First Paper Draft: Consumerism and Fair Trade

Amanda Gamban

Professor Knapp

English 1A

12 May 2013

 Formal Paper Draft: Consumerism and Fair Trade

            When it comes to shopping in the United States it is seen as one of the fundamental aspects of our culture. Our economy is based off consumerism and our lives as well. Shopping is apart of the American lifestyle, but what most Americans don’t know is that while we splurge on new clothes, fancy foods, new cars, etc. we are contributing to many problems that we are unaware of. We are supporting outsourcing, which contributes to environmental problems, poverty, and further separates the truth from reality of what is occurring in the world. The world doesn’t have to be like this and frankly first world countries and major corporate companies should change their ways before we end up in the Disney movie Wall-e. We can choose to make a difference by buying fair trade and locally, which helps our own communities and others around the world instead of keeping the wallets of major companies overflowing of money. As shoppers and consumers we hold the power in changing the ways we shop and to further create a better sustainable planet. By bring awareness to this situation that many people don’t know the whole story to we can truly better ourselves and every other person around the world.

            People who grow up in the United States and other first world countries have embedded morals of how “new” is always better and how some objects we own add to our status. Why is it so important to us to stay in trend, update ourselves, and be fixated on everything new?  The reason is, our country is all about consumerism and that’s how they hold power by persuading us that we need all these new things. These large companies grab our attention by tons of advertisements, celebrity endorsements, and especially big sales. They have tricked us into needing things we don’t actually need. A good example of this trick is the cell phone update craze ( as I would like to call it).  New phones are always constantly being updated. For example say the newest Iphone just came out. People who just bought the latest one 6 months ago have a the greatest desire to update again the newer phone even though the one they have works perfectly fine. Our society gives us this unrealistic perspective of how we are supposed to live and gives the illusion to people of what they think they need. According to Edwin Zaccaï the author of Sustainable Consumption, Ecology and Fair Trade, “ …one’s consumption does not match one’s authentic needs, wants, intentions, well-being, and so on” (23). Even I am guilty if buying things I don’t necessarily need, but the reason why people do it is bases on what they only know. What most people don’t know is how companies not only trick us into to wanting their products, but also don’t even tell us how it’s made, who made it, and the negative conditions that come out of it.

            What we consume and purchase come from large major corporate companies correct? True, and they outsource most of all of their products. Outsourcing is when companies have their products made in other countries. Most of the countries are developing countries and have a very high poverty level such as India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Philippines and many others. The reason why they outsource is so they can profit more from their products, which they benefit from tremendously. As consumers we also benefit from outsourcing as well. For example they extremely low prices that we find in stores such as Wal-Mart are low because they barley pay anything when they are made in other parts of the world. As companies and consumers get the large end of the stick, the labors that work in the factory, poverty stricken communities, and the environment get the short end.

            Many people are unaware of the negative effects that the people working in these outsourced countries. The workers are not only paid minimal wages, but work in poor conditions and sometimes very dangerous.  Just recently on April 24^th an eight story Plaza collapsed on thousands of people working in garment factories. The garment factories consisted of a several different companies that made clothes for sale in the U.K, Untied states and other countries in Europe. The death toll is still rising as they try to find many missing people (bbcnew.com). Most of these factories are sweatshops and even have children working in them. Many scandals have occurred over the years in similar stories such as Nike, Wal-Mart, Gap and other large companies.  Remember when the united stated was during the industrial period? There were no labor laws, deadly conditions, start to environmental problems and even child labor. According to T. Chase Meacham the author of the article “The Bangladesh Factory Collapse: We Haven’t Ended De Facto Slave Labor, Just Outsourced It” states that, “…we haven’t really solved labor abuses, we have just outsourced them.” Only some of these major companies are now just realizing how important is it to stop these harsh conditions, which is sad that thousands of people had to die for them to realize that. According to Stephanie Clifford from the New York Times, “…a group of major retailers and apparel companies, including some- like Nike and Wal-Mart- with a history of controversial manufacturing practices overseas, says it is developing an index that will include labor, social, and environmental measures.” To my surprise that these companies are not only willing to make a difference but also to meet the consumers satisfaction of actually showing some heart towards this tragic incident. Also probably meet the new needs of the demand for fair trade goods.

            Fair Trade is one of the best solutions to stop outsourcing and all the negative affects that come along with it. Fair trade is a positive outlook for those living in poverty in other countries all over the world. For people in developing countries fair trade jobs do so much more that give them more of the profit. Workers and farmers help rebuild their communities and give them a positive outlook on life. When these countries are building better communities they are creating a better way for there children to be educated, better health care programs, and a cleaner environment. Emma Watson a supporter of Fair Trade states, “[that] charity as wonderful as it is money runs out”. She visited the Swallows of India and saw how fair trade jobs significantly helped those people. When we buy fair trade not only will the products be better made, but also you know in your heart that you are helping the world become more stainable and a better world we can be proud to live in.

          By raising our voices against the way our clothes and most of our goods are produced we can stop and reform our consumer ways.  The first step that we can take is to bring awareness to this on going problem and realize what we should buy and what we shouldn’t. Shopper Lauri Langton from Seattle states in the New York Times, “ you should be able to tell right away, where the product is produced, so that you can walk away from the product and not buy it if you do not believe it was processed in a humane way”(Clifford). Not only should we be able to know where the products are coming from, but also we should take a step back and realize if we actually need what are looking at to buy.  We as the consumers hold the power to buy what we want and we hold the power to change the world for the better.

Works Cited

Clifford, Stephanie. "Pressed by Consumers, Retailers Are Revealing More." The New

            York Times. The New York Times, 09 May 2013. Web. 13 May 2013.

Meacham, Chase T. "PolicyMic." PolicyMic. N.p., 10 May 2013. Web. 13 May 2013.

Mustafa, Sabir. "Bangladesh Building Collapse: How Many Still Missing?" BBC News.

            BBC, 05 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 May 2013.

Zaccaï, Edwin. Sustainable Consumption, Ecology And Fair Trade. London: Routledge,

            2007. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 29 Apr. 2013