ISSUE BRIEF:

Whose Sweat is in Your Sweatshirt?

How to put Ethical Labor behind the American Clothing Industry
Too often, the steals Americans find on the shelves of major retailers are supplied by what could be
considered stealing from exploited laborers in sweatshops around the world. These laborers work for
extremely low pay compared to average regional income, and their lives are often risked by long hours
in harsh or even dangerous working conditions. Consumers perpetuate this system by buying from
retailers (the storefronts) who are supplied by manufacturers (often a separate company) whose low
stock prices rely on sweatshop labor. With manufacturers seeking to keep production costs low, retailers
seeking to buy cheaper stock for resale, and consumers looking not to hurt their own wallets, sweatshop
labor is a heavily relied-upon system. How can we end this cycle of reliance?
This deliberation will investigate three possible solutions. These each involve actions on the part of:

Governments
Retailers the companies selling to consumers (i.e. Macys, Nike Outlet, Family Clothesline)
Manufacturers the companies actually making the products (Gildan, Nike manufacturers (a
variety), American Apparel)
o Note: some names fall under both categories. Nike and American Apparel, for example,
are manufacturers that do have their own retail fronts in some cases, but also supply
retailers. Most retailers buy from manufacturers that are separate companies.
Consumers people who buy the clothing
Citizens used to refer to people, businesses, and organizations who can be politically active
Other organizations

Each of the three approaches is outlined on the following pages.

Your Deliberation Guide Team:

Helen Duong, Colleen McBride, Grace Choe, Dan Beckman, Katherine Hayden, Steve Son,
Shubhsri Rajendra, Maria Hudock

Focus 1: Prioritize Fair Trade Sourcing

Description
and Action
Summary

Fair Trade is a certification that guarantees a manufacturer pays a fair or living

wage to its workers. This course of action would involve:
Retailers sourcing their stocks from only manufacturers who have been Fair
Trade certified
Consumers only buying from retailers who sell Fair Trade stock
Citizens lobbying retailers (possibly through government) and shoppers to
take these steps
PROs
CONs
Suggested Relevant
Values
Change on a short time scale if
Difficult to motivate consumers/
Timeliness of change
implemented
retailers to buy more expensive
merchandise in transition
Guarantees citizens are not
Difficult to verify that
Human rights
supporting sweat shops with their
manufacturers maintain
purchases straightforward goal
compliance (need agencies to
attainment
check this)
Puts pressure on manufacturers to Forces manufacturers to pay more Free market
get certified in order to maintain
or close, risking jobs (from low
business
pay to no pay)
Due to minimal sweatshop prices,
Retailers will have to pay more for Keeping consumer costs
actual price increase to consumers stock, and expenses will likely be
down
with increased wages should be
passed on to consumers
minimal
Due to boycott power, could
Increased time, money needed for
cause widespread change
both certification and production
afterwards could limit number
of suppliers and supplier output

Focus 2: Endorse and Expand Domestic Production

Description
and Action
Summary

This focus involves sourcing more clothing from within the United States though:
Government providing incentives for manufacturers to relocate to US and
enforcing labor laws in factories
Retailers buying more from US-based manufacturers
Consumers only supporting retailers who sell US-made items
Citizens lobbying government and retailers to make these changes
PROs
CONs
Suggested Relevant
Values
Helps growth in the domestic
Loss of business hurts foreign
Domestic economy vs.
economy (keeps money in US)
economies
foreign economies
Workers will be guaranteed a
Many US sweatshops exist anyway,
Keeping consumer
certain wage under US law
and fair wage could carry price
costs down
increase to consumers
Provides more US jobs
Takes away jobs from foreign
Domestic vs. foreign
clothing factory workers
development
Many US clothing factories are
Many more factories would be
Timeliness of change,
already in place
needed, and those that exist would
Cost of change
have to be certified for nonsweatshop conditions
Easier to enforce anti-sweatshop
Cost of enforcement, legislation
policies domestically
needed

Focus 3: Revise and Enforce Ethical Labor Laws

Description
and Action
Summary

Clothing manufacturers need to be restricted from exploiting foreign countries for

their less stringent labor standards. To accomplish this task:
Either the United States government or foreign governments should institute
and enforce policies that help bridge the gap between foreign and American
labor standards (trading selectively, backing monitoring agencies)
An expanded International Labor Organization (ILO) can monitor companies
Retailer-manufacturers can voluntarily improve internal conditions
Stockholders can pressure retailer-manufacturers for internal improvements
Citizens can lobby for governments and stockholders to make changes
PROs
CONs
Suggested Relevant
Values
Treats the problem (sweatshops)
Could be an extremely large and
Timeliness of change
directly
tedious operation
Requires a lot of international
International cooperation is often
Free market vs.
involvement, so change is naturally complicated and politically tense
government regulation
widespread
Voluntary action by
Little incentive to voluntarily monitor Timeliness of change
retailers/manufacturers to improve and improve (costs, time) without
conditions reduces need for
serious outside pressure
government involvement
Pressure from stockholders and
Difficult to motivate long-term public
concerned public campaigns
focus required to create this pressure
can/has motivated companies to
voluntary internal improvement
International (or slightly tailored)
Overarching policies can be ill-fitted
International free
policies can be enforced in
to a region, hurting underdeveloped
market/
international partner systems
regions ability to compete (cannot
competitiveness,
afford to pay at developed country
rates, because latter relies on fewer
workers)
Can be tailored to regional needs/
But non-uniform standards risk
Preserving jobs
abilities to pay workers
manufacturer flight to less-regulated
area
Paying workers more adds money
Costs of action absorbed by more
Foreign economies and
to regional economies
developed countries
development
Higher pay to workers can increase Higher cost to manufacturers can
American-based value
standard of living
mean fewer employees hired; people systems and standard
not working (including children)
of living vs. regional
might not have elsewhere to turn
needs