Should I feel bad about shopping at Primark?

Primark is an Irish fashion chain, which currently has one outlet in Berlin (with another one 'coming soon' to Alexanderplatz). Its most prominent characteristic is that its prices are ultra cheap. Its second most prominent characteristic is that people go absolutely nuts in there, shop like crazy and park their social manners at the front door. It's always a crazy frenzy in there!

We have been to Primark Steglitz a few times and I've always felt a nagging conscience of guilt as I shop there -

• How is this stuff so cheap?
• Where are the clothes made?
• Are people being exploited in bringing us these bargains?
• I question myself over the frenzy I witness of mass consumption
• I wonder how bad this is in a sustainability sense.

When I go to Primark, I spend about 10% of my time shopping and the other 90% people watching. It amazes me how people grab the large mesh sacks at the entrance and then proceed to seemingly thoughtlessly fill them up to the brim. I've seen people walk by the clothing racks, and without stopping, pull items off the hangers and into their mesh sacks. One swift move and hardly a glance at what they had just 'bagged'.

Are these people weighed down by their conscience like me? Doesn't seem like it!

On our last trip to Primark we picked up a reasonable amount of stuff for about 13.50 Euros, Shoes, undewear, tights, 3 x tops. Granted a few of these items were on sale.

Still, 13.50 Euros for all of this stuff made me feel bad, that something was rotten along the consumption chain somewhere. I looked through all the clothes to see a place of manufacture but there is none, just a tag with Primark's head office address in Dublin. I don't think the stuff is made in Ireland!

Back at home I thought I should do a bit of investigating to satisfy my curious mind. Now I'll admit my little research project is by no means exhaustive, but it was enough for me to reach my own conclusions. Here's what I found.

How is this stuff so cheap? 
This one is pretty obvious, the clothing is all made in third world countries, where wages are much lower. Additionally, Primark buy and sell in bulk which means they can get better manufacturing prices from their suppliers and also their profit margins per item are likely lower than their other fashion competitors. Finally, Primark say they spend no money on advertising, have no online shopping and also work to keep their other overheads low.

Where are the clothes made?
According to Primark, the clothes are predominately made in China, India, Bangladesh and Turkey.

Are people being exploited in bringing us these bargains?
This is the big one, with persistent rumours of sweatshops and under-age labour operating in these low wage countries (not just for Primark, but any company that sources products from these countries).
Another thing that made news was the building collapse in 2013 in Savar Bangladesh. Some of Primark's clothing came from this factory and the collapse further tarnished the Primark name as sourcing products from exploited workers in poor conditions. No further commercial news followed up anything in regards to Primark's operations, leaving the mud to stick.

In my initial research I started looking for the exploited worker, the under-age labourer - almost expecting to find it. And I did. I was disappointed as I watched a 2011 BBC 'Panorama' program which showed two under-age boys working on Primark garments. Our 13.50 Euro batch of clothes felt so ill-gotten.

But I looked into it further and found out that this BBC program had been fabricated and the two boys filmed and the garmets they were working on were a complete set up - the report was false.

In response to that BBC report and the Bangladesh building collapse, Primark set up and Eithical Trading website (www.primark-ethicaltrading.ie).

Reading through their ethical trading is intersting to learn a bit more about the garment industry in the 'third world'. Most of all, the answers I was seeking were answered by Primark's code of conduct which they claim suppliers and factories must follow in the production of Primark products (http://www.primark-ethicaltrading.ie/howwework/ourcodeofconduct). You can read more at the website, but the core principles are:

• Employment is freely chosen

• Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected

• Working conditions are safe and hygienic

• Child labour shall not be used

• Living wages are paid

• Working hours are not excessive

• No discrimination is practised

• Regular employment is provided

• No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed 

In order to follow up on their code of conduct, audits are carried out on a number of factories by both internal and external auditors. According to Primark's website, among the 'Ethical Trading Initiative' alliance of over 70 companies, they are apparently considered 'leaders' in this field.

So, after checking through all this my conclusion was maybe Primark isn't as bad as I thought.

Primark was always in my mind no different from other companies that manufacture goods in these low wage places. It was the pricing of their goods that made the company seem that it must be worse than the others - but not my opinion is that at least Primark passes their savings on to the consumers. Primark's 2.50 Euro t-shirt probably costs a similar amount for initial manufacturing as other 'high street' brands' yet they charge 2 - 50 times more! presumably keeping the profits for themselves. 

In this instance, of the other companies who charge moderate to premium prices for third world produced goods, who is really getting exploited? I reckon it's us, the consumer!

So, you are probably thinking, okay Mr Vagabond Bohemian, sounds like you a now a cheerleader for Primark...good on you, you've changed your tune.

And to that I say, whoa! not just yet. It's not all roses.

This brings me to my final point....

Mass consumption and sustainability

Primark is part of a trend in the industry called 'fast fashion' - this is a model of disposable fashion, targetting the latest styles, manufactured at the quickest pace to get into stores quickly and priced as low as possible. Some other brands that adopt this model are H&M, ZARA and Topshop.

But Primark has an 'Environmental Sustainability' tab on their ethical trading website - you say...

Pish posh!, the first rule of sustainability is REDUCE, and fast fashion is the very antithesis of reduction. Yes, I'm glad they are at least making some effort to make their processes less harmful and wasteful, but I am still against the model of fast fashion.

You only have to spend time standing in Primark, watching the people go 'Lord of the Flies' on one another and relentlessly buy, buy, buy! for stuff I'm pretty sure they don't really need. So I'm not cool with that.

Conclusion

After all of this, what's my conclusion? Basically, Shopping at Primark is no less ethical than shopping at any other retailer whose products are made in low wage countries. These days, that's almost every one of them - even premium brands have their products manufactured in China, Thailand, Taiwan, Bangladesh, India and Turkey. It's the way of the world. Until there is global equality that will always be the case.

So what's the alternative if you have a problem with the 'exploitation' of third world conditions? Then you can shop at places that make their clothes in Western Europe, America and other first world countries....and pony up huge amounts for basic items of supposed better quality (And that topic is outside the scope of this article).

So my final thoughts are that for me, someone that goes to Primark to pick up some basics - some socks, a t-shirt or a jumper now and then, that's fine. I can stop feeling so guilty and just be happy I'm not getting super ripped off by some other corporate machine.