Ethical production is a nice idea in theory, but...?

Question

but it is the multi-national companies that determine what people will buy...???
Basically i want im looking for an opininon on the above statement.
Do you agree?? disagree?? why??

Answer 1

I agree but there are also many small companies that are involved in ethical trading\production, you can find pretty much anything.

Answer 2

Disagree, totally.

When you go grocery shopping, how many guns are pointed at your head? How many men in trenchcoats drag you to specific shelves, and force you to put specific products in your cart? None I guess.

MNCs do NOT determine what people buy, people CHOOSE what they buy. Sure MNCs can influence what people buy, and do so in various ways:
- producing many products that are differentiated enough to appeal to many types of people
- lobbying governments to impose barriers to imports
- lobbying governments to get subsidies...

But the bottomline, it is the consumer who decides what he/she wants to buy.

If we strongly enough in say 'ethical production', then we will buy goods produced ethically instead of the products of MNCs (assuming they aren't produced ethically).

If there are enough of us who do that, then the MNCs will feel the pinch where it matters most, in their pockets. They are not affected by demonstrations and so on, as long as their profits are unaffected. It is far more effective to use the system. If MNCs feel the pinch they will change behaviour.

The road to 'ethical production' goes through each and everyone of us, if enough of us believe in it and act accordingly, we can reach ethical production. But if we are all apathetic, and choose to believe that we have no choice, then we do not deserve anything better.