News / Economic Divide

Consumer sustainability

Friday, 14 April 2017 8:17 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 14 April 2017 8:17 AM ]

250 million children between the ages of five and fourteen work in sweatshops in developing countries.

Human kind faces two critical problems in terms of consumer sustainability. The first issue, is the fact that the World population is growing, and this demands a supply that can meet everyone’s needs. The second, is the selfish need for more.

That means production of goods has to increase to meet the demand: Two very real problems that exist, and both with very unethical solutions. Manufacturers and companies concern is about their bottom line, but at what cost?

The human demand for materialistic items has gone through the roof since the 1980’s. The advancements in technology, advertising and the easy access to more affordable means of advertising through the medium of television made it all the easier for people to see the latest trends, fashions and must have accessories.
As Morris argued in the Human Zoo, people wanted to look the part and play the part, and so began a period of the largest expansion of consumerism ever seen.

With many countries providing cheap labour, factories provided material items, often with things that people didn’t even really need. These factories began to spring up across the globe, with huge brand names attached to them. The costs were low, the output was massive, and the end consumer thought they were getting a good deal.

However, the dark side of the coin was that people were being put through torture making the items. Sweatshops, of which many known brands selflessly use, exploited poverty to the max, and saw workers in torrid conditions, working long hours in hot, cramped and squalid environments as they performed mundane and repetitive tasks for a pittance of wages.

250 million children ages 5 to 14 are forced to work in sweatshops in developing countries. The average worker’s hourly wage in Vietnam: $0.26. This is while a 1.8% price increase to the average consumer would double sweatshop salaries. And as for working conditions: in some cases nothing short of slave labour.
Ethically, most people are unlikely to know about GMO’s. Many may have heard of it, but have never really stopped to consider what it is all about. There is no doubt that there is a strong market for Organic foods, with many supermarkets in the world offering a wonderful range of products with the organic label attached. However, the problem with this is the increased price, which many see as a deterrent.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk