Joe Fresh’s 'Canada Made’ T-shirt is not made in Canada
It’s almost Canada Day! And what better way to show off your love and admiration for our home and native land than with a shirt telling people how Canadian you are.
How about this one from Canadian retailer Joe Fresh? Retailing for $10, it’s a cheap and cute way to show you’re all about the true north strong and free.
But while this T-shirt might show you’re “Canada Made,” it’s…definitely not.
On Sunday, a Reddit user posted this image with the caption: “I’m an American travelling through Canada. Spotted this in the Canada Day swag department.”
Still not sure what the problem is? Look closer…
Joe Fresh is no stranger to controversy when it comes to where their garments are manufactured. A recent Human Rights Watch report said that big brand retailers like Joe Fresh, Adidas and Gap are all operating in Cambodian factories with extremely poor working conditions.
According to the Toronto Star “in 2013, HRW said it interviewed workers who produced clothes for Marks & Spencer and Joe Fresh and other big brands who said they were on three-month fixed contracts that were repeatedly renewed for more than two years and that workers were paid wages below $80 (U.S.) a month”
“Joe Fresh did not provide information on its approach to remediation for workers in an unauthorized production unit when the existence of such a unit was brought to its attention. They reiterated that their suppliers were aware that unauthorized subcontracting would lead to a termination of the business relationship,” the HRW report said.
That wasn’t the first time Joe Fresh has been under fire for the working conditions in the fast fashion brand’s overseas sweatshops. In 2013, a factory collapse in Bangladesh killed more than 230 people.
