"Consumer & Exploitation of Third World Labor"

Note to reader: This was originally written in December of 2014 as my senior thesis. 

Abstract

This research paper will examine the effect that global consumer culture has on the exploitation of factory workers in Third world nations such as China, India and Bangladesh. Branding has specifically caused the majority of the exploitation we hear about in the news. I will elaborate on the link between fashion trends, consumer demand, media attention and the underlying racism that exists from this system of consumerism and outsourced labor. I will also explore how the media, branding and consumer culture has led to the various exploitative practices factory workers endure, as well as offer alternative to reduce the exploitation.

Introduction

            Consumer culture has evolved from people purchasing things out of necessity, to purchasing things for pure desire. With the evolution of consumer culture came the rise of a global economy that thrives both the exploitation of labor, resources and on the ignorance (of how products are produced) of consumers and their priorities. With the help of expensive advertising campaigns, companies have shifted priority and attention away the actual products themselves and onto the brand, the very soul of consumer culture. This hype that consumers feels for a new product or new fashion trend comes at a much higher cost than the latest iPhone, or celebrity clothing lines, it comes at the cost of human suffering. I will examine the connections that media has in relation to globalization and consumer culture.

Consumers, Branding and Media

            Branding is a relatively new practice that gained popularity in the 1990s. According to Naomi Klein, author of No Space, No Choice, No Jobs, No Logo, you would be hard pressed to find a logo on a T-shirt before the 1980s (Klein 2000:28). If you did, it was relatively small but over a twenty-year period they became so large that they all but screamed the names of their respective company: Aeropstale, Old Navy, Abercrombie etc. What branding does is create a persona that people can buy and assume for themselves; it is an idea, a lifestyle and an attitude (Klein 2000: 196). We have several types of consumer culture that often correspond to a person’s socio-economic status.  It is within these cultures that people’s tastes often serve to validate themselves in society.

            Advertising in a consumer culture acts like fuel for a fire                                                                           of insatiable desire. People become focused on what they don’t have and advertising conditions us to want what is being sold (Berger 2011: 42-43). Typically brands create an association that reap a social reward especially among insecure young people in their teens or college-aged. This is a sensitive age group, particularly for young women since so much of their socialization revolves around the brands they buy.  It could be that because shopping “is the only ‘adult’ role they are offered in American society (Berger 2011: 142),” and peer pressure (real or imagined) that companies zero in to establish brand loyalty. Advertising agencies learned long ago that they could gained life-long customers if consumers were exposed to their brand from birth. This is why television networks prefer to cater to the wealthier sections of this age bracket (Kilbourne 1999:35).

            There is hardly any method to escape the constant barrage of advertisements short of shacking up on Mt. Everest. The advent of smartphones and other media devices means that we have shifted from being exposed to broad advertising to narrow niche advertising (think of how Amazon.com recommends items based of previous purchases and cookies). We are so inundated with ads and other media that we have to create coping mechanisms to avoid media saturation. Todd Gitlin, author of Media Unlimited, argued that we all try to gain control of mass media through the following method: “Everyone learns not only to see but not to see—to tune out and turn away (Gitlin 2002:119).” There is actual harm in this practice. It means that despite extensive media attention on issues, whether national or international, people can become numb to worker exploitation.

The racism and sexism of consumerism

People today can get so distracted by what buying a brand could mean in their lives. It can translate to layers of prestige, popularity or “coolness”, creativity etc. On one level people are aware that products cannot actually change or re-invent them, yet at the same time we often believe wearing Gucci will make us fundamentally different. However, ads have unintended effects on the people viewing them. One aspect of advertising is how it can corrupt language and cultural symbols when used in conjunction with certain images (Kilbourne 1999:74).

What is the link to racism and sexism? Advertising creates an aura of importance so that a product or brand will have salience and generate massive sales. Since our focus is on the instant gratification from buying a branded product, we never stop to think where our favorite and coveted items come from. Greed causes corporations to want to deliver an expensive product as cheaply as possible.  This points to cheap labor, and the racism and sexism lies within consumerism means that it is acceptable for severely impoverished people to work in a sweatshop. It means that Americans regardless of economic status can benefit from exploitative labor practices in foreign countries.

Behind the brand: the human cost of branding

            Consumers are not quite the mindless sheep, but many are not exactly conscious buyers. A look at a tag on a shirt purchased from a random retailer will tell you that practically all of our clothing and accessories are made everywhere but in the United States. We know that an overwhelming majority of things are “Made in China.” It is common knowledge, but what few people even realize is that major brand companies do not own the factories where their products are manufactured.

            As the brand became more about “the idea, the lifestyle and the attitude (Klein 2000:196)” associated with it, companies found it cheaper to simply forge contracts with manufacturers overseas. For the fashion industry to survive as it does in developed nations, a certain level of classism—if not racism and sexism must exist.  It is hard to find First World nations with middle-class employees working in dangerous facilities and for less than a dollar a day. These factories are numerous and are usually found in the poorest regions in the world with China being a unique exception.  The majority of laborers are young women, some as young as 14 years old. For the purpose of this paper I will focus on factories in both Bangladesh and China, as they supply the majority of brands in the United States, Australia and Western Europe.

