9 August 2007

Country of Origin for clothing and footwear could be for the bin

The Green Party is shocked and surprised to hear the Government has plans to scrap country of origin labelling for footwear and clothes.

"Consumers will be alarmed by government plans to dispense with the requirement that clothes and footwear carry country of origin labels identifying where they have come from, once 'residual tariff' issues have been resolved," Green Consumer Affairs Spokesperson Sue Kedgley says.

In response to a parliamentary question, the Prime Minister claimed the only reason New Zealand has mandatory country of origin rules for clothing and footwear was because of residual tariffs and that those country of origin rules will go when we get to a situation of not applying tariffs.

"I am utterly dismayed that the government is intending to get rid of the requirement for labels on clothing and footwear identifying where it has come from," Ms Kedgley says.

"Without this, consumers have no idea whether they are buying t-shirts from China or Christchurch, Levin or London," Ms Kedgley says. "Such a move would undermine both our fragile textile industry and the Buy Kiwi Made campaign.

"Australia has gone in the opposite direction. It requires country of origin labelling for goods as diverse as food, medicines, kitchenware, textiles, jewellery, leather products, electrical items, toys, footwear and apparel.

"Many consumers want to support the few remaining local manufacturers which still make clothing and footwear. Others do not want to purchase goods from countries where there are sweatshops, workers on subsistence wages and very poor environmental standards.

"If consumers feel as strongly about this issue as I suspect they do, we will launch a further campaign to retain mandatory country of origin rules for clothing and footwear," Ms Kedgley says.

ENDS

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