ModEco Kids - children’s design blog about eco-friendly and handmade gifts for babies and kids

Last night I stumbled upon this promotion that’s being organized by Apples’n'Oranges, an online children’s boutique that sells exclusively Canadian brands of clothing, shoes and accessories for kids aged 0-5 years. To participate and have a chance to win some goodies, you need to be a Canadian resident and share your reasons for buying Canadian on your blog or by emailing info[at]apples-n-oranges[dot]com. The contest closes June 28th and the winners will be announced on July 1st - Canada Day! I thought this would make a good post for today.

For me “buying Canadian” means buying products that are actually made in Canada. When I’m shopping I almost always look to see where things are made. I started doing this a few years ago when I became more aware of stuff being made in sweatshops. So, I’d have to say that my primary reason for buying Canadian is to support fair-trade manufacturing and avoid stuff likely produced in a sweatshop. Of course this doesn’t always happen! Even still, I feel it’s important to consider how products are made (is production sustainable? are the people whose labour goes into making the product paid a living wage?) rather than supporting a brand just because it’s a Canadian brand or a retail shop just because it’s local since it doesn’t necessarily mean the products are made in Canada.

I struggle with this dilemma when purchasing shoes, for example. Do I go to the neighbourhood mom-and-pop shoe store and buy my sons shoes that are made in China, or is it better to buy fair-trade shoes from an online store that’s perhaps not even in Canada? For summer shoes this year I bought Canadian-made Crocs but was disappointed to learn that the company is closing its Quebec factory.

While we’re on this topic, I thought take the opportunity to link to a couple of Canadian shops I discovered recently whose focus is on goods that are handmade in Canada by independent artists. Recently launched goodEGG is an online shop that offers a “curated mix of accessories, home wear, and art objects made by the best of emerging and outstanding Canadian craft talent.” For anyone near Halifax there’s also Love, Me Boutique that offers “Canadian handmade, small-run, independent products for wearing, living and giving.”

Technorati Tags: made in Canada, buying Canadian

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June 24th, 2008 Lisa posted in GIVEAWAYS |