Veganline.com's Posts - Ethical Fashion SOURCE Network2024-03-28T18:09:31ZVeganline.comhttp://ethicalfashionforum.ning.com/profile/Veganlinecomhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1979840832?profile=original&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://ethicalfashionforum.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=3q6un0i2nmj54&xn_auth=noBetter than fairtrade: tariffs against despots: add your opinion on the 38 degrees web sitetag:ethicalfashionforum.ning.com,2011-02-22:2622461:BlogPost:908422011-02-22T19:30:00.000ZVeganline.comhttp://ethicalfashionforum.ning.com/profile/Veganlinecom
<p><a href="http://38degrees.uservoice.com/forums/78585-campaign-suggestions/suggestions/1519953-better-than-fair-trade-tariffs-against-despots?utm_campaign=ShortUrls&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=38degrees.uservoice.com" target="_blank">http://38degrees.uservoice.com/forums/78585-campaign-suggestions/suggestions/1519953-better-than-fair-trade-tariffs-against-despots?utm_campaign=ShortUrls&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=38degrees.uservoice.com</a></p>
<p> …</p>
<p><a href="http://38degrees.uservoice.com/forums/78585-campaign-suggestions/suggestions/1519953-better-than-fair-trade-tariffs-against-despots?utm_campaign=ShortUrls&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=38degrees.uservoice.com" target="_blank">http://38degrees.uservoice.com/forums/78585-campaign-suggestions/suggestions/1519953-better-than-fair-trade-tariffs-against-despots?utm_campaign=ShortUrls&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=38degrees.uservoice.com</a></p>
<p> </p>
<div class="description"><p class="textilish"><span style="color: #000000;" class="font-size-5"><strong>Better than fairtrade: tariffs against despots</strong></span></p>
<p class="textilish"> </p>
<p class="textilish"><span style="color: #000000;">Our leaders want us to buy goods from rich countries with poor factory workers.</span></p>
<p class="textilish"> </p>
<p class="textilish"><span style="color: #000000;">Our leaders have said that this restrains inflation at home, and that new wealth in the far east will allways lead to human rights, democracy & pensions. That was Mrs Thatcher's line about China, and it's still built-in to the thinking of the Monetary Policy Committee to control inflation by subsidising cheap imports.<br/></span></p>
<p class="textilish"> </p>
<p class="textilish"><span style="color: #000000;">This is OK when it works, but</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Arabia shows us that ordinary young arabs want civil rights first.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">In the Peoples Republic of China, state governments are closing free hospitals and clamping down in civil rights rather than share the profits of cheap manufacturing.</span></li>
</ul>
<p class="textilish"><span style="color: #000000;">The idea of tariffs against despots is simple. If the European Union had a higher tariff against imports from countries without human democratic and welfare rights, plenty of countries in Africa and the Far East would reform themselves pretty quickly. It's as vague but as simple as that.</span></p>
<p class="textilish"> </p>
<p class="textilish"><span style="color: #000000;">The appetite for change is shown by a UK Prime MInister's speech today in Kuwait, in which he said that previous policies towards despots bordered on racism. A site like 38 degrees can remind comentators civil servants & politicians to match the aspirations of ordinary arabs.</span></p>
<p class="textilish"> </p>
<p class="textilish"><span style="color: #000000;">All that follows is a quote from the speech, quoted to show that politicians might want to be pushed and that even Euro MPs who set tariffs might listen to new ideas.If a prime minister can talk about new ways of engaging with despotic regimes, anyone reading posts on Ethical Fashion Forum should surely do so too.</span></p>
<p class="textilish"> </p>
<p class="textilish"><span style="color: #000000;">To browse other ideas on 38degrees or show your support for this one, simply click and vote:</span></p>
<p class="textilish"><a href="http://38degrees.uservoice.com/forums/78585-campaign-suggestions/suggestions/1519953-better-than-fair-trade-tariffs-against-despots?utm_campaign=ShortUrls&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=38degrees.uservoice.com" target="_blank">http://38degrees.uservoice.com/forums/78585-campaign-suggestions/suggestions/1519953-better-than-fair-trade-tariffs-against-despots?utm_campaign=ShortUrls&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=38degrees.uservoice.com</a></p>
<p class="textilish"><br/>------------------------------------------------------------ <br/><strong>How do we support economic and political reform?</strong></p>
<p class="textilish">I believe two things are important.</p>
<p class="textilish"> </p>
<ol>
