Points of Analysis - Individual purchasing power allows us to choose what items we consume

Individual purchasing power allows us to choose what items we consume, but it does not allow us to make a difference in how the products are produced. Similarly, there are certain products only available to us as imports (Bananas, Sugar, Tea), and therefore it is difficult to make alternative choices when purchasing the products.

• Robyn: This statement applies more to the other products. While I feel paralysis in changing the manufacturing processes of what I buy, if we are viewing TOMS as both a product and a charitable venture, I could choose to purchase other shoes or try to help the world in another way. I cannot change what TOMS choses to do with their products, but I can make informed decisions about what shoes I buy or what I choose to do to make a difference in the world.
• Kiera: Ceylon tea must be grown in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon).  The BBC reported on February 1, 2002: “When the world stops for a cup of tea, chances are it will be Sri Lankan. Sri Lanka has retained its position as the world's top tea exporter by selling a record 294 million kilograms last year, tea broking firms John Keells and Forbes & Walker said. Earnings from tea exports rose to an all-time high of $658m from $595m the previous year, said Keells, which is good news for the recession bound economy. Exports grew by a modest 2.1%, but still left it well ahead of its main competitor, Kenya, which exported about 217 million kg. The main buyers of Sri Lankan tea are the former Soviet bloc countries and the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iran, Britain, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.”  Although Lee Valley Tools is importing this tea, it arrives at the Port of Vancouver which is fiftieth on the list of the world’s busiest container ports, and handled approximately 2.5 million containers in 2010.  The United States two biggest ports, Los Angeles and Long Beach, are seventeenth and eighteenth on the list of the world’s busiest container ports, and handled approximately 13 million containers in 2010 combined.  China, on the other hand, has six of the top ten busiest container ports in the world, which handled a combined total of nearly 113 million containers.

• Nick: This is a short one, but the one thing I found that really related to this is how nebulous the system is that produces consumer products like the iPad. So many parties are involved that it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to know where everything comes from or what conditions produced it. It’s not like having a banana that you bought from a store with a sticker on it saying that it’s a product of Brazil; when we look at something like the iPad, we can only see the product as-is. There is no clear evil distributer against which a unified front can be staged (apple doesn’t make what it sells, it only designs it), so I don’t find it surprising that nothing has been done, simply because it can’t. The system is too big, the players too many, and the consumer too small.
• Shauna: There is no doubting the fact that in our society, we need to be clothed. It is not only socially acceptable but legally demanding that we robe certain parts of our bodies in some sort of material. We can not stop that most of our clothing contains a percentage of cotton an we can not control the fact that cotton can not be grown in Canada.  As consumers, we can be aware of the types of cotton grown and where in the world the cotton in our clothes is coming from. If we want to wear cotton that is more environmentally friendly, organic cotton is the best substance to look for. It is known to be better for the environment and for the health of workers in the cotton field, but it definitely will cost a fair bit more than general cotton clothes (Organic Trade Association). There has also been the introduction of genetically modified cotton (Bt Cotton) which uses the key ingredient Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring soil organism that provides resistance to several bollworm species. This has reduced the amount of toxins being sprayed on the crops, but the seeds for Bt cotton are higher in price then regular cotton seeds (Gopal, 1515-1516).  It is hard for a consumer to track exactly where their cotton originated from because the “Made in . . .” tag usually notes where the cotton was manufactured from and not where it was farmed. What an informed consumer can do is either follow human right sites, like the International Labor Rights Forum, or even question companies about the whereabouts of their cotton in person. If it is found out that the company has been sourcing cotton from questionable companies, then it is known that a group of individuals can make a change by expressing concern through letters to the company head. The International Labor Rights Forum has also published the “Shop with a Conscience Customer Guide” which is a website that identifies different options of where to buy clothing made in ethical and worker-friendly conditions. It offers links to sites of different companies, such as the Autonomie Project, which offers sweat-shop free and eco-friendly clothing consisting of organic cotton and natural, eco-friendly materials that are one hundred percent vegan (SweatFree Communities).  There are definitely ways in which we can become conscience consumers in the cotton industry, but it does take time, effort, and a bit of extra cash.