Primark is evil…do you buy it?

Primark as I’m sure you are all aware is surrounded in controversy. We all know about the claims that children are worked to death in sweatshops so we can get a t-shirt for the same price as a pint of milk – but how bad is it really?

Primark is often singled out as the big consumerist bully, but there are definitely other brands to blame. Nike for example sells millions of shoes and pieces of clothing each year, but does not produce any of these products. Instead, the company contracts with manufacturing facilities located throughout the world. Nearly 800,000 people work in these factories, located primarily in Asia. Since the 1990's, the company has been criticised for the working conditions and low wages at these factories, with many critics accusing the company of profiting from sweatshop labour.

So it seems cheaper brands must make a compromise over more affordable products and cheap labour, however you may be surprised to know that more expensive brands are also to blame. Have you ever looked longingly in a shop window of designer fashion houses such as Burberry? However the Burberry factory in South Wales is set to close in the next few months following the decision to export production to China, where costs are significantly lower as a result of workers being paid extremely low wages.

The International Labor Rights Forum notes that numerous companies and leading brands rely on sweatshop labour. Is there a real alternative? Not really. Many shops such as M&S have a fair-trade section but fashion houses and popular high street brands still use cheap labour. So Primark, although you may be seen as an immoral, dirty business, the blame doesn’t lie solely on you. Personally I will not be shopping at Oxford Street’s Primark this Christmas. This is not due to its use of cheap labour but mainly just to avoid the massive queues and crowds!