Materials in Toms

I have not had much luck finding further information on TOMS manufacturing processes. As I mentioned at our last meeting, TOMs shoes that we receive in North America are manufactured in China, while many of the shoes that are given to other countries are manufactured in Argentina and Ethiopia. While I think it is a positive that TOMs is setting up factories in the countries where they donate shoes, it is still problematic to me that most of their shoes are made in China. I have no idea what the working conditions are like in their factories, so even though they say that they are regularly audited, I cannot be sure that they are not produced through sweatshop labor.

http://whereamiwearing.com/2011/04/06/toms-shoes/


This blog contemplates the problem of Toms business model. While it is excellent they are doing something to be socially conscious, they are not helping solve the problem of poverty in these countries. As the blog says, " someone giving you a pair of shoes would sure be nice if you didn’t have a pair. But a job that allows parents to send their kids to school could change your family tree forever." 


Now on to the materials in the actual shoes. I think Shauna's research into cotton is helpful for understanding the fabric part of the shoes, as well not all toms are made with cotton, the company uses a variety of different fabrics and it would be difficult to track where each of them is extracted from. Therefore, for my conclusion I would rather just focus on where materials like the ones in the shoes come from, and so Shauna's research is very helpful.


Latex is used as the material for the soles of the shoes. Rubber can be produced naturally or synthetically and that again proposes a problem. But I will be posting tomorrow on the harvesting of rubber in other countries in order to create a fuller picture of where TOMS come from.