<li>The first is to understand that democracy is a process not an event. And important though elections are, participatory government is about much more than the simple act of voting.<br/><br/>Democracy is the work of patient craftsmanship it has to be built from the grassroots up. The building blocks have to be laid like the independence of the judiciary, the rights of individuals, free media and association, and a proper place in society for the army. It can’t be done overnight. And if you want evidence of that just look at the history of Britain, a constitutional monarchy which has evolved through time, and where so many of our rights under our laws predate our right to vote by 700 years.</li>
<li>My second belief is this.<br/><br/>Political and economic reform is vital but it has to be pursued with Al E’htiram with respect for the different cultures, histories and traditions of each nation. We in the West have no business trying to impose our particular local model. The evolution of political and economic progress will be different in each country.<br/><br/><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>But that’s <span style="color: #ff0000;">not an excuse, as some would argue, to claim that Arabs or Muslims can’t do democracy – the so-called Arab exception. For me that’s a prejudice that borders on racism. It’s offensive and wrong, and it’s simply not true</span>.</strong></span> <br/><br/>Oman established a Human Rights Commission for the first time last year in Oman. Qatar is now considered to be among the twenty least corrupt nations in the world. Above all, just look around this National Assembly elected by universal suffrage where every community is represented where men and women sit side-by-side and where Ministers are held to account. <br/><br/>This movement for change is not about Western agendas it’s about the Arab people themselves standing up and saying what they want to happen. And it’s about governments engaging in dialogue with their people to forge a way forward, together. The security and prosperity of this region will come hand-in-hand with development towards more open, fair and inclusive societies. <br/><br/>The question for us is simply whether we in the West play a role in helping to ensure that change delivers as peaceful and stable an outcome as possible. And I believe we should – by looking afresh at our entire engagement with the region, from our development programmes, to our cultural exchanges and to our trade arrangements.</li>
</ol>
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</div>how nylon stockings are made in UK working conditions - without boiling-up live silk wormstag:ethicalfashionforum.ning.com,2010-04-03:2622461:BlogPost:411942010-04-03T12:00:00.000ZVeganline.comhttp://ethicalfashionforum.ning.com/profile/Veganlinecom
There's been some discussion on the forum about where to buy products made in good working conditions in the UK. <br></br>
<br></br>
I don't buy or sell nylon stockings (you might want to comment if you know anything about the market) but came across this rather wonderful explanation. The company is advertised as a business for sale but it might suit ethical fashionistas as a flexible supplier with UK working conditions for the staff, sustaining a done-for UK economy and avoiding the boiling of live…
There's been some discussion on the forum about where to buy products made in good working conditions in the UK. <br/>
<br/>
I don't buy or sell nylon stockings (you might want to comment if you know anything about the market) but came across this rather wonderful explanation. The company is advertised as a business for sale but it might suit ethical fashionistas as a flexible supplier with UK working conditions for the staff, sustaining a done-for UK economy and avoiding the boiling of live silk worms.<br/>
<br/>
The trade page is<br/>
<a href="http://www.aristoc.com/1930s.html#trade.html">http://www.aristoc.com/1930s.html#trade.html</a><br/>
<br/>
An engineering firm in Leicester is also an online retailer of tights and offers a lot of background information:<br/>
<a href="http://www.ho-hose.co.uk/b.php?inc=aristoc1">http://www.ho-hose.co.uk/b.php?inc=aristoc1</a><br/>
<br/>
A business sale agent has a pretty detailed description of what the factory does. <br/>
If this link goes you might find it on webarchive.org<br/>
<a href="http://www.businessesforsale.com/uploads/77ef4d1e-8c41-4ebb-9c41-0b963036228e.pdf">http://www.businessesforsale.com/uploads/77ef4d1e-8c41-4ebb-9c41-0b963036228e.pdf</a><br/>
<a href="http://www.aristoc.com/1930s.html#howishosierymade.html">http://www.aristoc.com/1930s.html#howishosierymade.html</a><br/>
<br/>
The alternative: boiling up live silkworms:<br/>
<a href="http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=121">http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=121di</a>Agreement for funding relative to creative sector support - designer fashion - £4.2mtag:ethicalfashionforum.ning.com,2009-12-03:2622461:BlogPost:314122009-12-03T09:42:57.000ZVeganline.comhttp://ethicalfashionforum.ning.com/profile/Veganlinecom
British Fashion Council have not published their reports to the London Development Agency before, but a request under the Freedom of Information Act now puts them on-line. Previous responses have sketched the terms of contract between government and the British Fashion Council.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.london.gov.uk/mqt/public/question.do?id=25798" target="_blank">http://www.london.gov.uk/mqt/public/question.do?id=25798</a><br />
<br />
"Question by Darren Johnson<br />
