It seems ethical clothing is not just a passing fad, with retailers now investing more to give themselves a cleaner conscience. Tesco's decision last week to introduce a new supply chain monitoring system and stop sourcing cotton from Uzbekistan, highlights the increasing pressure retailers are under to ensure ethical standards run all the way through the supply chain.
The supermarket giant's stance is likely to put pressure on others, even at the cheapest end of the market, to consider where and how their goods are made.
Sales of ethically-sourced clothing have rocketed in the past year as Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury's have jumped on the trend started by small brands such as People Tree and Gossypium. The Co-operative Group's annual ethical consumer survey found sales of organic and fair trade clothing shot up 79% to £52 million in 2006 compared with the previous year, and the figure is thought to have increased again last year.
About three million people boycotted certain stores in 2006 because they were unhappy with their ethical stance, according to the Co-op's report. Value retailers such as Asda, Primark and Tesco were also accused in a War on Want report of using factories in Bangladesh that apparently exploited their workers.
Campaigns for workers' and farmers' rights are likely to continue. A recent poll in The Times newspaper found that 80% of UK shoppers think retailers are still not doing enough on social and environmental issues.
