IS YOUR MONEY WELL SPENT? (SHOPPING AND ETHICS)
Every
time you go shopping you impact the world we live in through the choices you
make. There are implications involved whenever you buy a product. Pick a product
and/or company and do some research to find out if your money is well spent. The
following are some questions which you could research and ask yourself:
·
Where
was it produced and what implications does this have? (environmentally,
politically, socially, etc.)
·
How
much money were any labourers paid who were involved in producing this product?
·
How
much profit is being made on this product and who is benefiting from that
profit? (Labourers, Directors, Distributors, Shops/Supermarkets, etc.) How much
profit does the company make overall each year?
·
Does
the company make any donations to ‘charities’ or ‘causes’? Which ones?
· What
is the environmental impact of the production, distribution and packaging of
this product? For example, how far does this
product have to travel to reach you and how does this impact the environment?
·
Does
this company have a policy of working to protect the environment? Is this
company part of a ‘Fair Trade’ project or any other initiatives to protect
workers’ rights?
·
Is
there any evidence that this company has engaged in any unethical practices in
the past or present? i.e. use of child labour, causing environmental destruction
or pollution, exploited workers through unfair pay or working conditions,
creating a monopoly, etc.?
·
Does
this company use advertising? What mediums do they use? Do you approve of their
advertising, particularly from an Islamic perspective?
·
Does
this product provide value for money or do you think you are paying extra for
the ‘name’? Is this product really necessary or beneficial and where/how do
you think it fits in with an Islamic lifestyle?
Did
you find it difficult to find the answers to any of these questions? What does
this tell you?
To
do your research and to check on the background of a company you can use your
local library, the Internet and contact the company directly. Also, you can
contact the following organisations for further information on ethical trading:
Friends of the Earth, 26-28 Underwood Street, London, N1 7JQ
Greenpeace UK, Canonbury Villas, London N1 2PN,
United Kingdom
Tel: 0207 865 8100 Fax: 0207 865 8200 E-mail:
info@uk.greenpeace.org
Actionaid,
Hamlyn House, Macdonald Road, Archway, London N19 5PG
Tel: 020 7561 7561 (or 01460 238 000 for publications)
Fax: 020 7272 0899
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