No Sweat: T-shirts that Fight Sweatshops!

Aim: No Sweat! Our T-shirts are made in a workers co-op run by ex-sweatshop workers & we use the profits to fight against sweatshop labour.

             LAST 24 HOURS SALE!! 

  DONATE £20 & CHOOSE ANY T-SHIRT!

                **Reward info: message us your chosen design and sizes**

What we are crowdfunding? 

We want to raise £20,000 to expand our ethical T-shirt project - 'This T-shirt Fights Sweatshops!'

Our T-shirts are unique because they are made in a workers co-op in Bangladesh run by former sweatshops workers and sold wholesale in the UK, ready for people to print their own designs on them. We then use the profits to fund our campaign work and garment worker unions that fight for the rights of workers still stuck in the sweatshop nightmare.

What’s the plan?

Over this past year we have seen our project grow dramatically, going from strength to strength, and we need to expand to keep up with the demand. We want to dramatically increase the number of T-shirts we import as well as introduce other items like hoodies and tote bags. However, for that we need money.

We are looking to raise £20,000 so that we can import larger quantities to meet that growing demand. Raising this money will also give us the funds to start using organic cotton, meaning our T shirts not only fight sweatshop labour, but are better for the planet as well.

Background

No Sweat is a grassroots campaign group. For the past twenty years we have been at the forefront of building global solidarity with workers in the fight against sweatshop exploitation. 

Three years ago we looked at the growing trend for ‘ethical’ clothes and found that not enough emphasis was being placed on workers' rights, so we decided to start our own T-shirt label that not only helps promote theses rights but actively funds the fight against exploitation. Since then we have come a long way. 

We now import around 2,000 T-shirts every quarter, selling to bands, campaign groups and unions that want to print their logos and designs on a truly ethical T-shirt that helps fight exploitation.  

Who Makes Our Clothes?

In 2013, the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed killing 1,136 people. Out of this disaster emerged a new co-op called Oporajeo (which means Invincible in Bengali), set up by some of the survivors, people that until then worked in the sweatshop system. This is the workers' co-op that makes No Sweat T-shirts.

As well as having a say in the organisation, workers at Oporajeo benefit from:

• A living wage
• A share of the profits
• A provident fund
• Interest free loans
• Support with medical fees
• Support with children’s education

While we are looking to switch to organic cotton, the T-shirts Oporajeo produce are high quality products made in a carbon neutral factory, using cotton that is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and Better Cotton Initiative certified. A percentage of their profits are also being put into a ecological projects in the region.

We choose to work with Oporajeo as they show how a garment factory should be run. 

But, our T-shirts are not just about benefiting the people that make them. No Sweat works in solidarity with the workers still facing exploitation in the sweatshop system.

We use the profits raised from our T-shirts to actively fund the fight against sweatshops. That means supporting workers fighting for their rights. Garment worker unions give workers a collective voice to struggle for better conditions. The profits from our T-shirts are used to fund these trade unions in Bangladesh and around the world.

The more T-shirts we sell, the more support we can give to the fight against sweatshop labour. This T-shirt fight’s sweatshops!

What do you get for you donation?

We have No Sweat goodies and a whole range of special No Sweat campaign T-shirts* to offer in reward for helping us achieve our goal, including a special design by illustrator Dan Allen, and a special design from the #PunksAgainstSweatshops campaign we ran earlier this year with our friends at Punk Ethics, designed by illustrator Chris Odgers.**

(* We'll contact you after pledging to confirm the designs and sizes you would like)

(** All T-shirts come with a No Sweat logo as a back print except where indicated)

We need your help!

This is a big task and we need your help! You can help by sharing this crowdfunding campaign on social media and emailing it to friends and comrades. You can also treat yourself to a brand new No Sweat T-shirt through the Crowdfunder! Help us reach our goal so we can make more T-shirts that fight sweatshops!