Campus bookstore begins selling new fair trade products

By Ruby Gee     10/21/10 7:00pm

Since the beginning of this year, the campus bookstore has been selling a new brand of clothing known for paying their workers a livable wage. Created by the American company Knights Apparel, the Alta Gracia brand uses workers from the Dominican Republic who are paid wages approximately three times more than the minimum wage earned by other workers of the same industry and country.Like the fair trade coffee sold at Coffeehouse, the Alta Gracia products reflect Rice's efforts to address student concerns about the origins of the products sold on campus.

"I didn't know about [the new Alta Gracia products]," Hanszen College freshman Jennifer Lee said. "As an institution for higher learning [though], I think that it is imperative for Rice to sell products that are not from sweatshops."

Currently, a T-shirt and hoodie are available for purchase, priced at $17.98 and $34.98, respectively. Corporate Communications Manager Karen Discala, of Barnes and Noble College Booksellers, said that her company plans on selling a wider collection of Alta Gracia merchandise in the future.

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"We became aware of Knights Apparel's intention to launch this new clothing line a few years ago when the idea was just beginning to take shape," Discala said. "We were very enthusiastic about Knights Apparel's vision and we gave them our full and long term support for the Alta Gracia clothing line."

The Alta Gracia products and their fair trade status have not been extensively advertised so far. Student interest in fair trade products such as the Alta Gracia line has varied, as students like Jones College sophomore Jeremiah Umoh said they prioritize cost and quality over other factors.

"Unfortunately, my level of apathy causes me to not be concerned with the origin of the apparel, just whether it's a good deal," Umoh said.

The campus bookstore has been conscious of the origins of their products in the past as well, deliberately not carrying products from China. The bookstore has, for instance, sold apparel from Edun LIVE, a brand that aims to increase trade in impoverished regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

A member of the Fair Labor Association, the company behind the campus bookstore requires all vendors who supply products to their stores to adhere to the FLA Code of Conduct, which they personally adopted in 1998. The FLA Code of Conduct outlines the rights of factory workers, such as compensation for overtime work.

"Barnes & Noble College Booksellers is committed to fair labor standards," Discala said.

Sid Richardson College junior Francesca Schley said the assurance of sweatshop-free origins would impact her purchases at the campus bookstore.

"I try to buy fair trade when I'm grocery shopping, so I think it's really cool," Schley said. "As long as there's a style I like.

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