OK, I went shopping for bits and pieces for my bag project; didn't find anything acceptable! So instead I wandered around aimlessly, diving into random stores. I also went to Zara and H&M, which I hardly ever do. And I was seriously disgusted by some of the stuff; wobbly zippers, crooked seams, superbad materials.
I used to shop at places like H&M 10-15 years ago, and I don't remember the quality as being this low. I also have to say that the quality of some of the pricier stores and labels also seem to have been slipping for some years now. Maybe I've simply become pickier, or is it a fact?
This is nothing new, but I would say it has to do with maximizing profits; cutting corners when it comes to the materials used and out-sourcing production, most often to cheaper/poorer countries where unskilled labour has to work long hours for next to nothing. And, of course, the quality goes down as a result. This more or less hit me on a personal level today when I examined a garment and checked the label: Made in China. The job I do seems to be destined to be taken over (to a large extent) by a Chinese company, and I have seen the kind of quality they deliver... So I am feeling sort of depressed and not entirely objective here... I'm sure I could find a new job, but I'd hate to leave my current one...
Is it OK that companies move production to the cheapest possible place while still charging us top dollar for the goods?
Is it ethical to produce stuff in countries or places where people don't have basic human rights and/or work under sweatshop conditions?
Is it OK to buy stuff that is practically sweatshop-made?
Relocation of production appears to be escalating; is it OK that people become unemployed in Europe/North America because production is cheaper elsewhere?
If people are unemployed, who will be able to afford to buy the stuff?
Disclaimer: I know that some excellent stuff is also made in China and other countries, but the cheap mass manufactured goods are not among them.
I used to shop at places like H&M 10-15 years ago, and I don't remember the quality as being this low. I also have to say that the quality of some of the pricier stores and labels also seem to have been slipping for some years now. Maybe I've simply become pickier, or is it a fact?
This is nothing new, but I would say it has to do with maximizing profits; cutting corners when it comes to the materials used and out-sourcing production, most often to cheaper/poorer countries where unskilled labour has to work long hours for next to nothing. And, of course, the quality goes down as a result. This more or less hit me on a personal level today when I examined a garment and checked the label: Made in China. The job I do seems to be destined to be taken over (to a large extent) by a Chinese company, and I have seen the kind of quality they deliver... So I am feeling sort of depressed and not entirely objective here... I'm sure I could find a new job, but I'd hate to leave my current one...
Is it OK that companies move production to the cheapest possible place while still charging us top dollar for the goods?
Is it ethical to produce stuff in countries or places where people don't have basic human rights and/or work under sweatshop conditions?
Is it OK to buy stuff that is practically sweatshop-made?
Relocation of production appears to be escalating; is it OK that people become unemployed in Europe/North America because production is cheaper elsewhere?
If people are unemployed, who will be able to afford to buy the stuff?
Disclaimer: I know that some excellent stuff is also made in China and other countries, but the cheap mass manufactured goods are not among them.
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