|
 |
|
Child
labour - out of the wardrobe
The first Australian
Fashion Report, launched by Baptist World Aid and
Not For Sale Australia,
assesses the ethical practices of 128 clothing brands,
providing a detailed grading of the systems companies
have in place to protect the workers in their supply chain
from exploitation, forced labour and child labour. See
Age
article (18/8/13) > See full
report |
| “If
companies don’t know or don’t care who is producing their
clothes, it’s much harder to know whether workers are
exploited or even enslaved”. What companies know:
> 39% know where
their garments are manufactured (61% don't)
> 24% know where
their garments are weaved, knitted and dyed (76% don't)
> 7% know where
their cotton is sourced from (93% don't)
For company profiles,
related issues and positive alternatives, see Shop
Ethical! Clothing. |
|
|
 |
|
Chemicals
on crops
Australia's chemical
regulator has cancelled
the use of eleven ester 24D chemical products due
to evidence of unacceptable environmental damage and spray
drift.The chemical is mostly used to control weeds in
broadacre crops (28/8/13). See previous Four Corners report
Chemical
Time Bomb (22/7/13) to see the human cost.
|
|
There are still many chemicals available in Australia
that have been banned in Europe. See the 2010 National
Toxics Network/WWF list
and the 2011 Choice report.
(Note: Endosulfan has
been banned in Australia since these reports). FOE's
2012 'The
Dose makes the Poison?' report outlines foods with
high levels of pesticide detections. >
Where possible, for these foods, choose organic -
especially for apples, wheat, strawberries, and pears.
|
|
 |
|
Kellogg's
- stand up for the rainforest!
Snack and cereal
giant Kellogg's
is being criticised over it’s partnership with Wilmar
International, a huge palm oil trader responsible
for illegally logging Indonesia’s national forests.
Wilmar ranked last among Newsweek's
500 most sustainable companies (receiving a
worse “green score” than Exxon Mobil, Monsanto,
and China Coal)
> Tell
Kellogg's to cut ties with Willmar, unless it
agrees to clean up its act! |
|
|
 |
|
Give
a folk! ... 7th-14th October
Host a dinner party
with a difference. Our friends at Sustainable
Table are running a campaign to raise awareness
about our food and our oceans. Get a group of friends
together for a sustainable seafood dinner
party. You'll receive a host pack and all
the resources to cook a delicious sustainable seafood
dinner. > More
|
|
>
Find how our oceans are endangered with Greenpeace's
This
Fishy Business infographic.
> Choose sustainable
seafood at greenpeace.org.au/tuna
and sustainableseafood.org.au |
|
|
|
Quick
bites ...
- The REDcycle
program collects soft plastics,
such as food wrappers, with bins at Coles stores. Replas
will recycle them into outdoor furniture and signage
(15/2/13)
- The Queensland Government
has significantly weakened its free range egg
standards, raising the allowable stocking density
from 1,500 birds per hectare to a massive 10,000 per
hectare while outdoors (29/7/13) Voiceless.
> Please email
the Queensland Government to encourage them to support
the model code.
- Iconic Australian
tomato sauce brand Rosella has been
rescued from oblivion by Sabrands,
the family-owned Australian company behind Sunraysia
fruit juice. This is the sixth ownership change since
Rosella began in 1895, including 40 years with Unilever.
(14/8/13) Herald
Sun
- We have a new web
resource for church communities - 'Go
ethical in your Church'.
- Stop and reflect.
Check out these Mirrogram
T-shirts. They transform when looked at in the mirror.
SHOP becomes VOTE. Worth a look!
|
|
|
