Primark finally wises up
Filed under: Style in the News
You may want to think twice the next time you purchase a cheap designer knock-off:Recently, it was revealed that British fast-fashion store Primark had been buying clothes from suppliers who used child labor. In light of this, Primark decided to drop three Indian companies -- who make-up approximately 0.04% of the clothing bought for its store -- because the brand discovered the companies were using children for embroidery work.
Primark claims they were never aware that such an awful operation was taking place: "Work was being given out by unauthorized middlemen and that is enough for us to cease trading with these suppliers."
To prevent another debacle like this one from happening again, Primark plans to appoint a non-government organization in southern India -- acting as Primark's "eyes and ears on the ground."
Meanwhile, other popular fast-fashion stores may be unknowingly forcing children to work for them as well. As Martin Hearson, the campaign director of Labour behind the Label, said: "It wouldn't be fair to say that clothes sold in Primark are made in any worse conditions that any others sold on the high street. However, Primark is driving a change in the industry that is putting ever more pressure on suppliers."
Sad indeed.
[via London Times]
