Module 2: Articles on Clothing Manufacturing and Sweatshops

This list covers:
"An Apparel Factory Defies Sweatshop Label, but Can It Thrive?"
"Ethical Style: How is My T-Shirt Made?"
"It’s Incredibly Difficult to Prove That Clothing is 'Ethically Made'"
"Teens in Sweatshops"
"Some Retailers Say More about Their Clothing Origins"
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. credible
    capable of being believed
  2. neutral
    having no personal preference
  3. impartial
    free from undue bias or preconceived opinions
  4. apparel
    clothing in general
    The world’s cotton demand has doubled since the 1960s, with 90 percent of harvested cotton getting spun into apparel.
  5. ecological
    relating to the science of the environment
    Major ecological damage has already been done.
  6. circumvent
    avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing
    These ecological concerns can be circumvented with a shift toward organic cotton, but even organic cotton needs to drink.
  7. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    The production segment of the T-shirt supply chain is the one most scrutinized in the public eye, and with good reason.The factory process is inefficient, wasteful, and often still abusive.
  8. rife
    frequent, common, or widespread
    Though the public outcry against sweatshops gained sudden momentum a decade ago, garment manufacturing is still rife with complications.
  9. sustainability
    the capacity of being prolonged
    If end consumers like us can gain a better understanding of our T-shirt’s production cycle—the sustainability of its fabric and the working conditions of its farmers and sewers we can put pressure on these corporations to help us make a more informed and conscious decision about our clothes.
  10. covet
    wish, long, or crave for
    Last week's building collapse in Bangladesh that killed hundreds of clothing factory workers put a spotlight on the sobering fact that people in poor countries often risk their lives working in unsafe factories to make the cheap T-shirts and underwear that Westerners covet.
  11. proactive
    causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond
    And some experts say that retailers have little incentive to be more proactive and do more because the public isn't pushing them to do so.
  12. callous
    emotionally hardened
    "I am looking for value," says Burson, a management consultant who lives in Ashburn, Va. "I am not callous and not unconcerned about the conditions of the workers. It's just that when I am standing in a clothing store and am comparing two pairs of pants, there's nothing I can do about it. I need the pants."
  13. grievance
    a complaint about a wrong that causes resentment
    And workers are provided a grievance process to report problems directly to the Fair Trade organization.
  14. tout
    advertise in strongly positive terms
    Los Angeles-based American Apparel, which says it knits, dyes, cuts and sews all of its products in house in California, touts on its website that the working conditions are "sweatshop free."
  15. subsidize
    support, as through grants or other funds
    The company highlights how it pays decent wages, offers subsidized lunches, free onsite massages and an onsite medical clinic.
  16. substandard
    falling short of some prescribed norm
    "A sweatshop is any business that uses child labor, pays substandard [below minimum] wages, or creates an unsafe workplace," says Darlene Atkins of the National Consumers League, a nonprofit advocacy (support) group.
  17. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    Major retailers have long balked at disclosing the full trail, saying that sourcing is inherently complex—a sweater made in Italy may have thread, wool and dye from elsewhere.
  18. inherently
    in an essential manner
    Major retailers have long balked at disclosing the full trail, saying that sourcing is inherently complex—a sweater made in Italy may have thread, wool and dye from elsewhere.
  19. convey
    make known; pass on, of information
    Marci Zaroff, founder of Under the Canopy, which is introducing a fair-trade certified bathrobe at Bed Bath & Beyond this month, said it could be hard to convey the message, and “that’s why we sell on style, quality and price.”
Created on Fri Aug 14 10:43:13 EDT 2020 (updated Tue Aug 25 15:27:15 EDT 2020)

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