The smock blouse will not be offered for sale in the company’s 3,000 stores around the world, Gap said, and instead will be destroyed.
I could be wrong, but this almost seems like insult to injury.
Why not donate the clothing to some charity that works against slave labour and allow them to either reuse the shirts or sell them to raise money to continue their work to rescue children?
Surely better than just wasting both the time, effort and material? Or am I totally off base?
11 Comments
Do you know, those were exactly my thoughts when I heard the story on the radio earlier. What is the point in destroying the clothes? It doesn’t seem to solve anything. Bizarre.
yes Jax. That would certainly be my feeling about it too. It’s a scandalous thing they are making even more scandalous … and what sort of general ‘disposable’ attitude do they have to people and resources?
Well, I found their contact details, I think I’ll drop them a line.
I also found their stuff about child labour and so on, methinks a company firmly in the grip of complete denial tbh.
Seems like an incredibly stupid way to respond to me.
I’ve sent an email:
To whom it may concern
Please pass this email along to your head of policy - I will follow it with a letter in print, but am concerned that this note should reach you as soon as possible.
I’ve just read an article on bbc news (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7066019.stm) about the discovery of child labour in one of your factories. I’m pleased that you are taking this seriously and have acted to investigate and respond to this report, but disturbed by the comment:
“The smock blouse will not be offered for sale in the company’s 3,000 stores around the world, Gap said, and instead will be destroyed.”
Surely you could find a better way of dealing with the produce than destroying it - perhaps donating it free to a charity in need of clothing, or one which works to protect child rights and could sell the items to raise money for the children involved.
It seems unbearably wasteful of the time, effort and materials involved to just destroy them.
I have blogged on this topic on my own site and already have several ppl agreeing that your response does not make sense in all areas.
Thank you for your time
Jax *
Well done you for that email; heartily agree with it’s content!
Not off base from this side of the pond.
Yes, I definitely agree with your email
Yes, that’s what I thought too.
definitely agree, my first thought when i heard they would destroy them was ‘how can that help’ they’ve made them, and now their effort will be wasted. much better for Gap to donate them either as clothing or for charity profit. although of course many charities might find it distasteful to be using items made in this way.
i may steal your idea of emailing them with my feelings. not sure exactly what i think should be doe with them but certainly destroying them seems wrong.
I agree destroying the product is like saying the work the kids did was unworthy - giving to charity is a great solution.
Don’t know if this is a hoax or what but some people seem to be buying into this as an investment opportunity. Vulnerability should never be an opportunity for profit.
http://www.4continentscapitalmanagement.co.uk/
R