Sweatshop or sustainable? Check the app

Ethical clothing advocate Samantha Jones is developing an app that scans barcodes to tell consumers where and how their clothing is made.

The move comes after a report showed New Zealand’s fashion industry still had a lot of work to do to address worker exploitation in clothing factories.

Jones, who founded Wellington-based ethical clothing brand Little Yellow Bird, said she hoped the app would help to end modern-day slavery.

Consumers were increasingly demanding transparency; however, many brands were unable to track where their garments were being made. The app would help with both, she said.

‘‘I genuinely see it [the app] as the way of the future. The fashion brands that are going to be successful in the future are the ones that can prove where their products have come from.’’

Development of the app was in the early stages, but work was progressing after Jones secured $1.2 million of non-equity funding from NEM, a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency and blockchain platform.

Jones is the first woman globally to have a project funded via the NEM community fund.

The app would work when the consumer scanned a code, most likely a QR code, on the tag of a garment. The code would then display a full list of details from grower to consumer.

Legislative changes in some countries around the world meant some clothing brands were being forced to provide consumers with information about the supply chain, she said.

In New Zealand no such changes had been discussed, Jones said.

‘‘New Zealand is a bit further behind, but I think it’s something that is going to become more of an issue. Hopefully, New Zealand can be leaders in this space.’’

In April, Tearfund and Baptist World Aid Australia released the 2018 Ethical Fashion Report, which found that just five of the 18 New Zealand companies received top marks.

As a result, some Kiwi designers hit back, saying the time frame to provide the information for the report was unrealistic.

At the time, Tearfund education and advocacy co-ordinator Claire Hart said that although there was a raised awareness about exploitation in the fashion industry, a big shift in consumer behaviour was yet to occur.