The Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women’s Association takes legal action against Kmart to come clean about whether its suppliers are connected to Uyghur forced labour.
“Kmart markets itself as an ethical business, but two of its suppliers have been linked to Xinjiang in China, where the mass internment, repression and forced labour of Uyghur people is rife,” the rights group says in a statement.
This case is the first of its kind in seeking to bring real accountability home to Australian retailers about the risk of Uyghur forced labour in their supply chains.
This is an important step in making Kmart back up its words with actions when it comes to its ethical sourcing claims.
This case also highlights the weaknesses in Australia’s modern slavery laws. It shouldn’t be left to members of the public to compel companies to open their books through legal action where there are suspicions of links to modern slavery.
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More coverage;
Not surprised, ALKO products are so flaming cheap it is indecent.
I’m not sure I’d call a Betoota Advocate article “coverage”.
ANKO. We were sad when we saw Anko infiltrate the local Target after Kmart went through a merger with them in 2023.
We regularly avoid Kmart because the Anko crap filled the store, with very little in the way of brand options for any product type - just several different models of Anko - and then all the various brands disappeared from Target after the merger and were replaced with Anko… a massive loss of consumer choices, all for the benefits of owner, Wesfarmers. Bleh. I don’t think most consumers notice or care?
I love ANKO, it’s cheap crap compared to the expensive crap they sold before. All lasts the same time.
Some Anko items were more expensive like tracksuit pants at $15 and iirc boots could be like $30-40. Still looking back it should have been a bad sign.
We used to be able to get $15 trackie dacks in the 90’s.
I had a rich surfer mate who would bring a few bags of them when we went camping; He would put in a new pair every night when it started to get cold, and then in the morning, would cut them down into a new pair of board shorts.
However, taking into consideration our ridiculous inflation and COL increases, that would be the equivalent of $60 trackie dacks nowadays.
Oh man why would you cut up good clothes? Especially every day?
Even if something cost me a few dollars I wear it til it falls apart
Because he didn’t want to do any washing when he got home.
I know other people who would just buy a new 7-pack of underpants every week!
😵💫
Wearing clothing without washing it first is NOT advisable.
When a label reads, “wash before wearing,” it is a safety instruction.
If one wishes to wear new underpants that are “factory fresh” complete with formaldehyde, go for it. Just don’t act surprised when diagnosed with leukaemia…
https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/everyday-shopping/clothing/articles/chemicals-in-clothing
Yes, that is what we told her, but some people cannot be told anything.
@Hotznplotzn Utterly unsurprising, tbqh. Of course they do…
Also good opportunity to point out that Target is exactly the same supply chain and parent company. The only difference (literally) is the sign over the entrance. #Target #Kmart #SlaveLabour #NotesFromADyingCulture
They’re passing the slavings onto the consumer.
Oh shit. I didn’t think Kmart used sweatshops (and thought price rises were in part due to more ethical practices) but guess I’m naive.
Guess I’m going back to op shops
Be careful some places like Savers aren’t op shops but Americans shops who sell donated goods for their own profit.
Others like Salvos use the money to push Christian hate on society.
Which are unfortunately full of Kmart fast fashion, often at more expensive prices than Kmart…
I know :(
I prefer to buy items like socks and underwear new as well. I wonder if Cotton On is better for budget basics. The prices aren’t as low but that means nothing about ethics these days
I really don’t know… they all are participating in capitalism with global supply chains… so hard to disentangle.
That’s fun :(
