WHO MAKES YOUR BAND MERCH?
SOLIDARITY BETWEEN MUSICIANS AND GARMENT WORKERS
The music and garment industries share a common struggle against exploitation. For too long, the financial recovery of one has been built on the backs of the other. It is time for artists to take a definitive stand for genuinely ethical merchandise.
Since streaming giants like Spotify continue to offer unsustainable royalty rates, touring merchandise has become the financial lifeblood for musicians. However, if this gear is produced in sweatshops with poverty wages and unsafe conditions, the artist’s survival comes at the cost of human rights in the Global South.
In 2019, No Sweat partnered with Punk Ethics uniting generations of artists in a pledge for ethical sourcing. Today, we are expanding this movement across all genres. We believe that “building back” isn’t enough—we must build differently.
This isn’t just about ethical shopping; it’s about worker solidarity. Corporations have become experts at “greenwashing” and “whitewashing” to hide exploitation behind corporate social responsibility jargon.
We demand a living wage for all—from the stage to the sewing machine. By choosing ethical merch, bands move beyond surface-level activism and join a global fight against the profit-over-people machine.
The Punk Ethics campaign
The #PunksAgainstSweatshops campaign remains a landmark in the fight for ethical merchandise. Through its campaign film, punk artists confronted the inherent contradiction of singing about social justice while wearing or selling garments born of exploitation.
A Lasting Commitment
Over 100 punk bands joined this movement, making a definitive pledge to source their merchandise ethically. We are proud that a significant number of these artists chose to partner with No Sweat proving that a non-exploitative supply chain is not only possible but sustainable.
Beyond Merchandise
This initiative was never just about the T-shirts; it was a about international solidarity. While many corporations have refined the art of “greenwashing” and “whitewashing” to mask profit-driven exploitation, this campaign prioritised transparency and direct support for worker-led organisations.
The goal of Punks Against Sweatshops has always been to support global movements fighting for garment workers’ rights. By showcasing a better way of doing business, it helped lay the groundwork for a world where ethical sourcing is no longer an “alternative” choice, but the industry norm.