Where it's made makes a difference

Purchasing goods from China, India and other parts of Asia should give consumers pause due to a range of ethical and practical concerns. Well-documented issues with excessive pollution and lax environmental regulations, problems with forced labor, and abusive working conditions should turn consumers away. But most turn a blind eye. What about you?

By being mindful consumers and seeking ethical alternatives, we can drive change and uphold basic standards of sustainability and human rights. 

Let's start putting our money where our mouths are and put an end to the dependance on buying so much "Made in China". 

- Mass Death by Air Pollution (India): Air pollution, of which industrial pollution is a major contributor (51% of total pollution), is estimated to cause around 1.67 million premature deaths in India every single year.

- State-Sponsored Forced Labor (China): Over one million Uyghurs and other minorities have been arbitrarily detained and subjected to state-sponsored forced labor in China's Xinjiang region to produce goods like cotton and electronics components.

- Toxic River Contamination (China & India): Two of the most important river basins in the world, the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers in China and the Indus and Ganges Rivers in India, are now among the most heavily polluted globally by industrial runoff and sewage discharge.

- The Youngest Victims in Hazardous Work (India/South Asia): The most vulnerable laborers are shockingly young: an estimated 10.3 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 years old are in child labor across South Asia, with India having the highest absolute number.

- Poverty Wages Below the Law (India): Home-based garment workers in India have been found toiling for as little as 15 cents per hour—a wage that is approximately one-tenth of the legal minimum wage they are entitled to.