Category: Redeeming Consumerism

Redeeming Consumerism: Fair Trade Friday

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Today’s Redeeming Consumerism post is about Fair Trade Friday. Fair Trade Friday is a subscription service that provides support to impoverished women by providing you with adorable fair trade products every month. They have three different subscription options. The Original Box for $31.99/month is a box full of various fair trade goodies that range from skin care products to luxury fair trade fashion. The Bracelet of the Month for $13.99/month is a beautiful fair trade bracelet. The Earring of the Month for $11.99/month is a fun fair trade earring. I have subscribed to the Earring of the Month in the past and I have posted about some of my favorites here, here, and here. Many people love subscription boxes because everyone loves getting fun mail each month to liven up the bills and junk mail. Fair Trade Friday is an awesome way to do that as well as find out about ethical brands you may never have heard about and to support impoverished artisans.

August’s earring of the month is so cute!

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And now for some fun!

I am giving away two pairs of the August Fair Trade Friday earring of the month!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please enter only one giveaway. If you enter one you will not be eligible to win the second pair.

~Maizy

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t use all the time and think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

 

Redeeming Consumerism: American Eagle

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Today’s post is a continuation of my Redeeming Consumerism series. Today I am evaluating a mainstream brand’s labor and manufacturing policies. The brand I have chosen is American Eagle Outfitters.

My four categories are Wages, Worker Safety, Forced and Child Labor, and Enforcement

Wages: Suppliers are required to comply with all compensation laws including wages, overtime hours, piece rates and benefits. Workers may not be required to work more than 60 hours a week and are entitled to at least one day off in a seven day period. Suppliers are required to provide all benefits that are required by law including meals, transportation, health care, child care, and leave for family, medical, or religious reasons. As required by law suppliers must contribute to workers’ social security or insurance programs.

Worker Safety: Suppliers must comply with all laws regulating worker safety. In addition, workers must have access to potable water and sanitary facilities and workplaces and housing facilities, if provided for workers, must have adequate fire safety, lighting, and ventilation.

Forced and Child Labor: Suppliers are prohibited from using child labor as defined by law, in addition suppliers are prohibited from employing workers under the age of 15, or the compulsory age to attend school. Forced labor of any kind is prohibited including prisoners, bonded, or indentured workers.

Enforcement: All suppliers must contractually agree to American Eagle Outfitters Vendor Code of Conduct and are subject to inspections including inspection of all records and documentation and private worker interviews at least once a year. AEO inspections are unannounced and private party inspections are semi-unannounced.

I was pleasantly surprised by American Eagle Outfitters’ policies for vendor conduct, especially the fact that their code of conduct is a contractual agreement. Many companies have a voluntary code of conduct which means that suppliers are not required to comply with it in order to do business with the company. I think that American Eagle is a good choice for consumers desiring to shop consciously and ethically.

All of my information is directly from American Eagle’s website here. If you want more information you can go there, or send AE an email  or message on social media.

Have a great day!

~Maizy

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t use all the time and think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

 

Redeeming Consumerism: Rey Swimwear

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Hello!

I’m back with another Redeeming Consumerism post! Today I am talking about *Rey Swimwear. Rey Swimwear is a swimsuit brand based in California and founded by Jessica Rey, a former power ranger, author, mom, and entrepreneur. Their swimsuits are adorable and very unique. I had a really hard time deciding which one I wanted to order but I finally decided on Audrey in Pineapple. I’m wearing it in the pictures and isn’t it adorable? Rey Swimwear was founded with the goal of creating a modest alternative to modern swimsuits, specifically the bikini. I love their philosophy that you don’t have to show a lot of skin to be beautiful or stylish.

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ignore my tan line!

While I would love a more complete policy on maufacturing standards and procedures as well as an auditing policy Rey Swimwear is very upfront about their commitment to ethical manufacturing.

