I was watching Downton Abbey last night (and imagining I lived upstairs), when my revelry was interupted by an ad for kmart which was advertising that it’s already very “low prices have dropped even lower”. $4 t-shirts, and $8 electric kettles are too good to go past – well so the ad says anyway!
But when we are paying $4 for a t-shirt, we cannot possibly paying for the full cost. I am sure that the store is still making a profit, as is the company that made the t-shirt. So what are we not paying for?
Probably we are not paying the employees who make the t shirt a decent wage. No sick leave, holiday pay, or over time payments. We probably are not paying for a safe working environment either.
We’re not paying for the pollution that the production causes to be cleaned up.
In the western world we have become so used to the idea that cheaper is better, that we have forgotten the true cost of these cheaper goods.
Fair trade coffee and chocolate are common now. We are all happy to pay a little more to ensure that our treats are ethically sourced, yet we continue to purchase all manner of other products that are produced in third world countries by a poorly paid workforce.
I have written before about the ethical dilemmas I have when grocery shopping, and I don’t have the answers to this problem. I don’t even know how you can get ethically sourced clothing or home wares, but I thinks it is time we stop and have a conversation about the true cost of all these cheap goods.
What do you think? Do you know where you can source ethically produced clothes and home wares? I am still getting my head around this issue.
We get mixed up I think with what we feel is a "deserving" wage, when the truth is it cost so much more to "live" here than it does in 3rd world countries. I have been to a developing country and I can tell you their priorities are way different to ours. Yes they earn very little, but their costs are very little also. On an earning of $5 a day, $1 =accomodation $4 food/groceries/petrol for the day some places this can be weekly wage/outgoings .The expectation of buying a new kettle on special or not or just because you want a red one instead of a silver one, just is not there.The culture is very different ,yes children work, it is expected and they think we coddle ours and it is bad for them and this is why we have so many children in gaol or on drugs. We look at things from such a view of entitlement really.The other truth is that our goods from overseas are marked up so much that when they do sell the $35 tshirt for $8 you think as above that its a crime somehow…… but…they get paid the same wage whether our kmart/bigw charges $8 or $38. I actually buy the indo made brand toothpaste,soap, shampoos etc, to keep them employed and a family fed.
I know that it costs a lot less to live in some parts of the world, but when children have to work in sweat shop conditions, and the family cannot afford 3 meals a day, that is not acceptable. My sister lives in south east asia, and has friends who had no breakfast until they were adults because their parents couldn't afford the food for 3 meals. No family wants their children to be hungry or to slave away or to live in poverty. They want their kids to be educated and to have a better life.
I agree with you that it comes down to the fact that western culture feels we are entitled to get what we want when we want it – and we disregard the people who suffer as a result of our disposable culture.
I'm not saying I have the answers because I definitely don't, but I think it is worth discussing what is not included when we buy consumer goods.
I agree, and now, more than ever, in the wake of Tasreen, Rana Plaza and other disasters, we know how appalling the conditions are in which these people have to work. Having the clothes made abroad means that there are loopholes which the larger companies have been able to turn a blind eye to (such as factories subcontracting the work out to sweatshops, unsafe factories, or just not paying attention to whether the clothing is made in safe conditions in the first place). My solution has been to get into making my own clothes where I can, and buying more second hand clothes. However, these don't fix the problems completely. When buying second hand – that's good because it enables the hard up to buy clothes, helps charities, and extends the life of the garment, but was it originally made in safe conditions? When we make our own clothes – was the fabric made in safe conditions? was the thread? was the sewing machine made in good conditions? etc., and how do we know? we need to research it more, so that we can get to the bottom of it, and find the real solutions).
I balance my conscience for enjoying cheap products (now & then) by using hand me downs as much as possible , handing them on and also recycling as much as possible.
I just don't buy much at all. I wear my own clothes forever.I have a sloppy joe/sweater that is 24yrs old ( My brother bought it for my 21st – do the maths and it wasn't cheap)
We bought an electric blanket – Kambrook for $13 – only because one son was getting cold (coming into our bed causing us sleepless nights) His other EB is buried/lost somewhere in a box. It wasn't worth hubby $pending hours looking for it . I still wonder how it could be $13.
I guess that is how I balance my conscience too Trish! I do wish there were ethical options that were affordable. If companies were to make a bit less profit but look after their workforce, I would happily pay an extra few dollars (like I already do for chocolate and tea!). I can't afford and extra $50 for an outfit, but I would find an extra $5 -$10 and buy one less happily!
Many T-shirts are made in the same place with the shops deciding the price. I thought I was paying more for a more ethically produced shirt but discovered I was just giving the shop more profit. The answer has to be that we buy fewer clothes, look after them better and wear them longer. Easier said than done though.
I agree Anne! That is the best choice we have. I just wish there was another option!
The trouble is in these financially difficult times money talks so people, no matter how ethical they want their purchases to be, will most often choose the cheaper options.
You've given me something to think about! I must admit- the other day I was hanging out washing, and noticed that a lot of my kids clothes from Target are now made in Bangladesh instead of China- cheaper costs?
I have heard that bangladesh and cambodia are kind of the new China for cheap manufacture.
I think when it comes to clothing and homewares there is currently more of a focus of ecologically producing the materials, rather than ethically. I agree with you, there is such a long way to go. Although with our budget the way it is, I am pretty grateful for $4 t-shirts – does that make me shameful?
No, it makes you realistic Daisy! That is what I struggle with. I am on a budget and don't even know where to buy ethical clothing, so I don't really have a choice. I have sort of come to the conclusion that op shopping and minimizing my spending on new clothing is a close to ethical as I can get. It bugs me that there aren't really ethical options easily available!
Since Kmart introduced this new pricing policy, I have also wondered how they can be produced so cheaply. It's probably all of the above, as you say Jo, but I continue to source most of my clothing from op shops. It's about the best I can do so far or start making my own clothes again. (I'm not sure I'd like living upstairs all that much. They're faced with so many dilemmas so many times like what gown to wear to dinner or if they should take tea with so and so. I think I'd be happy being middle class. LOL)
Anne xx
this is exactly what I think! Also with the coles new mix and match range.. if its so cheap (after wholesale markup) what pittance are the poor people making it getting.. very very sad!
You are so right Jo.
I will admit to buying a few cheaper t-shirts etc to fill out my wardrobe, but I do tend to by better quality items that will last longer, but even then we don't really know if the people that made the items did so in a safe work environment and were properly remunerated for their time.
And $8 for a kettle? There is no way I would buy that anyway. I wouldn't expect it to last long and I would rather purchase something to last instead of adding it to landfill 6 months down the track and replacing it.
I too am guilty of buying things which are cheap purely because they are. I wish I had the answers! Thanks for sharing Amy!