drag

Oxfam has released its Naughty or Nice list of ethical clothing brands for 2016

Making a list.

A lot of shopping is about to go down in the lead up to Christmas. And, while it might be easy to hit up your local and get your gift buying done in one hit, it pays to be a little conscious about the brands your buying from.

Oxfam has released its Naughty or Nice List for 2016, aiming to promote transparency in the production processes of your favourite retailers. 

The organisation explains that since the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, many companies have updated their codes of conduct and signed pledges designed to protect workers. The problem is, many of those companies haven’t actually published the locations of their factories, so there’s no way of confirming whether their product is made in fair and safe conditions.

It’s worth noting the categorisation of ‘naughty’, purely means a brand has not published the location of its garment factories. It doesn’t mean their production practices are necessarily unethical or unsafe.

The naughty list:

  • The Just Group (Just Jeans, Peter Alexander, Dotti)
  • Best & Less
  • Topshop
  • Uniqlo
  • Inditex (Zara)
  • Factory X (Gorman, Dangerfield)
  • ASOS

The nice list:

  • Wesfarmers (Kmart, Target, Coles)
  • H&M
  • Gap
  • Specialty Fashion Group (Rivers, Katies)
  • Woolworths (Big W)
  • Cotton On
  • Pacific Brands (Bonds, Jockey)
  • Jeans West
  • Forever New
  • PAS Group (Review, DesignWorks)

According to Oxfam, Topshop does have “some top” ethical sourcing policies, codes and guidebooks and does share information about auditing on its websites. Topshop has made the naughty list because it hasn’t published a full factory list.

Inditex (Zara) has released a list of the dying mills it uses to source its fabrics, meaning part of its processes are transparent. Oxfam has placed Inditex on the naughty list to will it to do more.

Oxfam states that ASOS has promised to publish its factory list. The UK company also has clear policies and codes which are public knowledge.

Factory X doesn’t have a published list of factories, however, its brands (Gorman, Dangerfield, Alannah Hill) have each published an ethical supplier code of conduct. Gorman also published a run-down of its auditing results this year, showing it has made corrective actions to improve the conditions of its workers.

Uniqlo made the list because its parent company, Fast Retailing, hasn’t shared its factory locations. According to Oxfam, Fast Retailing does have some strong policies and codes, though. 

You can see Oxfam’s full rundown here.

oxfam.org.au

Illustration by Twylamae.

Lazy Loading