“All of our swimsuits are proudly and ethically manufactured in California. Rey Swimwear only works with partners who share our values and believe in ethical production. Our manufacturers have rigorous compliance standards against which they’re constantly assessed. They’re responsible for upholding production and sourcing practices across areas such as human rights, health/safety, and fair wages, thus respecting the dignity of all people- not only those who wear our swimsuits, but those who make them.  Our dedication to ethical production is reflected in our pricing.” https://www.reyswimwear.com/pages/faq

These suits are definitely not a cheap suit that you buy at Target and throw away at the end of the summer. I haven’t had my suit long enough to testify to the lasting power but quality of the fabric and the seams is definitely somthing that is going to last.

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All of Rey Swimwear’s suits are very classy and cute. I especially love Regina in emerald and Ann in garden party. And they just introduced plus sizes to the line!

Have a great day!

~Maizy

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t use all the time and think are really great; you know I’m classier than that;). However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month. I am a Rey Swimwear affiliate. If you click on the link in the beginning of this post, or on the widget on the sidebar, I will be paid for any purchase that you make, at no extra cost to you.

Redeeming Consumerism: Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft

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Hello!

This is the second post in my Redeeming Consumerism series. Today I will be sharing my research on a well-known company and whether I believe their products to be an ethical choice or not. The company I have chosen for this month is Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft. I have four categories: Wages, Worker Safety, Child Labor, and Enforcement.

Wages

ANN Inc. has a strict policy against slavery and human trafficking and discloses it according to the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act. Their actions include, verification of supply chains; independent, unannounced audits; supplier certification, and yearly recertification; and staff training on human trafficking and slavery prevention.

I did not find ANN Inc.’s policy on wages on their website.

Worker Safety

ANN Inc. does not source from the factories that were involved in the tragedies in Bangladesh. I did not find exact policies for worker safety but they discuss worker safety and supplier cooperation here, here, here, and here. They list their sourcing countries here.

ANN Inc. has banned the use of sandblasting in order to promote worker safety.

Child Labor

ANN Inc. does not knowingly sell products that use raw materials from countries that condone the use of forced child labor and have prohibited the sourcing of cotton from Uzbekistan.

I did not find a policy on voluntary child labor on the ANN Inc. website.

Enforcement

ANN Inc’s Global Supplier Principles and Guidelines are the minimum requirements which a supplier must meet in order to maintain a working relationship with the company.

ANN Inc’s Corporate Social Responsibility department approve every country before business can be placed as well as inspecting and approving all production facilities before manufacturing their product there.

Overall, I think Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft are good choices for a consumer who wants to buy ethically produced fashion. As I have mentioned in this post, there are some gaps in the policies I could find on their website. If this is something that interests you, send an email, or post on social media asking Ann Taylor or Loft about their policies. It’s always good to get the conversation started.

Have a great day!

~Maizy

All of the information included in this article can be found on the ANN Inc. website ANNInc.com.

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t use all the time and think are really great; you know I’m classier than that;). However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

If you are interested in reading my earlier Redeeming Consumerism posts: How Consumer Culture Supports Slavery, The Refugee Project

 

 

Redeeming Consumerism: The Refugee Project

amaizylifeRedeeming Consumerism

Hello!

I am back with the second post of my redeeming consumerism series.The Refugee Project is a Houston based organization that equips, empowers, and employs refugee women in the Houston area. They teach useful skills to the women they serve and employ them in making knitted and crocheted products that they sell on their online store. %100 of the proceeds from the store go to sustaining the refugee women and providing them with a fair wage. I highly reccomend that you visit their website and read some of the stories of the women that they serve, as well as checking out their social media to see what they are currently up to!

I own these tan boot cuffs and my mom owns These earrings. The earrings are currently sold out but will hopefully be in stock again soon. I styled them for you so you can get an idea of how you can wear some of the pieces from this company.

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I have also been eyeing this clutch, I think it would be a fantastic sunglasses case as well as this bracelet, and these fingerless gloves.

These are accessories that you can feel great about purchasing because you know that they are helping women in need to support themselves and their children and are not produced by slaves or people in low-paying, hazardous conditions.

Consumerism does not have to be a negative thing. There is wisodm in moderation but consumers can also have a very powerful voice when we choose to vote with our dollars for things that are meaningful and make the world a better place isntead of fueling mindless buying, and the exploitation of the vulnerable.

Have a great day!

~Maizy