Fair Trade Shoes?

I am thinking about buying these shoes.

But before I parted with the cash I thought I would put my money where my mouth was last week and contact Clarks to find out about the working conditions of those who make the product.

Within two days I had this response.

"Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

At Clarks, everything we do is built on our strong ethical heritage and the way we do business is underpinned by a strong sense of our responsibility as an international shoe manufacturer.

Clarks also attaches real importance to the welfare of our employees and those employed by our vendors/suppliers. Our Code of Practice sets the standards for the way we expect our vendors and suppliers to operate in the production of all Clarks' products. It requires compliance with all local legal and regulatory requirements and supports the core labour principles of the International Labour Organization.

Clarks shoes are manufactured in a number of countries, predominantly in Asia including China, Vietnam, India and Cambodia. Wherever manufacturing is located, the welfare of the people who are employed by our suppliers to make our products is very important to us. It's really important that we understand the working conditions of people making Clarks products and we do this by auditing and assessing our supplier factories.

The scope of our audit programme currently covers factories producing the majority of footwear for the Clarks group of companies all in geographic locations. The information gathered through these audits informs our sourcing decisions and helps us work with our suppliers to ensure that the high standards that we expect in our products are reflected in the working environments in which they are made. We have a specialist team at Clarks who review and audit working conditions in factories that we use, as well as using an internally recognised audit service provider.

I do hope that my email will help to answer your concerns and thank you once again for your kind interest in our brand."

Before I go I thought I would share a flashback with you.

What I wore four years ago today.
It made made smile - the only item I still have is the necklace.