Brands that lie really well



I just read that GAP has been using child slavery recently in production of one of its sequined garments. The clothes were produced in New Delhi, India by children that have been bought off their parents for approximately £10 and made to work in factories for as much as 19 hours per day without being paid, often being beaten.
Even though GAP representatives are claiming that they were totally unaware of this situation, and that they will make sure that the product never makes it to the stores, it's so appalling to see that the company like GAP is not even aware of how its products were produced until the moment the shocking story was brought to its representatives by the media.
Ironic how the company spent lots of time on promotion of it's good ethical position through selling of the (product)RED items, and yet has totally overlooked its ethical practices in the production of its garments.
I think that that's where the dark side surfaces - brands that claim to be "ethical" and "charitable" appeal to the consumers and because of this "good" branding, many of the consumers never question them. It makes me wonder how many of these companies choose to be boastful about the charitable aspect only to conceal some of its less noble practices?
The full disgusting story about GAP is here:

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/2810_gap_slave_kids.shtml

2 comments:

Sabrina V said...

I'm willing to wager they knew full well about the situation. Now that they got caught, they're playing dumb, which personally I find despicable. They lie, and while we may see right though them, we believe them anyways, because it's just so much easier to, I think.

Chris L said...

Horrible, no doubt. But hardly surprising.