Like most consumers, I had no idea about the consequences of my shopping sprees until Milk and Honey asked me to research the impact that Western buying habits have on the developing world. What I discovered was a world-wide chain of exploitation, false advertising and misinformation.
How many of the brands below do you recognize?
Always, Covergirl, Duracell, Max Factor, Gillette, Wella, Lenor, Braun, Head & Shoulders, Febreeze, Fairy, Oral B, Hugo Boss, Olay, Herbal Essences, Ariel, Pampers, Pantene, Tampax, Venus.
How many of their products do you own? How many times have you unknowingly funded child-labour, animal testing, unethical labour laws or environmental damage? Each of the companies listed above, rank lowest in ethical trade league tables, yet they are some of the most well-known, regularly advertised and biggest selling brands in Western markets.
Sweatshop Slavery
Globalization of the economy has led to many manufacturers moving to developing countries in a hunt for those who will accept the lowest wages. Although these companies do bring work to otherwise poverty-stricken regions, they also regularly fail to enforce labour laws and take advantage of those whose circumstances mean they have no choice but to accept the meagre pay and conditions on offer.
Sweatshop workers can expect to suffer starvation, verbal abuse and excessive overtime, at the end of which they are not paid enough even to support themselves and their families. Brands can often refuse responsibility for this blatant violation of human rights because the factories are not run through them directly; they instead use a web of contractors in many different areas to assemble a single product.
Child Labour
Many of us in the West would be appalled to discover that our jeans, jackets, jewellery, were the products of child-labour. Yet the international minimum age for employment is 15. Extreme poverty means that the majority of children in the developing world are denied an education, and thus, according to global statistics, 115 million have to engage in hazardous labour, at an age when their Western counter-parts are attending school.
Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Yemen have the highest rates of child labour in the world and work can involve anything from mining or transporting chemicals.
Always ASK!
Boycott is not always the answer. Almost all clothing manufacturers make use of cheap labour in some form, in order to compete with the world’s vast and highly competitive economy. It is therefore ineffective to blanket-boycott an endless array of producers, many of whom cannot afford to alter their labour policies. However, businesses rely on pleasing their consumers. Voice your concern about your favourite brands and let them know that this will have an impact on your spending patterns in the future.
Do Your Research!
Ignorance is no excuse when it comes to the welfare of millions of workers across the globe. Although I’ve found that independent information about unethical trade practices is not often made readily available to consumers, it is possible to become better informed and make small changes to the way you shop.
Guides such as The Better World Shopper by Ellis Jones and Australian website, The Ethical Consumer Guide take into account a companies impact on human rights, animal protection, the environment and social considerations. It’s also a good idea to check news updates and look which brands fall under the same company ownership.
For example, some of the worst offenders are manufacturing giant Proctor and Gamble and Swiss confectionary company Nestle.
The boycott of Nestle products across Europe and the US is still on-going since the company promoted the use of instant milk formula over breastfeeding in developing countries. This action led to formula being mixed with contaminated water, where clean supplies were not available. Babies were given mixtures made-up in disease ridden, unhygienic conditions, and often received inadequate nutrition as mothers attempted to save supplies.
From furniture to fast food…vote with your purse!
It’s easy to make a huge impact on the organisation of labour just by shopping responsibly. There are thousands of companies that make their products ethically. The Body Shop, Lush, Ikea and Ben and Jerry’s all invest in responsible manufacturing.
The Fair Trade organisation also ensures decent wages, conditions and investment opportunities are made available to producers. Look out for Cafedirect, Clipper teas, Divine chocolate and everything else with a Fair Trade stamp.
Or…
Take a step in the right direction with Fair Trade Fortnight. Simply switching your brand of shampoo or pet food alters the pattern of consumer habits and can help to make a fairer world for everyone.
