| The truth of the matter is that there is no regulatory | | | | found to be stitching footballs in their village homes. |
| body and therefore no set of legal rules | | | | The world's press descended upon the region and |
| Many countries are happy to ignore blatant examples | | | | within days all production had stopped with orders |
| of terrible working conditions, even some who have | | | | cancelled and manufacturers shut down. Whilst all the |
| laws against such practises. Corruption is endemic in | | | | developing nations went home patting themselves on |
| many places around the globe and not just in | | | | the back for doing such a great job the families whose |
| underdeveloped nations, ethical trading is not confined | | | | entire livelihood depended upon this work began to |
| to the factories and sweatshops, there is as much of it | | | | starve. Even today some 10 years after this event |
| going on in the boardrooms and offices as there is on | | | | there are still stories in the press relating to the same |
| the factory floor. | | | | products in the same regions. This perfectly |
| A company that decides to pay a bribe to win a | | | | demonstrates the need for co ordinated action to be |
| contract is as unethical as the workshop owner who | | | | taken to help factory and farm owners in assisting |
| employs child labour. In general it is fair to say that the | | | | them towards improving the conditions under which |
| more developed a nation is, the more likely it is that | | | | workers carry out their duties rather than depriving |
| their standards in relation to working practices will be | | | | them of an income. |
| higher. Although it is certainly not unheard of for stories | | | | Currently there are not many good sources of |
| to appear from some very developed nations in | | | | information relating to Ethical trading. Some city |
| relation to poor working conditions. The degree of | | | | companies offer Ethical Investment Funds and the |
| ethics is also in question. Is it fair to impose the rules | | | | Economic & Social Research Society have been |
| and regulations of developed nations onto those | | | | awarded funds to investigate the subject of ethical |
| countries who cannot ever hope to attain the | | | | trading. The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)is one of the |
| standards and wealth that other countries enjoy? | | | | very few good sources of information for those who |
| In the 1990's a story broke regarding the manufacture | | | | want to learn about trading ethically. |
| of leather footballs in India where young children were | | | | |