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Ethical Consumption by Heidi Choi art by Jolene Fernandez
In a globally interconnected economy, the simple task of buying a good so basic as milk from a grocery store can have a myriad of ethical implications. Was this dairy milk sourced from animal abuse, sexual assault, and careful genetic inbreeding of cows? Or was it soymilk extracted through unsustainable agricultural practices on converted forests? Are the workers involved in production of the milk, whether it be animal or plantbased, receiving fair wages and decent working conditions? What about the workers in the grocery store in which this product is being sold? Has the scale and scope of the industry resulted in a whole state dependent on a fragile, singular export? Are sustainable practices even possible in a market-driven economy?
What about brands such as Patagonia—a beacon for white hipsters to feel good about investing in fabric recycled from plastics? Surely, such brands are a hallmark of how innovation and sustainability can come together to impart “good” in a capitalist world. That is, if we ignore how Patagonia’s business model and brand of sustainability requires recycled textiles which actually increases the demand for plastic bottles, rather than reducing the production of plastic. In 2015 we found out about Patagonia’s involvement in human trafficking, yet some applauded them for taking steps toward accountability. For a company popularly considered one of the most ethical of its kind, Patagonia falls short of what should be considered an ethical business model. Clearly the bar for doing what is right, rather than what is easy, lies miserably on the floor when human trafficking can be normalized as an unintended byproduct of the supply-chain line. To give capitalists the benefit of the doubt would be to assume that they’re not irresponsibly reproducing colonial dynamics which abuse land, labor, and resources. “There is no ethical consumption under capitalism,” bemoans the privileged philosophy major, attempting to highlight that ethical consumption nor production is reasonable or possible in a global capitalist society. Is this the sorry truth of our world? Can we actually create “ethical” impact with our dollars?
Yes and no. Surely, cutting animal products out of one’s diet and encouraging others to do so has led to tangible disruptions in these industries,
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