<br />
Would you support changes to the conditions…
British Fashion Council have not published their reports to the London Development Agency before, but a request under the Freedom of Information Act now puts them on-line. Previous responses have sketched the terms of contract between government and the British Fashion Council.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.london.gov.uk/mqt/public/question.do?id=25798" target="_blank">http://www.london.gov.uk/mqt/public/question.do?id=25798</a><br />
<br />
"Question by Darren Johnson<br />
<br />
Would you support changes to the conditions of funding for the British Fashion Council in order to support British shoe manufacturers and encourage designers to work closely with them?<br />
<br />
Answer by Boris Johnson<br />
<br />
The objectives of the funding agreement between the London Development Agency and the British Fashion Council are to support the development of the designer fashion industry, provide business support to London fashion designers and to strengthen and raise the profile of London Fashion Week internationally.<br />
<br />
Under the terms of the grant agreement the British Fashion Council is delivering against a series of milestones and activities in order to achieve the project’s objectives. It would not be possible to make significant changes to these at this stage.<br />
<br />
There are already a small number of shoe designers who exhibit at London Fashion Week. The LDA will ask the British Fashion Council to brief you on their involvement with shoe designers and explore how they can work further with British shoe manufacturers. "<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/statistics_supporting_success_of#comment-6094" target="_blank">http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/statistics_supporting_success_of#comment-6094</a><br />
<br />
"The London Development Agency (LDA) awarded the British Fashion Council a three-year grant agreement of £4.2 million in December 2007 to achieve two objectives: to provide business support to London's emerging designers and to raise the profile of London Fashion Week to international markets"<br />
<br />
"We do not hold information relating to the statistical method used. However we have been informed by the British Fashion Council that the evidence and statistics they report to the LDA are gathered though a variety of methods, including detailed follow-up with buyers and press who have attended London Fashion Week, typically by way of a telephone interview, in order to establish the value of the orders placed and media coverage generated."<br />
<br />
Now that the biannual report is public, no new details is available about "value of orders placed" to textile employees in the UK; the clearest figures are about London Fashion Week promoting itself and no estimates of job creation are provided in the document's sixteen pages.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/22348/response/58486/attach/4/LDALIVE%203347318%20v1%20FOI%20437%20Scanned%20Accompanying%20Document.PDF.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/22348/response/58486/attach/4/LDALIVE%203347318%20v1%20FOI%20437%20Scanned%20Accompanying%20Document.PDF.pdf</a>Manchester Wallet Manufacturer JJ Blackledge for saletag:ethicalfashionforum.ning.com,2009-11-15:2622461:BlogPost:300152009-11-15T12:00:00.000ZVeganline.comhttp://ethicalfashionforum.ning.com/profile/Veganlinecom
<a href="http://www.charlestaylor.co.uk/AssetSales.asp?Asset=2&AssetItemID=177">http://www.charlestaylor.co.uk/AssetSales.asp?Asset=2&AssetItemID=177</a> :<br />
<br />
The deadline may have passed in theory, but anyone looking for assets or a going concern wallet manufacturing business in Manchester could still contact Charles Tayor auctioneers as the auction for individual machines is at the end of November - presumably they're kept together till then. The factory ran until 16th October and a…
<a href="http://www.charlestaylor.co.uk/AssetSales.asp?Asset=2&AssetItemID=177">http://www.charlestaylor.co.uk/AssetSales.asp?Asset=2&AssetItemID=177</a> :<br />
<br />
The deadline may have passed in theory, but anyone looking for assets or a going concern wallet manufacturing business in Manchester could still contact Charles Tayor auctioneers as the auction for individual machines is at the end of November - presumably they're kept together till then. The factory ran until 16th October and a voluntary liquidation has cleared its debts.<br />
<br />
Google JJ Blackledge, buyleather.org, recycledleather.org and organicleather.org to get urls and then type them into webarchive.org to get pictures of what the factory can make, which is a nice range of wallets and such for the corporate gifts market, including pantone-matched colours, photographic printing and some nice simple designs. Trade names, catalogue artwork, customer lists and such are all easily find-able.<br />
<br />
Obviously, corporate gifts are a very cyclical trade and this firm happened to be in a lot of debt at a time when one of their biggest customers closed; as an ex-customer I don't think the closure was to do with bad quality goods.<br />
<br />
