Although somewhat dubious, there is an argument for the ethical shopper to visit Primark: with the often stupid amounts of money saved on their goods, you can put more into your fund for the groundbreakingly green products that are inherently more expensive; things like Worn Again shoes.
So it was with a sense of conflict that I decided to venture into the Primark flagship store yesterday, reminding myself of the above argument but ultimately aware of its desire to join in the fun and bag a bargain. But, at the back of the store, a little bit of internal peace could be found: Primark have launched a range of organic cotton sheets and pillowcases! This complements the organic cotton tees, boob tubes, bras and briefs already on sale.
Organic cotton’s a fantastic thing to support, not just to benefit yourself by having something pesticide-free against your skin for a change, but also because it’s a huge help to the environment, health and livelihoods of those in developing countries. Organic farming maintains the quality of the soil, whereas pesticides strip it of its nutrients. But the really shocking fact is that 20,000 farmers die every year by ingesting the pesticides as they spray. If you want to find out more about the effects take a look at this.
Priced at £8 for a fitted double sheet and £4 for a pair of pillowcases, they’re really quite reasonable, and rather attractive in their natural cotton colour, although it seems they’ve still been dyed. But it’s great to see them taking the issues seriously. And of course, as well as supporting high street ethical fashion by voting with your wallet, you can have even more positive influence if you ask to speak to the manager and tell him how pleased you are, or drop them a line at enquiries@primark.co.uk.
