Saturday, February 23, 2008
If you want your clothes to signal that you care about social or environmental concerns, you won’t find it too hard to find a fashionable, eco-friendly brand. Green, guilt-free jeans, coats, shoes, t-shirts, sweaters abound.
But if you are looking for underwear or lingerie, something that only a few people may see - and that’s your business not mine, that’s a different story. It is easy to be green on the outside, but not so easy on the inside.
That’s why Ode Magazine’s recent story and video on a Sri Lankan company’s efforts to improve working conditions while remaining competitive in the competitive lingerie manufacturing environment caught my attention. The article profiles a single company, MAS, but the entire Sri Lankan garment industry wants to differentiate themselves from China, Bangladesh, India and other national competitors. (And who wants to run in a race to the bottom?) The whole industry strives to operate based on socially responsible practices that create garments without guilt. The GAP, Nike, and Victoria’s Secret all buy Sri Lankan products.
Gives the tag-line, Made in Sri Lanka, a whole new meaning.
February 26th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Actually, Sri Lanka is noted for other issues as well, most notably superior apparel plant management among the so-described unaligned south Asian producers. A noted expert (Birnbaum) claims that ten plants are world class. Of those ten, three will be among the best 50 plants in the world over the next few years.
Still, on the fair trade issue, Cambodia beats everyone. There’s no comparison. If I were to produce abroad (I won’t) it’d be in Cambodia. I’d include links but don’t know that they’d publish.
February 28th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Thanks, I didn’t know about the superior apparel plant management. It does make sense; The Sri Lankan industry overall appears to have been both disciplined and strategic in its choices so I would not be surprised if superior management is a common thread.
There was a great story on Cambodia on This American Life if you are interested. (http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1158)