I was reading some reviews about Primark on a...

[Poopsy]

...website. One person described them as an unethical trader? What does that mean?

[jacg]

I think it means that the clothing they sell in their stores is manufactured using materials which are not renewable and/or using cheap labour probably in a third world country.

Their clothes are really cheap in price so I wouldn't be that surprised to find out they had been made in some sweatshop somewhere.

[laydeeheartless]

But then practically everything out there is made abroad in sweatshops. Take Sportshops...companies like nike etc make their items in sweatshops which are probably made as cheap as £5 and they sell them for like £70-80 or even more. Thats how the market is. However at least with places like primark i guess your paying as much as theyre being made. I totally support companies who defend workers and fairtrade...but these companies are ones that are selling clothing that is expensive because of it...so there needs to be a way that everyone can support fairtrade whilst not losing out on their money too.

[GoldenLady]

It probably means that Primark's clothes are made using using materials which are not renewable and/or using cheap (most likely third world) labour.

Primark is by no means the only retailer that has been accused of these practices; many multinational companies, such as Nike, have been accused of using unethical means to boost their market share and profit growth.