a vantage point on activist consumerism
From the category archives:
In the past few days it’s been revealed that six cases of child labour have been uncovered during audits of Apple’s suppliers, flying in the face of the company’s “zero-tolerance policy” towards such practices. According to Reuters, the news caused a stir at one of Apple’s stores in Beijing: Enraged Chinese shoppers pelted Apple’s flagship [...]
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Today the Swedish media reported that more than 200 workers producing H&M garments in Cambodia fainted, after anti-cockroach chemicals were used in their factory. The full report can be found here (in Swedish).
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Of course, many of us have heard how the iPad will revolutionise our lives, how it will make things more convenient and how we’ll go for days without needing to turn on our computers. What many of us hadn’t heard about, until the report in today’s Observer, are the conditions under which these wonders of [...]
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Iran has long been known as a volatile state, prone to violent authoritarian activity that continuously threatens the security of its inhabitants. Telephone calls in Iran are carefully monitored by government security agencies: the slightest whiff of a political discussion and your conversation is hastily disconnected. While most of the world stands by, aghast that [...]
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As I’ve mentioned here before, the industry juggernauts are beginning to notice. They’re beginning to tap into the growing target group that is the Fairtrade consumer. It’s been creeping in for a long time, ever since the pioneer brands (Traidcraft, Cafédirect, Divine, etc.) created enough of a presence to force supermarkets to realize we exist: [...]
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It’s a disturbing thought that a market established on the dreams and imaginations of children could be profiting from the widespread use of sweatshops and unsafe working environments. According to Tim Hunt, of Ethical Consumer Magazine, this is today’s reality and ethically conscientious manufacturers are in the minority: Up to 80% of the world’s toys [...]
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