Skip to main content
Home

User Menu

  • Perspective
  • Log in

Main menu

  • Home
  • About ETI
    • Our members
      • Previous members
    • What we do
      • Resolving violations
    • Why we exist
      • ETI's origins
    • Our impact on workers
    • Accountability
    • Funding
    • Our strategy
    • Our team
      • ETI Board members
    • Contact
  • ETI Base Code
    • 1. Employment is freely chosen
    • 2. Freedom of association
    • 3. Working conditions are safe and hygienic
    • 4. Child labour shall not be used
    • 5. Living wages are paid
    • 6. Working hours are not excessive
    • 7. No discrimination is practiced
    • 8. Regular employment is provided
    • 9. No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed
  • Programmes
  • Join ETI
    • How to apply
    • What members sign up to
    • The business case
  • Training
    • All courses
    • Essentials of ethical trade series
    • Human rights due diligence series
    • China series
    • ETI trainers
    • Bespoke training
  • Resources
    • Case studies
    • Newsletters
    • Useful links
  • Issues
    • Union rights at work
    • COVID-19
    • Modern slavery
      • Modern slavery and transparency standards
      • Modern slavery initiatives
      • Modern slavery resources
      • Modern slavery evaluation framework
    • Due diligence
      • ETI’s work on human rights due diligence
        • ETI’s work in Pakistan
        • Pakistan, labour rights resources
      • Resources on human rights due diligence
    • Public procurement & responsible business
    • Company purchasing practices
      • Working conditions in the Leicester garment industry
    • Grievance mechanisms & remedy
    • Gender equity
      • Gender equality - initiatives
      • Gender equality - international standards
      • Gender equality - resources
    • A living wage for workers
      • Living wage initiatives
      • Living wage resources
      • Living wage standards
      • Wages and purchasing theories
    • Business and human rights in India
    • Child labour
    • Homeworkers
    • Migrant workers
    • HIV at work
    • Ethical trade and fairtrade
  • Blog
  • Events
    • Ethical Insights series

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Blog

Statement re: ‘Fashion's Dirty Secret', Channel 4 Dispatches, 8 November

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • 10 November 2010
Statement re: ‘Fashion's Dirty Secret', Channel 4 Dispatches, 8 November

The Channel 4 Dispatches programme ‘Fashion's Dirty Secret' (8 November) exposed the unacceptable working conditions endured by some of the people who make clothes for the UK high street. It revealed violations of workers' most fundamental rights, including poverty wages, falsification of records, bullying, unsafe conditions and long hours. Perhaps most shocking of all was the fact that the factories concerned were not in some backstreet in the developing world, but in a major British city.

People employed in the garment industry are entitled to work in safety, and to be treated with dignity and respect. It is of particular concern to us that such unacceptable conditions have been found in the supply chain of an ETI member company, among others.

While the ultimate aim for ethical trade must be to eliminate all abuses of workers' rights, a key measure of a company's commitment to this is not whether violations occur, but that it acts swiftly and effectively to resolve them where they are found.

As an active and longstanding member of ETI, New Look has demonstrated real achievement in many key areas of ethical trade, and is at the forefront of good practice in its retail sector. As part of its commitment to the ETI Base Code, the company has sent a clear message to all of its suppliers that orders should not be sub-contracted without their knowledge and permission, a rule which in this case seems to have been flouted.

We have every confidence that New Look will carry out a full and frank investigation, and will act swiftly to put things right. We will work closely with the company to ensure that these breaches are resolved in the best interests of the workers concerned.

But the programme also raised wider issues that every high street retailer must address. Over the past decade, the increasing demand for fast, cheap fashion has fuelled a drive to turn around orders within ever shorter time scales, and at ever lower prices. To meet this demand, suppliers across the world are resorting to sub-contracting. In some cases this means orders are passed down the supply chain to less scrupulous companies, whose operations may lie beyond the reach of retailers' monitoring radars.

In such tough global conditions, audit-based approaches cannot be relied upon alone. If the industry is to tackle this problem, companies will need to dig deeper, and push ethical trade to the heart of the way they do business.

ETI provides a space for leading UK retailers and suppliers, trade unions and charities to work together to tackle some of the toughest challenges of ethical trade. Our Core Business Practices Programme, of which New Look is an active member, is exploring how companies can ease the pressure on suppliers and help them plan their production better, so reducing the incentive to sub-contract. Many are already reporting progress in developing closer relationships with their suppliers that are based on trust and open communication.

We do not yet have all the answers. But we are committed to working with our members at the cutting edge of ethical trade, to find solutions that will better the lives of the people who make our clothes - whether they are in Bangladesh, Leicester, or anywhere else.

Anyone who feels that they are owed unpaid wages by the factories featured in the documentary should email ethical.support@NewLook.com

 

Comments

ETI's blog covers issues at the intersection of business, news and ethical trade. We welcome a range of insights and opinions from our guest bloggers, though don't necessarily agree with everything they say.

Stay up to date

Stay up to date with the latest from ETI via the following channels:
  • Email
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Blog RSS

Get the latest

Subscribe to our email newsletters and stay up to speed on ethical trade.
Subscribe

ETI elsewhere

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Footer

  • Accessibility
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Jobs at ETI
  • Press resources
  • Privacy
  • Modern slavery statement
Other ETIs: Denmark, Norway, Sweden
Ethical Trading Initiative | Registered No. 3578127