Consume (Latin consumĕre) means to destroy, extinguish, spend.
If
every act of consumption is an act of destruction, which contributes to
extinguish or exhaust the resources of this planet,
should not
consumers be more and more aware of social and environmental impact of
each of our actions?
From this perspective, the cleanliness and
asepsis of the international commodity markets and the multinationals
that transform and distribute this commodities isolate and exculpate
consumers of their grave responsibility under the guise of competition,
fashions and technological advances.
The labeling of products
that are traded is intended to ensure adequate information to consumers,
and not for being adequate is sufficient. And being insufficient is
misleading, because it properly informs of the detailed composition of
the product, but omits relevant aspects of how provisioning of raw
materials is, how it is made and how it is distributed, and under what
conditions.
Because in a globalized world in which the free
circulation of capital is on the side of markets and transnational,
consumers can not remain indifferent to this globalization and the
impact it has on our lives and those of millions of people who work in
conditions of forced labour, subjected to discrimination, without social
protection, without freedom of association, in unsanitary conditions
and carrying out hazardous activities with little safety. According to
the ILO, there are at least
12.3 million people trapped in forced labor
and some
215 million children working in the world, many full time.
The
offshoring of production, resulting from globalization and the free
circulation of capital, allows large multinationals especially increase
their profits at the expense of exploiting workers and harming the
environment in countries with labor and environmental laws more lax than
in USA and EU. The lack of control and auditing of codes of conduct
applicable in the destination countries, as reflected in the corporate
responsibility commitments of many multinational , promote job
insecurity and environmental degradation in a framework of competition
and free markets.
The strategy to isolate each element of the
commodity chain, from procurement of raw material until it reaches the
final consumer, only benefits the markets and transnationals, while each
link in the chain can shrug its shoulders facing the abuses committed
during the previous stages of production, arguing that they are not
responsible for, or who were unaware that these had been produced. At
this point, the link that is at the end of the chain, the consumer, can
not remain unmoved by endless abuses at every step during production and
distribution of goods and services, while the most vulnerable
individuals at the commodity chain suffer the worst consequences of a
system geared to that large multinationals can produce at lower cost,
increasing profits, and consumers get their products and services at a
lower price.
Faced with a offshored production, predatory and
dehumanized there is no option but a de-globalized consumption,
critical, responsible, conscious, fair, sustainable and respectful of
human rights, based on principles of equality, fairness and
nondiscrimination.
Najma Akhter, 23, is depressed after she had to leave her work in a sweater factory for taking care of her new born baby. Even though it is legally obliged, the factory didn't provide a day care center for children. Najma started working in the garment factory 5 month after her delivery. But when she didn't get the chance to breast feed her child for more than 5-6 hours, she couldn't stand the pain for long. After a short time she decided to leave the factory. August 2009, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
These children are passing time alone as their mother is out working in the garment factory. They have to help with household chores such as cooking or taking care of younger siblings. August 2009, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Najma Akhter, 23, and her entire family - her children, her parents and her siblings – asleep in their home. Altogether, 11 family members share this one room. August 2009, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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