You are reading a single comment by @villa-ru and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported exclusively by donations. Consider donating a small amount regularly.
@villa-ru
Interestingly I heard some debate about wether it's better / more ethical to buy fairtrade from africa to support 3rd world economy or to use local produce to avoid green house gasses.
Just another point that illustrates that to make the right consumer choice is a really really hard thing to do.
Absolutely - that's the $64,000 question. And the source of much of today's middle class angst.On the earlier point about sourcing organic clothes, that is again the problem we come up against. As a retailer, to check back that everything your primary supplier does is a) ethical & b) organic is doable. Following through to their sub-contractors is pretty tricky as they change with seasonal demand. The next stage are the sub-contractors' home-workers - for this you have to rely on the word of your suppliers & sub-contractors and it is here that the likes of Primark / M&S have come unstuck on the past. Then, as mentioned above, you need to ensure the dyes used are organic, as well as all the components - buttons, zips, threads, labelling, ticketing etc, etc.Eventually you manage to source all of this, by which time the product is coming from multiple countries, a) racking up the airmiles and b) making the cost prohibitive. So you either don't buy them, or you do and customers don't buy them because it's more expensive. So most retailers don't bother.