WEBSITES RELATED TO ECONOMIC JUSTICE



WEBSITES RELATED TO JUSTICE in ECONOMIC PRACTICES

Researched by Connie Molbeck in Racine

This resource has five sections to help you:

1. Order fairly traded/sweat-free clothing

2. Purchase fairly traded coffee, tea and chocolate

3. Buy fairly traded handicrafts

4. Locate information about a company’s fair trade practices

5. Organize around fair trade and sweat free purchasing

If you have a contribution for this resource send it in an e-mail to wmo@

1.) TO ORDER CLOTHING:



For nearly fourteen years, Maggie's Functional Organics has been manufacturing quality apparel made from organic fibers. Our products are made from certified organic cotton, wool, and linen and pesticide-free hemp.  We are dedicated to converting as many acres or farmland as possible from conventional to organic.

Due to the unpredictability of our domestic manufacturers, we became instrumental in the development of Maquiladora Mujeres, a worker-owned cooperative in Nueva Vida, Nicaragua. Our dedication is to developing cooperative partnerships with workers who have a stake in their own future, and to fair-trade practices.  We're also dedicated to linking you, the consumer, to all those who create our products. They sell socks, tights, t-shirts, polos, camisoles, and some baby clothes.



Fair Trade Federation posts a rather comprehensive site lists retail stores, wholesalers, mail order and online catalogs, who sell fair trade items.



Clothing Matters, committed to providing highest quality, sustainably manufactured apparel, supports practices that reduce pollution and promote social justice.

“Our retail gallery of apparel includes organic cotton, silk, soy, tencel, wool, hemp, & bamboo for women, men & children. We support conscious commerce to improve personal, social and ecological well-being. We are helping create a level playing field between domestic and foreign production to develop greater potential for healthy, sustainable economies.”



Market Place is a leading textile Fair Trade non-profit organization that provides access to global markets for low-income Indian women by using design to bridge the gap between skills and markets. They sell  women’s clothing,  accessories, and some home interior items.



Union made in the USA items made to order for wholesale only, 50 item minimum.  Good for spirit wear!  hats, caps,  logo gear, t-shirts, sweatshirts, backpacks.



This is the web site for the Union Label & Service Trades Department, AFL-CIO’s annual trade show: America@Work (formerly called the AFL-CIO Union-Industries Show. ) Find out how to purchase American made products and  services. 



All of the clothes at Justice Clothing are made in the USA and Canada by unionized workers

“If you don't mind buying clothing made by slaves, children, indentured servants, or workers who are paid pennies a day, we are not your kind of store. 

At Justice Clothing we don't think fashion should hurt. You can help stop the destruction of communities at home and abroad by buying clothing made by workers who are treated fairly.”



Just Garments offers 100% unionized, sweat-free garment production. 

Our experience in the industry, guaranteed quality, and commitment to providing above-standard working conditions means a winning outcome for everyone. Our workers are represented by the Textile Industry Union, STIT.    Just Garments produces a wide variety of products including t-shirts, pants, uniforms, baby clothing, and others



UNITE HERE (UNITE, formerly the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees merged on July 8, 2004 with HERE, Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union.) The union represents more than 450,000 active members and more than 400,000 retirees throughout North America. UNITE HERE boasts a diverse membership, comprised largely of immigrants and including high percentages of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American workers. The majority of UNITE HERE members are women.   The website includes guides for where to buy union made work clothes and other apparel.



website coming soon.



Site of a Milwaukee fair trade store, Four Corners of the World, located at 5205 West North Avenue. Opened on September 15, 2006, the store is sponsored by SWIFT, the Southeastern Wisconsin Initiative for Fair Trade.



Site of a fair trade store in Boulder, Colorado.

2.) TO BUY FAIR TRADE COFFEE, TEA and CHOCOLATE:



Trans Fair USA lists all of the companies that they have certified with the fair trade label and how to contact them.

3.) TO BUY FAIRLY TRADED HANDICRAFTS:



Beyond the Banyan Tree offers a selection of high quality folk art products from Southeast Asia. All items are hand crafted with great care in Thailand, Laos, and Indonesia. We work directly with all artisans thus eliminating the need for a middleman, which directs more profit to the producers. When making a purchase from Beyond the Banyan Tree you are not only acquiring a beautiful and unique item, but are also insuring that the artist receives a living wage and their artistic and cultural traditions will continue. 

”We have a variety of folk art items including silk weavings, baskets from Lombok, and ghost masks from Thailand. They can be found in our virtual village marketplace, which is just beyond the Banyan tree… “

4.) FOR INFORMATION ABOUT EXISTING COMPANIES:



Responsible Shopper (a project of Co-op America) reports on global research and campaign information in order to alert the public about the social and environmental impact of major corporations, while providing opportunities for consumers and investors to vote with their dollars for change.   We focus on companies with significant influence in their industry that are subjects of consumer and shareholder action campaigns. Getting these companies to change could lead to significant industry wide reform.



To research Corporate America: Plug in the name of any company to learn more about their history,  money spent on lobbying,  labor and environmental practices, lawsuits, etc. It’s all there.  



