Monday 4 January 2010
People Tree Vs Boden
A comparison of two clothing companies with respect to ecological/ethical policies and fair trade in particular.
Boden and People Tree are two comparatively new, modern companies. Both sell largely via mail order to a similar target population, in the same price bracket. Both have men, women and kids ranges. Both identify themselves strongly with their founders; Johnnie Boden and Safia Minney, respectively.
Boden has a section on its website entitled "eco and ethical". The eco refers to a policy of trying to keep its catalogues recyclable. It admits to sending out a large number of catalogues. It doesnt make it clear whether the paper used is recycled, but states that the wood used to make the paper comes from sustainably managed forests. It also makes the point that their staff can get to the London office by public transport and that Johnnie himself cycles to work.
Boden makes no claim with regard to sourcing natural/organic materials to make their clothes. There is no mention of recycling at all with respect to clothes production.
Boden is a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative, and the website states that they have their own programme of factory visits, and they commission independant auditors to carry out further checks.
The People Tree website makes it clear that ecological and ethical issues are a core factor of the companies existence. It is a detailed website that describes a holistic approach to sustainability.
From the start it states that its designers work within this sustainability remit. Not only do they design for natural and organic fibres and dyes, but they favour designs that require hand crafting and skills local to their producers, in order to create more work for local craftspeople.
It states that they use almost exclusively organic materials, and details exactly when and why this is not the case.
It briefly talks about recycling but does not go into details about pre and post production recycling, apart from when describing the work of specific Fair Trade partners.
It is a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation and states that it is involved in the development of its 10 Standards for Fair Trade. These standards cover the following criteria:
Creating Opportunities for Economically Disadvantaged Producers.
Transparency and Accountability.
Trading Practices.
Payment of a Fair Price.
Child Labour and Forced Labour.
Non Discrimination, Gender Equity and Freedom of Association.
Working Conditions.
Capacity Building.
Promotion of Fair Trade.
Environment.
The website details its approach to sustainability. It identifies its Fair Trade partners. These are local groups that produce the clothes, mainly in Asia. They comprise of local craftspeople and artisans. People Tree state that they get involved with the training for these people, and reinvesting in the form of schools and creches. They also have a policy of 50% advance payments to local producers which promotes quality and sustainability.
They undertake regular " Social Reviews" whereby all their stakeholders can comment on how they are doing. Their comments are posted on the website.
With respect to Ethical/Fair Trade, both Boden and People Tree belong to respected worldwide associations, The Ethical Trade Initiative and The World Fair Trade Organisation respectively. The websites for these organisations state fairly similar ideals and both expect commitment from their members significantly beyond subscription fees. In trying to compare the difference between the two, I found a good summary on the website of an organisation called "Traidcraft":
"Ethical Trade is about achieving a basic minimum standard of ethical behaviour in trading relationships. Fair Trade organisations, whilst supporting many of the principles behind ethical trade, go beyond this and aim to encourage the development of disadvantaged people in the poorer parts of the world.
Ethical trade aims to ensure that internationally recognised labour standards, such as fundamental human rights, are observed at all stages in the production of goods for the UK high street.
Whereas ethical trade tends to focus on minimising the harm caused by trade, fair trade seeks to make a positive contribution to the development of poor communities."
Hence, although Boden's commitment to ethical trading is laudable, it doesnt seem to play a central part in their raison d'etre. It is even possible that it is a consumer led policy bearing in mind the aspirations of their target population. Not that this would be a bad thing and a company responsive to its customers is likely to be more successful.
In comparison however, People Tree are trying to lead the way in terms of sustainable manufacturing. Their website is quite inspirational, and very convincing in outlining the direction in which we must go to achieve global sustainability.
With respect to their products, People Tree's clothes reflect their organic methods in terms of colour and form, and the range is not as wide as Boden's. Boden is also slightly cheaper. Comparing basic items such as a plain white cotton shirt, T-shirts and chinos, the Boden prices were roughly equal to the People Tree sale prices. However once you know the story behind the clothes, the People Tree garments become much more exciting.
bibliography:
Boden website.[Internet] Available from http:www.boden.co.uk
Ethical Trading Initiative.[Internet] Available from http:www.ethicaltrade.org/
Minney, Safia. Safia's blog [Internet] Available from www.peopletree.co.uk/safia
PeopleTree website.[Internet] Available from http:www.peopletree.co.uk
Webb,Andy.(9.3.06) BBC Money Progamme: How fair is Fairtrade?. [Internet] Available from http:www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4788662.stm
World Fairtrade Organisation.[Internet] Available from http:www.wfto.com/
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