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". 

• China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for around 28% of global emissions according to the Rhodium Group's analysis of 2019 data.
• According to a 2022 report by UNICEF, around 600 million Indians face high air pollution levels, with Delhi being one of the world's most polluted cities.
• The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health estimates that air pollution caused around 1.67 million premature deaths in India in 2019.
• A 2021 study by the Swiss organization IQAir found that 15 of the 20 most polluted cities worldwide are located in India.
• China had 6 of the 10 most polluted cities globally for PM2.5 air pollution in 2022, according to IQAir's data.
• The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers in China are heavily polluted by industrial runoff and sewage discharge according to the World Resources Institute.
• India's two major river basins, the Indus and the Ganges, are among the most polluted in the world per monitoring data cited by the NGO WaterAid.