British clothing retailers have recently been proclaiming their high ethical standards, claiming that their goods are produced without child labor and in factories with good health conditions.
The aim of such a campaign is to attract customers who, due to ethical principles, do not want to buy clothing produced by child labor. However, TNS Worldpanel Fashion is a company that conducted research among British consumers after stories and accusations about poor conditions in the textile industry of South Asia began to circulate. According to the research results, customers do not believe that working conditions in factories producing goods for the British market are good. The survey involved seven thousand people, of whom 45% expressed doubt about claims that textile workers were not exploited.
The question also arose whether children work in factories that produce clothing for cheap outlet stores such as Tesco, Asda, and Primark. These retail chains have already been accused by charities, including War on Want, of allowing poor working conditions in factories where goods for their stores are produced. Retailers have claimed that these accusations are not accurate.
In the survey, seven out of ten respondents emphasized that it is very important to them that the clothing they buy is not produced in factories where minors and children work, where health conditions are poor, and where excessively long hours are worked. Customers over the age of 55 were less likely to believe retailers’ claims that their goods were produced without child labor and in good working conditions. Those under 25 were less concerned about how the goods they wanted to buy were produced.
– In the past few years, customers have turned to cheap outlet stores, but it is becoming increasingly important to them how that cheap clothing is produced and who ultimately pays for it – said TNS manager Elaine Giles, as reported by the BBC. (A. L.)
