Folks, a friend recommended to me the article below on the cotton industry. I was not surprised but troubled. It has made me want to know more and more about products that are "fair-trade" (vs. merely "free-trade" and about organic products.
While some may bemoan big business and big money, the fact is this: what drives our economy is consumer demand. So the moral resposibility is ours to decide how we consume.
Here is an odd idea: maybe there is already enough stuff (clothes, household items, etc) out there that we could join the many (like Catherine and me) who prefer to buy used. It's spending you can feel good about!
Anyway, check out the article and remember, what we wear and what we eat and what we drive and how we live all have moral ramifications!
Fashion Victims: the Truth About Cotton
2 comments:
In the last few weeks, when I have been learning more about the various abuses that go on in many industries, I have gained a new perspective on what being a responsible consumer means. Rather than worrying about buying things for as cheap as possible, I am starting to consider more carefully how my actions affect people around the world. When I buy gas I think about national security; when I drive I think about polar ice caps; when I throw things out I picture a dump; and reading this article, now, is making me think twice about where my clothing comes from. It presents a really difficult problem because if I knew for a fact that the t-shirt I'm buying caused even one child to suffer, then it's not worth it to me to buy it. On the other hand, I really can't afford a new certified organic, fair-traded t-shirt. I think a good compromise is to go ahead and buy the used t-shirt; but what happens when I need a quality suit for work that fits me properly or need to dress more professionally? Surely not all of a person's clothing can come from a second-hand store, and yet I don't predict that I'll have the money to buy those items from a high-end supplier who can gaurantee that no children suffer in the process. So it's just a hard issue to navigate.
More people need to know where the things they use everyday come from. I had no idea that children picked cotton to be used in our clothing. It is sad to see that they are put in danger and paid very, very little for their efforts. Buying used items usually does not work out very well, especially with clothing. As Kirsten has said, clothing has to fit us. We can't buy something that is too small for us and we cannot buy something that looks filthy. Americans need to learn how to conserve so we do not throw out our clothing and buy other ridiculously high priced clothing. We need to learn how to use something until it "dies" out, such as a coffee pot or a tv. I am happy with my "regular" tv but for some reason, others think that they must go out and buy that flat paneled tv. If it works, use it!!
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