Find out if the brands you buy: pollute the environment, treat women fairly, discriminate against minorities, support gay and lesbian employees, profit from tobacco, use sweatshop labor, support oppressive governments, or harm animals.



You can use the Clean Clothes Connection to connect you to retailers that sell clothes made by workers.  The products listed are made in workplaces that have disclosed their location and provided evidence that they abide by applicable labor laws and international labor rights conventions, and that workers can speak up for their rights without fearing repercussions.  



BehindTheLabel is a multimedia news website covering the stories of people struggling for fundamental human and labor rights against the global clothing industry. It represents the efforts of an international alliance of clothing workers, religious leaders, and students standing up to demand human rights for sweatshop workers. From workers demanding respect and dignity in the Dominican Republic or Thailand, to students protesting on their behalf at university campuses, to religious leaders speaking out against labor exploitation in their congregations, will tell the stories of the struggle to end sweatshops around the world, provide information about international campaigns where workers are struggling to correct injustices in their workplace, and show consumers and activists how to take part in solidarity actions with garment workers.

5.) FOR ORGANIZING AROUND FAIR TRADE AND SWEAT FREE:



United Students Against Sweatshops is an international student movement of campuses and individual students fighting for sweatshop free labor conditions and workers' rights. We define 'sweatshop' broadly and recognize that it is not limited to the apparel industry, but everywhere among us. We believe that university standards should be brought in line with those of its students who demand that their school's logo is emblazoned on clothing made in decent working conditions. We have fought for these beliefs by demanding that our universities adopt ethically and legally strong codes of conduct, full public disclosure of company information and truly independent verification systems to ensure that sweatshop conditions are not happening. Ultimately, we are using our power as students to affect the larger industry that thrives in secrecy, exploitation, and the power relations of a flawed system.

 

United Students for Fair Trade – USFT - is a national network of student organizations advocating around Fair Trade products, policies, and principles. The core objective of USFT is to raise the awareness of and expand the demand for Fair Trade alternatives, both on campuses and in communities. Through this process, we redefine relationships between producer and consumer, and engage in the ongoing struggle to build people's power in the face of corporate-driven globalization.

“We have three main functions: First, we organize--we work to consolidate and coordinate the power of the over 100 active student Fair Trade organizations in the U.S. Second, we do leadership development and capacity building, primarily through intensive international exchanges and skill-building conferences. Last, we serve as a resource group for student-based affiliates looking for anything from a phone number to research materials to strategic advice to internship opportunities.”



The Ethical Sourcing Group is a consulting group that represents institutional buyers who wish to use their purchasing power to help bring about constructive social change that benefits workers and the environment. 

Our initial industry focus involves linking buyers and sellers in the apparel industry. In contrast to the familiar pattern of the “race to the bottom” toward low wage, environmentally unsustainable manufacturing, the Ethical Sourcing Group seeks to work with our clients to help support the development of a “high road” standard for ethical producers in the apparel industry. 

 

The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) is a non-profit organization created by college and university administrations, students and labor rights experts. The WRC's purpose is to assist in the enforcement of manufacturing Codes of Conduct adopted by colleges and universities; these Codes are designed to ensure that factories producing clothing and other goods bearing college and university names respect the basic rights of workers. There are more than 150 colleges and universities affiliated with the WRC.  



The Solidarity Center helps workers world wide build stronger unions, stand up for their rights, and overcome repression. We deal with all of the topics listed below:

• Child Labor

• Corporate Accountability

• Global Economy

• Safety and Health

• Civic Participation

• Counter-Trafficking and Migration

• Global Voice@Work

• Women's Equality 

• Conflict Resolution

• Export Processing Zones

• HIV/AIDS



International Labor Rights Fund   is an advocacy organization dedicated to achieving just and humane treatment for workers worldwide. ILRF serves a unique role among human rights organizations as advocates for and with working poor around the world.    This websites outlines their many campaigns.

 

The Coalition of Immolakee Workers  made headlines last year when it won a contract with Taco Bell  which almost doubled the  wages of  tomato pickers.  The next campaign is with McDonalds and Chipotle,  find out  how you can help.



Sustainable Table “serving up healthy food choices,” is an introduction to issues surrounding today’s agricultural system and what is happening with our food, in particular, the meat supply.

“Our goal is to help you understand the issues, offer suggestions on what you can do, direct you to more in-depth information, and introduce you to the exciting and hugely popular sustainable food movement exploding around the world.”



SweatFree Communities assists sweatshop workers globally in their struggles to improve working conditions and form strong, independent unions. SweatFree Communities, founded in 2002 by anti-sweatshop organizers in Maine, Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin and elsewhere who had been working separately on local campaigns to convince school districts, cities, states, and other institutional purchasers to adopt “sweat-free” purchasing policies and stop tax dollars from subsidizing sweatshops and abusive child labor. SweatFree Communities created a structure to facilitate the sharing of resources and information and built a national sweat-free movement that has the unity and political strength to generate significant market demand for products that are made in humane conditions by workers who earn living wages. At the time of writing, we have held two national conferences and support and coordinate dozens of local sweat-free purchasing campaigns. We link these campaigns to workers who are organizing to improve their conditions.

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