Buy Low, Sell High, Let God Sort It Out

The deplorable working conditions in underdeveloped regions are no secret to Americans who pay attention to world issues. Outsourcing to other countries has become the standard production practice for many big brands, effectively decreasing the ability of government and industry-led efforts to implement proper health and safety regulations, and severely lessening the degree of accountability. Garrett Brown’s article, Fashion Kills: Industrial Manslaughter in the Global Supply Chain, was written in part to inform consumers who are, despite being far removed from the grim reality of sweatshops, direct contributors to their appalling standards. But is consumer awareness enough to inspire change? The question isn’t so much whether or not Americans are willing to pay for ethically produced goods, but whether or not regulations can be enforced, and accountability measures are taken. The problem is ending the vicious cycle, and getting consumers and retailers to accept responsibility for setting the market forces, and redirecting the power held so long by producers, which has been spiraling out of control since the beginning of the outsourcing trend among American businesses. The power rightfully belongs to the workers, most of whom do not even understand the concept of human rights.

Brown sets the tone for the article and appeals to the reader’s emotions right away by emphasizing in the opening line how 42 young workers died in Turkey as a result of exposure to harmful chemicals used to treat denim jeans. He later mentions how the first documented cases of the disease affecting two teenage workers, thirteen and fourteen years old, took only five years of working to contract, and it takes even less time to contract today, due to longer working hours and exposure to the chemicals. He is highly critical and disapproving of this ugly reality, and rightly so. Being a Certified Industrial Hygienist and holding a Master's degree in Public Health, he is clearly committed to righting the wrongs that exist in the brutal garment industry overseas. This is not to say that because he is personally invested in the subject he is also taking journalistic liberties; even the most exaggerated reports of conditions in Turkey and elsewhere could not come close to describing how bad things really are for the workers. We as Americans are so far removed from their suffering that anyone writing about the subject almost needs to overplay it to grab people’s attention. But there is no exaggeration in 42 young workers dead from long-term exposure to dangerous chemicals in the workplace. This is the reality and speaking truth to power is the only way to put an end to blameless victims suffering in the name of fashion.

Many Americans are willing to pay more for the peace of mind that no one burned to death for their brand new “vintage” jeans, but for others, the almighty dollar is the motivator that speaks the loudest. While the big-name brands have a responsibility to consumers to offer the best quality products at the lowest possible prices, they have an even greater responsibility to the workers who produce them, as a matter of life and death, but many big brands like Walmart are shirking their duties to the people. New York Times labor and workplace journalist reports that after a fire in a Bangladesh factory killing more than 1,100, both Walmart and their contractors denied any knowledge of production for their company, though work orders were found among the debris. (Greenhouse, “As Firms Line Up”). No one in the entire supply chain is more important than another, and it is inhumane that laborers are being treated like disposable goods. It is important for consumers to be aware of where their name brands come from, and it is essential to educate the workers that the way they are being treated is unacceptable - thereby, giving a voice to the voiceless. Taking the time to educate one person every day, rather than resignedly assuming there is nothing any one person can do to effect change this big is a start. The profiteers are certainly not going to put an end to worker suffering, not as long as their pockets are getting fatter. They are invested in the laborers only as long as they are able to work. Workers need to invest more time and effort into demanding better working conditions; not allowing themselves to be poisoned for $100 a week until they are thrown away.

Works Cited

Brown, Garrett. “Fashion Kills: Industrial Manslaughter in the Global Supply Chain.” EHS Today. Penton. Web. Sept. 2010.

Greenhouse, Steven. “As Firms Line Up on Factories, Wal-Mart Plans Solo Effort.” The NewYork Times. The New York Time Company. Web. May 2013.