How Some People Defend Sweatshops – And Why It’s Not Good Enough

Surprising thought it may sound, there are many people who set out to defend the practice of sweatshop use in developing countries. And these are not stupid people, either – neither are they uninformed. In many cases, it is academics, particularly economists, that write or speak in defence of sweatshops.

The Argument

Their main argument is this. Although the conditions in sweatshops, and the day-to-day life of a sweatshop worker, seem appalling to us, it is often the best option. For people who desperately need money, this is the best thing that can happen to them. It can often be an improvement to their lives. The people who choose to work in sweatshops are doing so because they believe that this job is the best alternative available to them, even when the pay is low and the job is dangerous. In this way, people who call for the destruction of sweatshops could be denying desperate people a mere chance at having daily meals, or sending their kids to school.

The Counter-Argument

However, I would argue that it is a crime that so many people feel that they have no option but to involve themselves in such awful practices. For me, the fact that they are choosing to do this is even more scary. I think that we have a responsibility to help these people. Closing down the sweatshops takes the situation from very bad back to very very bad, granted. But it is too often that people act as if using sweatshops is the only way to engage third world workers.

In my opinion, its just not good enough. We know what it takes to make a clean and safe working space. We know how much we need to pay workers so that they can have a good standard of living. And it isn’t hard. Yes, it would be more expensive to pay workers more, give them breaks, and maintain a good space. But when will people realise that sky-high profit is not as important that people’s basic needs? Glass Clothing proves that you can have a working fashion label without sweatshops or exploitation. Anything else is just a trade-off, workers necessities for CEO’s profits.

We hold ourselves accountable for workers’ well being in the West. A difference of a few thousand miles should not change how we think people deserve to be treated. When we employ workers, we become responsible for their working environments. We cannot let people on our watch suffer, even if it is better than the alternative. It is our duty to provide them with an acceptable and appropriate pay and standard of working, just as we would do for our workers at home.

Unlike other brands, Glass Clothing discloses information about our tailors right here on this website, so that you can know who is making your clothes. You can be confident that we never underpay our tailors or subject them to sub-par working conditions.

No excuses. People > profit. Always.

Read about the economics of sweatshop use