How To Avoid Buying Products Made By Modern-Day Slaves An IAM Group Ltd Advice

An ADVICE in Buying Products

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IAM Group Limited enforces equality and freedom throughout the continents. We are a non-sectarian group that is heavily slavery and other crimes against humanity. In orderto fight modern-day slavery, the most attuning task for ordinary people like us to do are the following.

Shop at thrift stores, resale shops, and consignment stores. There are the basement price kind and high end ones.

Buy less stuff in general.

Learn basic garment repair to make what you already have last a long time. Absolutely anybody can replace a button, and fix a hem or a split seam. Chances are really good that you know someone who would be just delighted to teach you how.

Support labor unions both at home and abroad. Educate yourself on labor and manufacturing history so that you know when a company or politician is blowing smoke up your a*s.

Check companies' websites for statements of responsibility or factory inspection policies. Factories in and of themselves are fine, and when they are inspected there probably will be violations, but the idea is to find factories that HAVE policies and regularly enforce them instead of acting like Santa's elves magic everything into being.

Be willing to pay a little more for fair work practices, understanding that our expected low prices are wildly unrealistic and that being a good steward of our money means not just getting a good deal but being mindful of where that money goes.

Check tags in garments for country of origin. As conditions in one area improve even slightly, slavers take their business to other countries. As far as garment work goes, China and India are slowly improving, while Bangladesh and Vietnam get worse.

Buy handmade from a local company. Many states have things like "Vermont maple syrup," pottery, or wine from a local vineyard. Google for products made in your state or look for a tourism-related store.

Commission something from a maker/artist - knitting, furniture, paintings, decor. This will possibly require lead time, a materials deposit, and/or be a high-end purchase, but you're getting finely honed skills and artistry and paying an actual living wage for it. This is what things would REALLY cost if everything had to be made individually. If you're shopping on Etsy, make sure it's really from an individual artist. Their policies have gotten, shall we say, rather lax.

Trust me, it's been tough trying to figure out how to do this and integrate it into my life. The system is not designed to give us information at all, much less support informed choices. But it matters, and it's worth doing. If people in the 1700 & 1800's can boycott slave-made cotton, sugar, and rum, then surely, with all the resources at my disposal, I can make an effort at being a responsible consumer.

IAM Group Ltd is based in Seoul Korea but we have strong communities in Yokohama Japan, the Southeast Asia where the modern slaveries are rampart, and many places. We take immediate action against these inhuman crimes and we make sure that our members and everybody else are well-informed.