            Beyond the obvious reason why companies chose manufacturers overseas (cheap labor costs), they also outsource because many developing countries are willing to give tax breaks in exchange to attracting foreign investors (Barnes and Kozar 291). This can set up the local workforce to be abused, as many governments are willing to turn a blind eye or suppress actions that would allow unions to improve working conditions. Factory workers across developing nations suffer similar mistreatment including (but not limited to): verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, unequal pay, long working hours, forced overtime without compensation, hazardous working conditions and gender discrimination.

            Women factory workers are by far the most abused members of the garment industry. They are the preferred employees for garment manufacturing perhaps because traditionally there is “a culturally bred sense of docility (Barnes and Kozar 286).” This especially true in Asia, specifically in China where Confucian hierarchy undermines the current social gains women have made since the establishment of communism. One factory manager admitted that, “the Chinese raise their daughters to be very obedient… The girls, sometimes, do not know that to do when they move away from their family (Wright 296).” If they do not work on the assembly line, they work as clerks or in human resources; men often held positions in management as well as performed the majority of technical jobs, security, and engineers (Chang 54).

Managers at large factories in Dongguan province go so far as to think of themselves as to assert paternal-like superiority over their female employees (Wright 292), that “they as surrogate fathers for their employees, were responsible for the well-being, health and moral sanctity of the ‘girls’ who worked for them (Wright 294).” At many factories in China this can mean being fired for engaging in any sort of sexual behavior or becoming pregnant.  True, though it may be that many factory workers are in their late teens and early twenties, it does not justify treating them like small children. Their lives are usually micro-managed to the point where they cannot even leave their station to use the bathroom, they are typically locked into the factory/dormitory compound six or seven days a week, they are restricted from romantic relationships (Wright 296).

Hazardous working conditions and poor wages are what Westerners usually hear about. Thanks to various labor rights groups, conditions in many manufacturing regions have improved on enforcement of safety regulations and abolishment of child labor. However in places like Bangladesh, workers operate in factories with shoddy equipment, poor ventilation and buildings in structural peril. Just like in China, workers sometimes are locked in factories (with many having bars on the windows), but Bangladeshi workers earn less than five dollars per day, and corporations actually prefer factory contractor to hire women with family responsibilities (Fashion Victims 2013). They also run the risk of being fired for joining unions.  

Last year in Dhaka Bangladesh, an eight-story building called Rana Plaza collapsed killing over 1,300 workers and maiming another 2,500 (Parveen 2014). They managers and the building’s owner had known that the building could crumble, but instead they forced workers to continue working or risk losing that month’s wages (Parveen 2014). A common practice in Bangladesh is to place factories in mixed-used commercial areas; it is safe to assume that none of these locations were meant to house the heavy machinery used in manufacturing units.

The trouble with worker’s rights:

How does exploitation come to fruition? It could be a result of how capitalism is structured. We can tell by where our products are sourced that capitalism favors developing nations especially since in the eyes of corporations conducting business has a mutual benefit—albeit an uneven and unfair one. It can be subjective to the people directly involved and depend on those individuals sense of morality (Zwolinski 157). The Chinese factory managers mentioned earlier believe they are justified in exercising maximum control over the women employed under them.  Wal-Mart lays claim to sponsor global women’s empowerment by “Increasing sourcing from women-owned businesses (corporate.walmart.com 2013),” a program that sounds vague and more self-serving than it should be. Who is to say that these women-run suppliers to Wal-Mart will not succumb to pressure and exploit their workers? The number one reason unfair practices occur is because of financial constraints, from the top to the bottom. It is the fundamental reason labor laws are violated or not strictly enforced (Zwolinski 163).

            What is difficult is how corporations like Wal-Mart and Nike avoid social responsibility to the contactors they work with. As of the 1990s during the Clinton administration, guidelines for how corporations should conduct business abroad were developed, but they tended to be vague in terms of protecting labor standards for contractors (Esbenshade 42). The policy before then was to deny affiliation with any manufacturers just as an Australian retailer did after the Rana Plaza collapse (Fashion Victims 2013). In an effort to continue improvements for worker’s rights, many countries rely on oversight and monitoring organizations such as the Worker’s Rights Consortium, established om 2000 (Esbenshade 42). Prior to this, companies would either send their own employees or hiring an independent company. The flaw with this is the high potential to bring back false data that favors the company’s image.

