Bolivia Textile Workers Demand Ban on Sale of Used U.S. Clothes

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivia Textile Workers Demand Ban on Sale of Used U.S. Clothes

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By Jonathan J. Levin

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Bolivian textile workers marched through the capital to condemn used clothing imports from the U.S., saying the tattered sweaters and community-league sports jerseys are destroying jobs in the domestic clothing industry.

The government-organized march today of about 5,000 workers came after tens of thousands of used-clothing vendors from flea markets nationwide protested a proposed ban on the sale of the imports. Police in riot gear guarded government ministries amid concern the vendors, demanding postponement of the ban, might clash with the marchers.

The attempted shutdown fits a pattern in the poor South American country where President Evo Morales last year outlawed cars more than five years old to alleviate traffic and fuel shortages. Morales faces broader opposition to prohibition of used attire, a source of jobs and the clothes worn by much of the country’s poor population, a voting block Morales is counting on in elections Dec. 6.

“We’re coming out to show the people that the only way to make the country grow is to produce, export,” said Luis Fernando Perez, secretary general of Universaltex SA, which runs a La Paz-based textile factory.

The sale of used clothing cost the country of 10 million about 107,000 jobs over a six-year period, the Bolivian Foreign Commerce Institute said in an e-mailed report on Jan. 14. According to the report, about 8,000 tons of the clothes were imported into Bolivia each year, about 90 percent of it without government permits.

More:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aBOIfPJmPnWs&refer=latin_america

[Judi Lynn]

1. Can't believe someone is selling our old clothes as their "new" clothes.

When most of us give clothing to charities, we have NO interest in profit from them. To know there are people taking these clothes no one wants and selling them at a profit to people who can't afford new ones is disheartening.

[Bacchus39]

2. what are the people who can't afford new clothes supposed to wear?

if US citizens don't want them then why care what happens to the clothes?

at least they are being used by people who do want them. Also, the government official's claim was odd. They want to grow the economy and export. Well, exporting means sending the clothes elsewhere. there are alot of countries that produce clothing for the US market. Look at your shirt or blouse label. Produced by people who can't afford to buy them themselves.

I can't believe he banned cars more than 5 years old. that isn't exactly ancient. I doubt that even for people who happen to own vehicles in Bolivia that trading in is an easy thing to do economically.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Morales to ban used clothing in Bolivia

Morales to ban used clothing in Bolivia
Posted 7/17/2007 5:42 PM |

EL ALTO, Bolivia (AP) — Those stained T-shirts and stretched-neck sweaters you clean out of your closet may one day wind up heaped waist-high on a plastic tarp in this chilly Andean city's vast outdoor market.

Clothes dropped off at charities in the United States and Europe are often sold and delivered to the developing world, where each year $1.2 billion in used clothing sent from wealthy nations are rummaged through by poor shoppers in search of a bargain.

It's a business that Bolivian President Evo Morales considers shameful. In April, his Andean country became the 32nd nation to ban or restrict used clothing imports in an attempt to protect native clothing industries.

~snip~
The Bolivian Institute of Foreign Commerce estimates just 7% of used clothing enters Bolivia legally — raising doubts whether Morales can actually halt the trade. Legal and illegal imports make up an estimated $40 million business annually.

Street vendors get their wares from middlemen who buy from bulk importers. Some re-tailor choice pieces; others just slash open the bales and let customers forage at prices as low as 25 cents a T-shirt or 63 cents a sweater.

It's a slim profit margin, but all the sellers need is a tarp to lay the clothes on.

Critics say this bare-bones business devours about half of Bolivia's clothing market and forces Bolivian producers to keep costs down by using cheap imported Chinese cloth and turning out shirts and pants that are both more expensive and of lower quality than the U.S. castoffs.

The stigma is so entrenched that some Bolivian-made jeans are tagged 'Made in Chile' just so Bolivians will buy them.

Bolivians do have a proud history when it comes to clothes. The Inca were such avid weavers that they kept records in complicated systems of knotted ropes called quipus. Aymara women created their own signature look of fringed shawl, layered skirt and elegant bowler hat.

But today, Bolivia's handmade alpaca sweaters are too expensive for the locals and are sold mainly to tourists. Even Morales' famous striped sweater is acrylic.

More:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2007-07-17-bolivia-clothing_N.htm

[Judi Lynn]

4. Tempers fray in Bolivia over used clothing imports

Tempers fray in Bolivia over used clothing imports
Posted on: Friday, 24 February 2006, 08:17 CST

By Helen Popper

EL ALTO, Bolivia (Reuters) - That Gap pullover you gave to charity might have ended up on sale at El Alto's muddy, makeshift market where mountains of imported second-hand clothes help dress the people of the impoverished Bolivian city.

Stretched out on plastic sheets among the puddles, men and women rifle through heaps of tangled tracksuits, velvet jackets and sweaters, hoping to pick up a quality brandname for less than a dollar. The scene at the market in El Alto near La Paz is played out at markets around the country.

"My baby is dressed in second-hand clothes," says young mother Victoria Bautista, gesturing at her sleeping daughter. "It helps us to economize and you sometimes find things that are much better quality than Bolivian-made stuff."

The flood of used clothing pouring into Bolivia -- much of it contraband -- angers local manufacturers. And though Bolivia is South America's poorest country, critics say accepting cast-offs from the United States and Europe is an affront to national pride.

"Our ancestors did not use second-hand clothes. It was seen as an offense to our dignity and in Aymara culture it is bad luck to wear someone else's clothes," said Emilio Gutierrez, who represents small businesses in El Alto and is leading the fight against the trade. "A lot of it is rubbish," he added.

More:
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/405722/tempers_fray_in_bolivia_over_used_clothing_imports/index.html

[Bacchus39]

5. sounds like a dilemma for Evo

He wants to promote the industry but people can't afford the clothes the industry produces. this happens all over Latin America. its actually somewhat amusing to see a guy wearing a t-shirt that says "I'm a Bitch"

do you have any idea the amount of work and effort goes into producing traditional clothing on a loom? yeah, you probably don't.