If you really want to know what your favorite brand-name retailer is up to, you have to build a corporate profile. Here s how the MSN does it. The biggest obstacle to researching the practices of apparel retailers is that, as a rule, they do not disclose where their clothing is made. While the country where the product was made is listed on the label, information is not available on the location of the factory. Companies claim that this is proprietary information and that releasing it would hurt their competitive edge.
Critics say that companies withhold information to hide labour rights abuses.
But the veil is being lifted. Under pressure from student groups, more and more companies producing clothing for universities have been forced to disclose the locations of factories produce collegiate clothing. Full public disclosure across the industry is the next step. The label on any piece of clothing you buy will include the brand name and logo. It will also tell you the country in which the clothing was made and the registration or CA number.