.


How is "Sweatshop-Free" defined?
Sweatshop-Free can be defined as employment, mostly but not limited to a factory setting, where the following standards are upheld:

* Workers have healthy, safe working conditions, free of verbal or other forms of abuse.
* Workers earn wages and benefits which allow them to sufficiently support a family's basic needs, including food, drinking water, adequate housing, clothing, education for children, and healthcare.
* Workers have the freedom to organize independent unions, bargain collectively with management, and decide workplace policies.
* Workers are treated with respect and dignity.


What does "Fair Trade" mean?
Fair Trade is an innovative, market-based approach to sustainable development. Fair Trade helps family farmers in developing countries to gain direct access to international markets, as well as to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By learning how to market their own harvests, Fair Trade farmers are able to finance and manage their own businesses and receive a fair price for their products. This leads to higher family living standards, thriving communities and more sustainable farming practices. Fair Trade empowers farming families to take care of themselves - without developing dependency on foreign aid.

The criteria of Fair Trade Certification are:
* Fair prices for farmers and decent working and living conditions for workers
* Direct trade with farmers, bypassing middlemen
* Free association of workers & co-ops, with structures for democratic decision-making
* Access to capital
* Sustainable agricultural practices including restricted use of agrochemicals

The information above comes from the TransFair USA website.


Why should I buy these products?
Most of the apparel and shoes that we wear are manufactured in sweatshops, both abroad and surprisingly, within the US. Workers are paid a wage that does not allow them to meet their basic needs of food, drinking water, clothing, housing, and modestly taking care of their families. The primary reason that this problem exists is that transnational corporations seek to squeeze profit margins by paying the lowest wages possible and moving factory production to different countries in pursuit of the cheapest labor. These corporations, at the prodding of investors (mutual fund managers, institutions, etc.) and financial analysts, seek to cut costs and grow profits with each financial quarter, so that the company share price remains high. Problems arise when basic needs, like health care or wage increases are cut for workers in an attempt to produce higher margins of profit for shareholders.

Despite this reality, it is possible for shareholders to see a significant profit on their investment, without multi-billion dollar corporations cheating workers out of fair compensation. One way to challenge this systematic exploitation and transform the industry is for consumers to support companies that produce quality goods while treating their workers with the human dignity that they deserve. This is not the only solution, but this type of competition for consumer dollars has the ability to pressure other corporations to meet workers' needs.

When you purchase a sweatshop-free or fair trade item instead of another item that was likely made in a sweatshop, write a quick letter to the company whose product you did not buy. Let the CEO know that you used your consumer dollars to purchase goods made under fair conditions. You can also write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper talking about your consumer choice. It is in the public witness to our claimed values that we are able to truly change injustice.