Ethical Manufacturing: Who is Making Your Stuff and Why It Matters.
Let’s start with, what exactly IS ethical manufacturing?
At its core, ethical manufacturing is about taking a top-to-bottom or holistic approach to the entirety of the manufacturing process, with an emphasis on good health for the environment and the people involved.
Prioritizing how their goods are produced is just one step businesses can take to increase consumer consciousness, and encourage other businesses to become more responsible as well.
The shift to ethical manufacturing only becomes more important as our resources continue to be used inefficiently. Making changes is nearing the point of necessity, and away from a classification of a luxury.
Here are some important questions to ask as you consider what it means to stand by ethical manufacturing.
Where is Your Stuff Made?
It’s no secret that there are fast and cheap ways to get things made.
The problem with that is, it’s often at the expense of the environment AND the people who are doing the work.
This is why it’s important to consider where a company’s items come from, when thinking about supporting them.
- Are they using a local or in-country-based manufacturing company?
- Are the workers being paid fair, livable wages?
- Are they using production practices that are environmentally-friendly?
- Are they using resources that don’t contribute to animal suffering (i.e. leather-free, fur-free, etc.)?
More businesses are starting to make it a point of having this information readily available on its website or, at the very least, easily accessible should you inquire directly.
Who Makes Your Stuff?
Even if a company sources its manufacturing needs locally, it doesn’t always mean they’re not contributing to forced or unethical labor.
I’m sure you’ve heard of sweatshops and sadly they’re still a very real issue both in the United States and other countries.
Fortunately, since more “everyday” consumers (like you and me) are asking companies to share their labor practices with the public, it’s shining a light on the issue.
Most people don’t want to support or buy from companies that are taking advantage of or treating their employees poorly.
There’s actually something called the “Exploitation Index.” It measures overall exploitation of workers by country. “For example, 18 percent of factories surveyed [worldwide in 2011] still employ children, 36 percent are not paying the minimum wage, and 89 percent of employees work more than 60 hours per week,” according to inc.com.
Don’t be afraid to ask companies you want to buy from, who makes their stuff!
Why Does it Matter?
Have you heard the expression, “vote with your dollar?”
It means that, as consumers, we have the ultimate power to demonstrate what we will and won’t support, by “voting” with our purchases.
No matter the size of a company, their priority is making a profit. So, if they see that their ethically manufactured goods or practices are outselling their unethical ones, they’ll have to change to stay in business.
“Being an ethical company isn’t enough anymore,” Richard Cellini, vice president of Integrity Interactive, told Industry Week. “Enterprises are being judged by the company they keep, which means the whole supply chain must be ethical. If a dishonest supplier 6,000 miles away disregards manufacturing standards to make more profit, it reflects on the U.S. company that hired the supplier. The public holds the supplier accountable— not the outsourced vendor.”
This is about holding companies accountable and doing our part in ensuring we can keep this planet and our fellow humans from being treated poorly.
If you’re a business owner looking for a supplier with ethical working conditions, start HERE.
If you’re a consumer looking for ideas on questions to ask a company before you purchase from them, start HERE.
Thank you for doing your part to look out for our fellow humans and this, our one and only planet Earth!
