Whats a common item that is produced in sweatshops and the production of harms the environment?

Question

I'm writing a argumentative research paper on consumerism, and I'm opening with a narrative in which somebody purchases said item. I want to trace back into the items origins and point out how the gathering of the resources to make the item harms the environment, and then focus on how the item was assembled in a sweatshop so as to strengthen the pathos in my argument (I'm taking an anti-consumerism stance.) Any ideas would be appreciated!

Answer 1

How about tennis shoes??? Pick a maufacturer, Nike, Adidas, etc. and find out where they are made. It will be a third world country. The soles seem an obvious part that is probably harmful to those operating the machinery to seal them to the shoe, but the end result, once beyond usefulness, does not break down easily when thrown in a garbage dump.....

Answer 2

I think mostly sweatshop labor is associated with the production of clothing.

You could investigate various materials, like cotton produced with pesticides, the time it takes polyester to decompose, what toxins or gases are by-products of synthetic fabrics, etc.

"Over the past decade, you may have heard some of the reports citing conventional cotton farming as one of agriculture’s most environmentally destructive activities. The simple act of growing and harvesting the one pound of cotton fiber needed to make a T-shirt takes an enormous toll on the air, water, and soil, not to mention the health of people living and working in cotton country."

Answer 3

Aeresol Cans..., but that could be a factory...