We rely on many brands and companies for clothes, food and technology. But for some reason, so many of the companies we consume from face allegations for awful practices in their production that we can’t ignore.
I don’t know how it got to this point, or why it’s so difficult for people to just not use child labour to make clothes or simply foster healthy working conditions in general. Is it worth harming other people — including children — just to reduce the cost of production and increase profit?
This idea makes me sick to my stomach, and when I pitched this idea, I didn’t know that a number of brands my family, friends and I have relied on for years are laced with inhumane problems. This realization has left me heartbroken.
For some reason, it’s normalized for large corporations to destroy the environment, use child labour and foster poor working conditions.
So, what companies should we be reluctant to support, and which should purchased from more often?
Nestlé, for example, is one of the largest food and beverage companies. It’s well known for its lower-scale chocolate brands and coffee products, but it has also been battling allegations for child labour practices for more than 20 years.
For context, a key ingredient in chocolate is cocoa, which is harvested from West Africa. In 2015, the U.S. Labor Department reported that more than two million children performed dangerous tasks just to harvest cocoa.
These children had to swing sharp machetes, carry heavy loads across long distances and spray toxic pesticides to name a few. Conveniently, these are all considered the “worst forms of child labour” under international law.
Funny enough, when the first charge happened years ago, Nestlé and their brand representatives made a promise to eradicate child labour from their suppliers. However, in 2019, representatives from Nestlé product companies still couldn’t guarantee that their chocolate was free from child labour practices.
And sadly, that hasn’t changed in 2026. In February, Nestlé USA failed to convince a federal judge to remove past lawsuits accusing the company of eliminating these labour practices in supply.
So, yes, Nestlé is still dealing with these inhumane allegations. What makes me even more enraged is that in the past, Nestlé stated that they supplied their cocoa from areas that are known for child labour, yet they didn’t fully disclose this to consumers!
Additionally, according to Canada’s Modern Slavery Act (2023), companies are required to report on child labour in supply chains. Since cocoa supplied by Nestlé isn’t technically from Canada, can it still face consequences? Is Nestlé violating this Act?
What happened to previous promises to eliminate child labor from over 20 years ago? To what extent can this company keep getting away with unregulated supply chains?
If you wish to stop supporting this company and these practices, be aware of the large brands owned by Nestlé that rely on unsafe working conditions, including:
- KitKat
- Coffee Crisp
- Aero
- Smarties
- Nescafé
- Nespresso
Now, this does not mean that I want everyone who reads this piece to stop eating chocolate or drinking coffee, but maybe before making these purchases, remember where these products came from.
The next company I researched broke my heart as a girl who loves affordable online shopping.
Shein is a massive e-commerce platform that specializes in online purchases at extremely low prices — jewelry and clothes are what they are known for. Shein is a popular brand in North America, especially among young adults.
When I first heard about Shein from my friends, I was blown away by the low prices of absolutely everything, and my joy for the affordability disregarded my ability to step back and question why the heck these prices were so low; it was for a pretty bad reason.
Shein’s whole business model relies on “ultra-fast fashion.” They produce enormous volumes of extremely cheap clothing and materials by rapidly scaling trends and releasing thousands of new styles daily.
Earring and bracelets I’ve bought from Shein break so easily, but that is on purpose. The company hopes that consumers will wear garments only a few times before disregarding it and replacing it with newer, trendier object. Their products are made to break easily and quickly because that’s exactly what fast fashion is all about.
But this practice of disregarding materials quickly contributes extensively to textile waste and landfill overflow, worsening one of the biggest problems our current world faces: climate change.
Shein is the biggest polluter in fast fashion, with their production releasing the highest carbon dioxide emissions compared to any clothes company globally.
But it doesn’t stop there. Investigations and sustainability reports have found that workers in Shein’s manufacturing chain face long hours, low pay and unsafe working conditions — sometimes beyond legal limits — and that children and other vulnerable workers face serious welfare risks.
