Gap Plans "Sweatshop Free" Labels After Child Labor Uproad

The Observer (U.K.):

In what would be the biggest commitment to ending child labour ever undertaken by a major retailer, Gap Inc is drawing up plans to label its products 'Sweatshop Free'.

The ambitious pledge, which would place the firm at the forefront of the battle to end sweatshops, comes in response to an undercover Observer investigation which last week exposed one of the firm's Indian suppliers employing children as young as 10 to make garments.

Read the whole story: The Observer (U.K.)

Comments

[rwe]

how about Gap plans "MADE IN USA " labels

[Weathermaker]

This is BS. If Gap would care about child labor and stuff their contracts with their vendors should have something along this line: child labor: if used, the contract is void and you owe us twice as much as the value of the entire contract. Plain and simple.

It is a shame that a company that charges over $50 for a pair of jeans needs to use child labor to boost profits. Are these greedy assholes ever gonna stop?

[loki]

Hold the Phone.. Didnt the Gap promise the same thing each time they were busted on this in the past?
Why should we take their word for it this time?
That would be like believing the democrats or the republicans.

[isis]

I have a family member who worked for the Gap.
They are much nicer to their employees than other chains. In some you make minimum wage and have to wear the latest styles so you can't even break even. The Gap is better than that plus they have good health care benefits.

Walmart found five year old sewing their clothes. I'm old enough to recall sweat shops in the US where clothes were sewn. I had a friend who worked in one and got paid by the piece. Then the boss found problems with some of the pieces and sold them but didn't pay for their sewing. The truth is that we are going to have to pay more and demand more regulations if we want sweatshop free clothing.

I used to buy JJill but they are expensive and a sweat shop and when I wrote to them I go no reply at all.

So I'm sticking with Gap.

[curiousasheck]

In India's textile industries you have to climb to the upper rung of the ladder in your trade. That would be a Tailor. They get a maximum of 140 rupees ($3) per day.

If you really want to make it big you want to become a thuggish supervisor. Where you are paid huge sums to maintain the super-profits for the bosses by any means necessary.

[johnnyjust]

Why are we trying to impose our brand of capitalism on other countries?

Is it our business who other countries employ? Will our interferance simply put people in those countries out of work?

The whole concept is unsustainable, unworkable and ultimately flawed. The poor in those countries need work. This type of feel-good idiocy only propagates their circumstance.

[HatingTheGame]

"Gap Plans "Sweatshop Free" Labels After Child Labor Uproad"

Hmmm.. what does "Uproad" mean -- sounds painful. Can we do the same for the current administration in Washington?

[godlessclif]

Like Dolphin free tuna, there is so much mercury
in Dolphin free tuna you can use your salad as a thermometer. But no Dolphins were harmed adding that mercury to your tuna.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95AEzyWZX8I

[wadenelson1]

Why does it inevitably take an uncover investigation to reveal:

e-coli in meat
lead paint in Chinese crap
sweatshop labor in Gap apparel

Not one of these corporations is committed to doing the right thing, and internally confirming that they're doing the right thing.

Corporations have become the downfall of America. Unbridled greed.

It's time we started yanking the "license to exist" of corporations, NGO's, that don't hold up as American citizens.

You hire child labor, pollute the environment,. your CEO and board are banned from EVER serving again on ANY corporate board and your assetts go on the block.

[Ailei]

When I wrote Gap Brands a pointed farewell letter the other day, I got a pat answer. I was a big enough fool to believe them in 2004 when they swore they'd cleaned up their supply chain, but fool me once... The damage to those children is permanent, and it's the responsibility of every corporation to have full visibility into its supply chain. End of story.

[nomoredead]

Maybe the time is right for a person to start an operation back in the US. More and more people are getting tired of this Chinese bullshit. America is going to have to change because these coming years are going to be rough.

[sparkandy]

So they'll have five year olds making the labels, and still be able to make obscene profits.

[ErnestineBass]

Yeah, right.

Next thing you know Twinkies will be certified "Organic".