Canadian outdoor retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) has announced the launch of its first in-house line of Fair Trade Certified apparel. Fair Trade Certified MEC t-shirts will be available late this summer online and in the company’s 17 brick-and-mortar stores. The apparel will include MEC’s long-running, popular line of organic cotton women’s short and long-sleeved t-shirts. Men’s t-shirts will be added to MEC’s Fair Trade Certified line next spring.
MEC’s new line of clothing will provide tangible benefits for the factory workers who make the t-shirts in Pithampur, India. For every Fair Trade Certified shirt MEC sells, the company will pay a cash premium directly into a special fund directed by the workers.
David Labistour, CEO, MEC said, “Fair Trade is uniquely positioned to ensure fair wages and safe working conditions for the people who make MEC-brand products. At the same time, the Fair Trade Certified label quickly communicates those benefits to our members who wish to make principled purchases.”
A democratic process will enable the factory workers to decide how to best spend the special fund. They could choose to enhance local community services in support of health care, education or improved transportation infrastructure – or opt to take the premium as a cash bonus to bolster their own incomes.
“By championing Fair Trade Certified apparel in the Canadian marketplace, MEC is supporting factories that prioritize best-in-class conditions while empowering workers to improve their lives and their communities,” said Maya Spaull, director of New Category Innovation at Fair Trade USA. “At the same time, MEC is empowering consumers to wear their values and help to alleviate poverty through every t-shirt purchase.”