Great, another company that supports child labor and destroys our environment.
These details about Shein’s supply chain are located nowhere on their website or in their disclosures to consumers, meaning that the company as a whole lacks transparency and accountability.
This affects us as consumers because even though Shein does not manufacture in Canada, purchasing its products online indirectly supports a business model that relies on inhumane and unsustainable labour practices — just like Nestlé.
It makes me feel sick knowing that many people globally, including myself in the past, unknowingly support companies that not only rely on unhealthy working conditions, but also contribute to an unhealthier planet.
It may be affordable, but is it truly worth affordability if we know what we are really supporting?
The final company I wish to talk about is Walmart, one of the major “omnichannel” retailers with over 400 stories and a massive online shopping presence. I’m sure most of us have bought something from there or have at least heard the name.
However, Walmart isn’t any different from these other brands in facing controversy that most of us never knew about.
According to a CBC News report, Walmart has faced criticism for scaling back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, meaning that important commitments in the worker environment are being weakened.
Critics argue that when a major employer deprioritizes DEI practices, it can severely affect workplace fairness, representation and protections for marginalized employees, especially in environments where they barely pay minimum wage.
Beyond DEI issues, in 2023, Walmart Canada has also been criticized by the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) after a complaint from civil society groups. The complaint raised concerns that Walmart’s supply chain may be linked to factories associated with forced Uyghur labour in Xinjiang, China.
While Walmart denied the claims, CORE found enough mixed evidence to keep investigating.
Just like Nestlé and Shein, making purchases at Walmart supports a system that no longer prioritizes workplace equity and inclusion, but relies on unethical labour practices.
There is a recurring theme. I guess to be one of the biggest names in shopping, companies rely on dangerous child or forced labour to give us the affordable prices that only make them more successful.
I find this terrifying because before today, I had no idea that brands I relied on for so long manufacture their products in such awful ways.
But what do we do? How can consumers boycott these practices while also getting the goods they need?
Well firstly, the obvious solutions are to purchase less, or no more, materials from any brands that support child labour, environmental destruction or harm DEI practices.
Upon my research, I have come across three companies that, according to what I can find on the internet, should be trustworthy enough to shop from in Canada.
Firstly, Microsoft is generally considered a stronger sustainability option compared to companies like Walmart or Shein because it has set large-scale environmental targets, like becoming carbon negative, water positive and zero waste by 2030.
It also invests heavily in renewable energy, carbon removal and more sustainable data-centre design, which reduces waste and energy use in its infrastructure.
Secondly, I learned about Encircled, a Canadian slow-fashion brand that is often considered a better alternative to fast fashion companies like Shein, because it focuses on small-batch production, ethical manufacturing in Canada and long-lasting clothing design.
Encircle produces locally, so it’s known for good labour conditions compared to global fast-fashion networks. It also emphasizes sustainable fabrics and reducing overconsumption, encouraging customers to buy fewer, higher-quality pieces.
To be frank, I knew nothing about this company at all, and it’s sad to see that I couldn’t find an ethical clothing company that I already knew.
Finally, Whole Foods Market is considered more sustainable than conventional grocery chains because it prioritizes organic, natural and certified products, along with stricter ingredient standards than many mainstream supermarkets.
It also supports suppliers that focus on organic farming, non-GMO products and environmentally responsible sourcing. Compared to large discount retailers, Whole Foods tends to offer more transparency in food sourcing and promotes healthier, lower-impact food systems.
Honestly, I don’t ask for much. All I want is a company that doesn’t force kids to work. Why is that so difficult to find nowadays?
This article was a real eye opener for me, and I hope it encourages you to look into the brands you support. Do they actually align with your values, or are their practices hard to ignore? If it’s the latter, consider buying from them less — or switching to companies that better reflect the standards you care about.
At the end of the day, the power to support or reject these practices is in our hands, and the choices we make as consumers decide what kind of world we’re willing to accept.