I don't have a list of what individual machines they had, or the monthly rent for anyone who continues trading, but Appleton and Poppleby accountants and Charles Taylor Auctioneers might be prepared to help buyers.Subsidised out-sourcing: London Assembly members question Boristag:ethicalfashionforum.ning.com,2009-10-04:2622461:BlogPost:267022009-10-04T09:30:00.000ZVeganline.comhttp://ethicalfashionforum.ning.com/profile/Veganlinecom
China prices can be cheaper than other low-wage economies. Quotations are often for large quantities, the Chinese government has no pension, healthcare or democracy costs, and governments east and west have manipulated the exchange rate, but another surprising reason is that the UK taxpayer subsidises introductions and training, and hectors fashion designers to use China specifically. The money is paid from funds paid in London to reduce disparities in the Labour market.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"Making it…</blockquote>
China prices can be cheaper than other low-wage economies. Quotations are often for large quantities, the Chinese government has no pension, healthcare or democracy costs, and governments east and west have manipulated the exchange rate, but another surprising reason is that the UK taxpayer subsidises introductions and training, and hectors fashion designers to use China specifically. The money is paid from funds paid in London to reduce disparities in the Labour market.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"Making it ethically in China – A practical guide for fashion and textile designers When: 28.10.09 at 18:00
Where: Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London , W1G 7LP<br />
<b>Sourcing materials or manufacturing in China should be considered seriously if you want to compete in a global market and keep production cost low. Many do not think that China should be your first port of call if you have decided to build your brand on a sustainable business model in which worker's rights are recognised, the materials used are environmentally friendly and your carbon footprint is as small as possible. However..."</b></blockquote>
<br />
The event organisers were given <a href="http://www.lda.gov.uk/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.2654" target="_blank">£210,000</a> by the London Development Agency last year, and this year's money is paid <a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/funding_of_making_it_ethically_i#incoming-46525" target="_blank">£7,380 from Creative Connexions</a>, which is also funded by the LDA.<br />
<br />
Creative Connexions explanation of its own funding reads, "The Government provides full backing to the scheme, with a £5 million grant from the Higher Education Innovation Fund covering our first two years.", and lists UK Trade and Investment, London Development Agency and Think London among it's "partners". The company uses West End offices at 65 Davies Street owned by University of the Arts and is headed by an American-trained former Monsanto employee with experience in "global sourcing". Officially the company doesn't favour China but "seeks to link the creative skills of the U.K. with the developmental opportunities in China and India." However Indian factories would have trouble competing with their rivals in a more autocratic state; <a href="http://cleanupfashion.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/bullying-bangladesh-under-pressure/" target="_blank">Labour Behind the Label</a> notes <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/economicNews/idINIndia-38976820090409?rpc=28&sp=true" target="_blank">a report</a> of other far-eastern garment workers being told by Western retail chains to keep their prices as low as China and Vietnam.<br />
<br />
Back in London, <a href="http://deedoocey.co.uk/">Dee Doocey the Liberal spokesperson</a> on the London assembly was "very happy to pass on ... concerns about this event to the London Development Agency", while the Green spokesman, <a href="http://london.greenparty.org.uk/region/london/people/Darren-Johnson-AM.html">Darren Johnson</a> tabled a formal question to the Mayor of London.<br />
<br />
<blockquote><b>"Do you think it appropriate that the LDA funded a seminar entitled "Making it ethically in China - a practical guide for fashion and textile designers" given that the LDA's remit is to promote employment prospects and enterprise in London rather than encourage businesses to outsource their production abroad? "</b></blockquote>
<br />
A similar event planned in Manchester <a href="http://www.own-it.org/events/making-a-name-in-china-a-practical-guide-to-marketing-and-expanding-your-design-business-to-china">"Making a name in China – a practical guide to marketing and expanding your design business to China"</a> has had it's date and time removed from the Own-it web site but remains advertised on Own-it North. It will be held at Chinese Arts Centre, Thomas St, Manchester , M4 1EU, on 12.10.09, 6-8pm<br />
<p style="text-align: right;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1976358655?profile=original" alt="supported by London Development Agency - working for the Mayor of London"/></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1976358719?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.arts.ac.uk/images/Language_Centre_exterior_1.jpg"/></p>