H&M is a store where most of us broke college students find themselves in time and time again. From a price stand point this store is really every girl’s dream. This is a store where one can find the perfect party dress for less than ten dollars and the exact matching accessories for just some of your spare change. H&M is a store centered around variety and value and I, as well as many others are fast to agree that they hold true to this standard, but before you go there to buy your newest party outfit you might just want to ask yourself where exactly the stuff you are ready to buy comes from.
Sarah Butler from The Guardian recently wrote an article in regards to a book being published in Sweden that is taking a deeper look into H&M and their production standards. In the article Butler states that “H&M worked with clothing factories in Myanmar where children as young as 14 toiled for more than 12 hours a day.” After this finding many are wondering what the production standards are for not only this company, but other companies as well as many of our major clothing brands are produced in this Asian nation. If these allegations are true, H&M is obviously breaking child labor laws, as the law states children aged 14 to 17 are allowed to work in Myanmar according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), but those 13 to 15 years old must only perform “light work,” which 12-hour work days are not considered. H&M was informed of this issue and stated that they “do of course not tolerate child labor in any form.” Only time will tell though if this issue is ever resolved by H&M.
Regardless of their response or action though, this spikes a lot of thought as to just how many children are working these extreme hours and what their working conditions are actually like. Ethical questions and concerns are certainly raised when one reflects on the typical American teenager’s lifestyle and how different from our own a child laborer’s lifestyle must be to enable our benefit and spending habits. So before you buy that next graphic tee that is just too good of a deal for you not to get, make sure to ask yourself a few questions first in regards to who made it and the conditions in which they had to make it.
To read more from Samantha’s source, check out this article from The Guardian.