Five leading fashion retailers in New Zealand are continuing to hide where their clothes are made by refusing to publish the names and locations of the factories they use around the globe, Oxfam’s latest ‘Naughty or Nice’ list has revealed in the lead-up to Christmas.
Five leading fashion retailers in New Zealand are continuing to hide where their clothes are made by refusing to publish the names and locations of the factories they use around the globe, Oxfam’s latest ‘Naughty or Nice’ list has revealed in the lead-up to Christmas.
Oxfam New Zealand Chief Executive Rachael Le Mesurier said despite there being some room for improvement in the fashion industry, it was promising to see many of the most popular fashion retailers in New Zealand now making the grade on transparency in their supply chains.
“It’s very encouraging to see so many popular brands in New Zealand have chosen to be transparent about their supply chains. Many New Zealanders are becoming more conscious of the wider impact of the decisions they make when shopping and we all want to know if the item we are buying is an ethical one when it comes to the workers in their factories.
“It’s important that we are able to make informed decisions around what we buy ourselves and our loved ones, so we can support honest companies and show that ethical production matters.
“The good news is we’ve seen some improvements from several big companies who are leading the way in accountability and transparency in revealing where their clothes are made.
“But there are still some iconic brands like Just Jeans, Peter Alexander, Topshop, Zara and Asos that are still hiding their lists of the factories where their clothes are sewn.”
To make Oxfam’s ‘Nice’ list, a company had to publish at least 70 per cent of the factory names and locations where their clothes were made on their or their parent company’s website.
“As consumers, we want to feel reassured that when we purchase our special Christmas gifts for family and friends, we are choosing from brands that lead the way on transparent, ethical practices,” Le Mesurier said.
“Publishing factory lists is good for workers and good for brands. I join Oxfam Australia in commending the big brands who are doing the right thing and urging those on the “naughty” list to behave better and make the switch to the “nice” list.”
Naughty list:
Just Jeans
Peter Alexander (part of Just Group)
Best & Less
Topshop
Uniqlo
Zara (part of Inditex)
Gorman
Dangerfield (part of Factory X)
Asos
Nice list:
Kmart
Target
Coles (part of Westfarmers)
H&M
Gap
Katies
Rivers (part of Speciality Fashion Group)
Big W (part of Woolworths)
Cotton On
Bonds
Jockey (part of Pacific Brands)
Jeanswest
Forever New
Review
Designworks (part of The PAS Group)
