Skip to main content

The true cost of cotton production

Human rights advocates have criticised the Uzbek cotton industry for its reliance on forced-labour including the mandatory employment of school children, college and university students, and civil servants. Workers face terrible conditions and are barely paid enough to survive. Read more »

Where underpants come from

/
Where Underpants Come From takes us on a journey to discover the origin of undies. This journey begins when author Joe Bennet purchases a 5-pack of Made in China underpants for $8.59 at his local New Zealand supermarket. Read more »
neighbourhood water pumo sewani

Sharing the basics

/
This is the sort of pump which is generally used in rental house areas, including my family’s home. This single pump is used by about 10 different rental houses (20-30 people). Because of the large amount of people using it sometimes the water comes up murky. Read more »

Alta Gracia workers celebrate a living wage

/ | 1 Comment on Alta Gracia workers celebrate a living wage
After years toiling at factories in the free trade zones of the Dominican Republic, Santa Castillo knows how difficult it can be to survive on the minimum wage. “A lot of times there was only enough for my kids, and I’d go to bed hungry,” she says. Now the factory where Ms Castillo works has committed to pay three and a half times the minimum wage. Read more »

The Social Studio Spring Collection

The Social Studio (TSS) is a Melbourne-based social enterprise which provides young women and men from refugee communities the opportunity to realize their potential as designers, makers and retailers of fashion. Read more »

Mum: Making the most of it

/
Since the start of the fasting month my mother has been selling clothing to her friends at her factory. She purchases the clothes from outlets and makes a profit of between 5,000-10,000 Rupiah per item (60 cents to $1.15). From past experience my mother has sold at least 50 pieces. If only she had a bit more start-up capital, I’m sure she could get more clothing to sell. Read more »

Step into her trainers!

/
Did you know that in 2008 the CEO of Nike, Mark G. Parker earned more than 7 million US dollars? It is estimated it would take an Indonesian worker producing for Nike more than 6,000 years to earn this amount. Read more »
takver fairwear school uniforms protest

Kids care about Fair Wear

/
Last month, students, teachers and parents at a Brunswick primary school joined with activists from FairWear to demand an end to exploitation in the Australian garment industry. Read more »
blogs rice timothy

The luxury of rice

/
When I was young I was often given only cassava rice to eat because we couldn’t afford ordinary rice and other condiments. I understood that rice was really expensive, so even if a tiny bit of rice was mixed in with my cassava dish, I was overjoyed! Read more »

Cambodian workers want a living wage

/
Wouldn’t you want enough take home pay to allow you to look after your family and afford the basic necessitiesis of life? This was the simple demand made by more than 68,000 Cambodian workers who went on a weeklong strike to demand a living wage. Read more »