As we become more aware of the problem of modern slavery, one of the things Bella and I are doing is to educate ourselves about ethical buying patterns. There is ample evidence that consumers in Australia benefit from severe labour exploitation through the cheap goods we buy here.
The Global Slavery Index includes a summary of international trade channels that are most at risk of slave-like labour. For us in Australia, the highest risks (in terms of total economic value) are in:
Laptops, computers and mobile phones imported from China and Malaysia
Garments imported from China
Fish imported from Thailand
BUT HOW CAN WE TELL? That's the tough part!
As poorly-informed consumers, how could we possibly know whether a particular laptop bought from Harvey Norman or a t-shirt from KMart have been produced by slave-labour?
There are a few online guides to help us, but they are not comprehensive.
Fairtrade does a wonderful job of certifying specific companies and goods as being ethically produced and distributed, which includes a requirement that people throughout the chain are treated fairly.
Baptist World Aid has published an Ethical Fashion Guide and has a mobile app that rates each brand in terms of their policies and practices regarding slavery. But as the name suggests, the scope is limited to clothing.
Good on You also has a mobile app.
The Modern Slavery Register tracks statements by companies about their stance on slavery.
Shop Ethical! regularly updates their Australia ethical consumer guide, along with an app, but their web site doesn’t make it very clear how much they take slavery into account in their rating system.
I hope some of that helps you. We'll let you know of any other useful resources as soon as we discover them ourselves.
— Matt.
(Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash)