The China Syndrome – Considering Asian Made Goods
We recently received an email from a customer who laid into us for carrying products made in China.
With all the bad press out there about tainted toothpaste, leaded kid’s toys, poison pet food, and so on it is easy to see why many people have a hard time purchasing Chinese goods. We too are sick and tired of the proliferation of cheap crap coming out of Asian factories. The vast majority of the low price plastic products found in boating supply stores are manufactured in this part of the world.
Anyone who tuned into the Olympics this summer saw images of smog and pollution that even the best Politburo image consultants couldn’t convince us were simply “mist.” There is no denying that China today suffers from intense environmental degradation, and in much of Asia this pattern of 19th century industrialization is causing terrible harm. A look at the statistics on water and air quality over there is straight out of Dickens.
Much has been said about the consequences of the unabated growth in China, most of it accurate and reason for concern.
At the same time, however, we take exception to the idea that everything coming out of Asia is bad and should be avoided at all costs. We don’t expect everyone to agree with our reasons for this stance, but as an environmentally conscious company we feel that a little explanation is a good thing. We welcome your comments, either in agreement or dissent.
For one thing, as patriotic as we are, we have trouble with the blanket thinking that essentially argues that all goods produced in the USA are good and everything from China is bad. For anyone paying attention to history, it is important to recognize that the vast majority of toxins that modern industry has dumped into our waterways were originally synthesized in American laboratories by American companies. The post World War II boom in chemical production is well documented as being driven by American industry. We could go on and on here, but before we throw rocks at other countries for the pollution they cause we might want to look in the mirror first.
Granted, great strides have been made with environmental policy here at home, however, there is still a very strong argument to be made for American culpability in the proliferation of compounds linked to cancers, genetic abnormalities, and countless health problems in human beings and other life forms. As much as we detest the oppressive and misguided policies of the Chinese government, they didn’t bring the world PCBs, PVC, plastic, and so on, we did.
Since any discussion on China vs. America inevitably leads to a review of our different political systems, let’s get this one out of the way right now. We love America. This great nation has done more to secure and promote liberty than any country in the history of the world. We hate communism. The damage done to Mother Earth and mankind in general under communism is immeasurable. At the same time, though, we believe America has made her fair share of mistakes. Our point here is simply that to base a decision about buying, or not buying, goods made in China by exalting our great country over theirs’ might be a bit hypocritical.
Moving beyond the historical and political issues brings us to the current state of affairs we find ourselves confronted with when dealing with suppliers who use Chinese factories. We will not carry goods made in China unless we are certain that the manufacturing facilities involved meet strict criteria.
One of our favorite examples of the oversight we require comes from the apparel supplier we deal with, HT Naturals. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, HT Naturals designs and produces high quality clothing made from such earth friendly materials as organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, and so on. Given the economic realities of profitably manufacturing these items, HTN made the decision to locate their main manufacturing facility in China. Unlike many old-school apparel companies, however, HTN established rigorous and verifiable standards for the operation of their factory.
These common sense provisions include strict environmental standards for air, water, and overall facility operations, banning child labor, implementing an anti-discrimination policy, establishing a living wage, offering affordable health care and maternity leave, and so on. These programs are overseen by managers whose livelihood is tied to their enforcement. HTN executives perform routine inspections and employee interviews to verify everything is proceeding according to plan.
While no system is perfect, we would argue that conditions in the Chinese operations of HTN are vastly superior to what the majority of the world’s textile workers experience.
The point here is that it is possible to do business in China, or any other country, while still occupying the moral high ground. Consumers should boycott companies that abuse their workers or intentionally pollute the planet. The only way real progress will be made in the efforts to clean up the planet, however, will be if all companies adopt the type of policies HTN has put in place, whether in China, America, or anywhere else.
Consumer choice is one of the most powerful means of executing change. As you make your buying decisions we would urge you to consider the many factors that go into producing an earth friendly product, not just the geography of its’ origin.