            How can you even be sure that a manufacturer is even complying with local labor laws?  Take China for instance, it has labor laws that stipulate a minimum wage equal employment opportunities and labor security (Chan and Peng 427). However, these rights do not extend to rural migrant workers due to residency laws (in China it is called “Hukou” which is a household registration system); in 2006 China had over 120 million migrant workers (Chan and Peng 429).  Migrants are a virtually ignored sector of China’s economy. An interview with the deputy mayor of Dongguan, China Zhang Shunguang revealed the inadequacies of local governments

on this issue: “…it would take me fifty years to inspect all the factories. So we must rely on the companies to police themselves (Chang 2008:32).”  Yet many people in China’s manufacturing sections are said to rely on local government efforts to protect them. The labor department lack any real authority other than demand payment of worker compensations (Chan and Peng 431). 

Alternatives and conclusion

            Capitalism as know it will never disappear for we are a global consumer society. The system is not totally concrete though. Advertising will continue to motivate desires, but there are ways to limit the negative global impacts of exploitation. Kate Fletcher, an eco-textile consultant suggests that the apparel industry and consumers engage in “slow fashion.” Slow fashion is a movement that encourages sustainability “where pleasure and fashion is linked with awareness and responsibility (Fletcher 2007).” She argues that through focusing on quality products rather than quantity, workers will feel less pressure, have regular hours and not have to forcibly “work overtime to meet impossible deadlines (Fletcher 2007).”

            It can be hard to change public opinion on ideas of sustainability. People may fear tampering with the status quo would mean making cheap goods more expensive. What people do not seem to be aware of is the $30 pair of ripped jeans from Abercrombie is made cheaply out of low quality material to begin with. My point is that most people already are willing to pay ridiculous prices for their preferred brands, so why is it such a threat if corporations only make contracts with responsible manufacturers? At least then there would be a justification for the obscene prices we pay for things.

            Perhaps all goods need to operate in same manner that jewelers control the diamond market. If the apparel industry should use the same scarcity principle luxury products used, their inaccessibility and limited supply would enhance their value. Companies would be able to maintain demand and still turn a profit. According to a 2014 study, “scarcity restricts product availability and thereby moderates consumer’ consumption (Janssen, et al. 47).” This would possibly be the best way to implement slow fashion. Easing the stresses of globalization begins with the consumers changing their shopping habits, to corporations relying less on outsourcing and investing in sustainable practices, to foreign governments (regardless of poverty levels) standing up to corporations who want to “race to the bottom.”

Even when conditions are considered good we should realize the pressure we exert on workers. Who knows how many of own an Apple product made by one of the suicidal workers at Foxconn? In 2010, the company which makes electronics for Apple, Dell, HP and Sony, experienced around a dozen suicides despite reports of good working conditions (The Economist 2010). We should be asking ourselves is the opinion of your neighbor truly worth human’s suffering? Or is it acceptable because it’s occurring across the ocean? Maybe the only way to induce consumers to care is to make it fashionable.

           

References

Barnes, Wendy D., Kozar, Joy M. 2008. "The Exlpoitattion of pregnant workers in appearal production." Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal 12 (3): 285-293.

Berger, Artur Asa. 2011. Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC.

Chan, Chak Kwan, Peng, Zhaiwen. 2011. "From iron rice bowl to the word's biggest sweatshop: globalization, instutional constraints, and the rights of Chinese Workers ." Social Service Review 422-441.

Chang, Leslie T. 2008. Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China. New York, NY: Spiegal & Grau.

Cheng, Joseph Yu Shek, Ngok, King-lun, and Huang, Yan. 2011. "Multinational corporations, global civil society and Chinese labour: Workers' solidarity in China in the era of globalization." (Sage).

2013. Fashion Victims. documentary film. Directed by Yolanda Domínguez. Produced by Sarah Furguson.

Economist, The. 2010. "Suicides at Foxconn: Light and Death." The Economist, May 27. Accessed November 28, 2014. www.economist.com.

Esbenshade, Jill. 2004. "Codes of conduct: challenges and opportunities for worker's rights." Social Justice 40-59.

Fletcher, Kate. 2007. "Slow Fashion." Ecologist. Accessed October 12, 2014.

Janssen, Catherine Vanhamme, Joe ̈lle Lindgreen, Adam Lefebvre, Ce ́cile. 2013. "The Catch-22 of Responsible Luxury: Effects of Luxury Product Characteristics on Consumers’ Perception of Fit with Corporate Social Responsibility." Journal of Business Ethics 119 (1): 45-57. Accessed October 2014.

Klein, Naomi. 2000. No Logo. Avenue, New York: Picador.

Parveen, Shahnaz. 2014. Rana Plaza factory collapse survivors struggle one year on. Web Article. BBC News. Dhaka, April 23.

Walmart. 2013. "2013 Global Responsiblity Report." http://corporate.walmart.com. January. Accessed Octorber 13, 2014. http://corporate.walmart.com/microsites/global-responsibility-report-2013/pdf/Walmart_GRR.pdf .

Wright, Melissa W. 2003. "Factory daughters and Chinese modernity: a case from Dongguan." Geoforum 34 (3): 291-301.

Zwolinski, Matt. 2012. "STRUCTURAL EXPLOITATION." Social Philosophy & Policy Foundation 29 (1): 154-179.