The Myth of the Ethical Shopper
Article

The Myth of the Ethical Shopper

Michael Hobbes
Huffington Post, 2015
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Innovative
  • Eye Opening

Recommendation

This Huffington Post Highline article presents a shocking and distasteful reality. Advocacy campaigns don’t do enough to stop the horrendous labor and human rights violations that take place in developing countries across the globe. Human rights consultant Michael Hobbes explains how sweatshops continue to exist despite laws that prohibit them, regular inspection of manufacturing facilities and a vast amount of public awareness. getAbstract recommends his findings to supply-chain professionals, consumers with an interest in human rights and senior executives.

Summary

In the 1990s, ethical shopping behavior went “mainstream” in American society. Actors, celebrities and pop stars publicly shamed brands having records of poor working conditions and advocated large-scale boycotts. However, these consumer advocacy tactics did little to rid the world of sweatshops and forced-labor systems. Second-generation strategies – such as Nike’s program to train factories how to provide safe working conditions – aren’t foolproof either. What often really matters is the factory’s location. Nike’s program was successful in Mexico, but failed in China, where...

About the Author

Michael Hobbes is a human rights consultant in Berlin. He has written for The New Republic, Slate and The Huffington Post.

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