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Posted on March 4: McMaster makes ethical purchasing no sweat

In Titles Bookstore, a student holds a maroon sweater with the McMaster crest and words of the University emblazoned artfully across the chest. The student is thinking about more than the cost or trendiness of the sweater. Instead he asks, "where was this sweater made?" It's a question asked by more students and the University has responded. Not only does McMaster have one of the most comprehensive and emulated no sweat' and fair trade' purchasing codes in the country, it now requires that all McMaster suppliers that fall under the code certify they are compliant with it. McMaster's purchasing codes cover all licensed goods and apparel purchased by the University. Click here to read a background on the codes. "A code isn't worth anything unless there is compliance with it," says Don Wells, who teaches labour studies and politics at McMaster, and has worked on McMaster's 'no sweat' and 'fair trade' buying codes. McMaster is one of the only Canadian universities to require its suppliers to complete a compliance form, according to Ian Thomson of Maquila Solidarity Network, a Canadian network promoting solidarity with groups in Mexico, Central America, Africa and Asia. The University of Toronto has developed a compliance form for its licensees. In the United States, close to 200 colleges and universities that are affiliated to the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) and/or Fair Labor Association (FLA) require their licensees to do likewise, he says.