Shoe manufacture in SE Asia -Jamie Chang's letters to Clarks

Source: http://jamiechang.com

An email I wrote to Clark's:

August 27th, 2008
Hello,

I have been a big fan of Clarks for years now. In fact, for several years, Clarks were the only brand of shoe that I bought. I've was recently disappointed however, when I went to buy a new pair and discovered that Clarks are no longer made in England. According to the sales person at the Clarks store in Mill Valley, California, no Clark shoes are made in England. She informed me that Clarks are all made overseas, primarily in China. This greatly disappoints me. Not so much because I am concerned about the quality of Clarks, but more so because I am concerned with supporting brands that care more for profit than fair, decent wages, building infrastructure in countries used for overseas production, fair healthcare and retirement possibilities, and the impact on the environment. I do not believe in exploitation of people for industry profit. If you can send me information on what Clarks comments are on these matters, I would appreciate it.

Otherwise, I would like to make it known that I would gladly pay the extra $20 or $40 dollars for a pair of shoes, if I had the peace of mind that the hands that crafted them are treated fairly.

Thank you for reading through this, regards,
Jamie Chang

Clark's response:

August 28th, 2008
Dear Jamie,

Thank you for your recent email. Clark’s Customer Service is here to make it easy for you to do business with us. It’s as simple as that.

We understand that you need information on where our shoes are manufactured. Currently, we manufacture shoes in over 12 countries including Brazil, China, India, Italy and Vietnam. We source our products globally due to various factors including cost, availability of materials, and capacity issues within individual countries.

Because we have a diversity of sourcing options, we are not overtaxing any of our factories. We also are continually exposed to new technologies, materials and shoemaking techniques from different areas of the world which each have their own expertise.

Our shoe making processes are up to the same high standards no matter where our factories are located. Leathers, cutting dyes, lasts, and machinery are consistent in quality in all of our factory locations.

While the countries that we produce our shoes in might not have firm labor standards, we here at Clark’s do. All of our factories have to follow our strict standards including hourly wage and work conditions. If these standards are not met, we no longer do business at that location.

If you prefer, or if you have further questions, you may contact our Customer Service Center directly by calling 800-4-CLARKS.

We are grateful for your continued support of the Clark’s family of products.

Thank you,
(employee's name)
Clark’s Consumer Services

My response:

September 3rd, 2008
Hello,
Okay, great. Thanks for your email back. You mentioned that you have strict hourly wages and working standards. I would appreciate it if you elaborated on these things. How much, for example, does a Clark's worker get paid in China and Brazil? Do Clark's factories adhere to individual nation's environmental standards, or something better? Does Clark's provide health care and retirement benefits to workers overseas?

Thank you, regards,
Jamie Chang