This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
We're gonna look today at a complex question, complex concept, actually. I was gonna say kind of complex, but it actually is just complex. It's all about ethically sourcing products made in overseas factories. Now there's no doubt, lots of advantages to sourcing a product from an overseas factory. And furthermore, in this day and age, it's not terribly difficult to learn how to do it.
We've had a number of case studies, probably a couple of dozen at least, if not more, featuring lots of people who have successfully navigated those waters, okay? But again, the question, how can you ethically source products coming from overseas? That's what today's listener wants to know about. How can you know for sure that what you're buying is made under fair working conditions, environmentally safe surroundings, and all around not destroying the planet or the lives of people who really aren't that well off? It's a fair question, I was really glad to get it.
But to be honest, it's also a hard one to answer. So I always wanna be fully honest with you. I will tell you if I don't have a good answer for something. And I'll also tell you, as I mentioned, when something is just complex, like there isn't an easy answer necessarily. But I can give you a couple of points that might be helpful if you're in this situation or you're just considering different ideas and perhaps thinking about importing products from overseas.
So let's talk about that, how to ethically source products made in far away factories. [Music]
Mike Chris, this is Gary from Riverside, California. And I've been listening to the show since the beginning. Thanks for all the great content. I'm thinking about creating a product and I'm interested in ethical sourcing.
So the product needs to be assembled from a few basic components. I have concerns about overseas factories. I know it's cheap to get products made in China or elsewhere, but can I make sure there are fair labor laws and good working conditions for the employees? I wanna make money, but not at the expense of someone's welfare. Hey, I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question and I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
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Gary, what's up, man? You are awesome. Thank you so much for this question. It's really great. It helped me think a lot about it.
I think I actually had another question from somebody that was quite similar to this. So I know you're not the only one wondering. So, and the other person phrased their question, like, how can I know for sure? You know, that I'm not doing something that is harmful to someone else or as I said, destroying the planet. And, you know, here's the honest truth.
Like, I just wanna give you the headline upfront. You can't. Like, there is no way to know for sure. And in the past, and you've probably seen in the news, companies like Apple and Nike and The Gap and other enormous brands that essentially have limitless resources have gotten in a lot of trouble when journalists have published an expose or there's been some other kind of reveal about the working conditions of their factories or about environmental costs that haven't been factored in. And in some of those cases, perhaps we could say, you know, oh, it's an evil company.
You know, there was a lot of malintent. They knew this was happening. But I think it's also true that in other cases, the companies themselves didn't know or they had been assured that the situation was better than it actually was. There is a lot of obfuscation, you know, on the ground. There are a lot of incentives for people to mislead.
So this is a massive industry and it really is difficult to police all of it, you know? So that's just kind of the reality of outsourcing. Even big companies don't have complete control over the environment when they're doing something like this. And if anybody tells you like it is 100% possible to know that there are no externalities, to know that all the labor conditions are fair, like, I don't know that that's totally true. And because of that, I also understand why some people prefer not to source from these countries whenever possible.
At the same time, like I do want to kind of mention the counterpoint, which is also true, often the jobs that the factories in these countries provide really are better than any alternatives. Like a lot of people who are working in these factories, you know, they're doing so willingly because they're able to send more money back to their family or because it is the best job that they can get. That's why I'm kind of skeptical about the idea that, you know, globalization is universally harmful in these situations. So it is complex, as I said. A couple of things you can do, since we want to talk about practical stuff, a couple of things you can do, you can avoid the middleman.
If you're talking to a contact there that you have met on Alibaba or AliExpress or a similar website, you know, you could have a Skype or a Zoom call. You know, don't just email. You can actually have a call with them and ask to see the factory. Ask how many people work there. And if you don't get a good answer, it means you're not talking to somebody who's actually, you know, at that factory.
You're talking to somebody who works with a lot of different places and is really just interested in getting your order and then kind of farming it out somewhere. Now, of course, that knowledge isn't going to help you with everything else that you would like to know, but it is something, like it's a start. And we've also had stories of people who have gone and visited the factory where their product is being manufactured and, you know, try to build a long-term relationship. Now, of course, not everyone's able to do that. Like the reason why you're having your product made in China or wherever is, you know, because it's far away and inaccessible to you, but somebody else can do it.
But still, it could be an option for some. One more thing, you might be helpful to look for vendors with certification. There are a number of certifications out there, whether it's fair trade or something called SQFI, ethical sourcing. I think Alibaba itself now has a number of certifications that, you know, do have some degree of enforcement or at least some sort of standards. The problem with it, you know, again, just to be fully honest, like is that there's no overall standardization there either.
Like the certification business can actually be a bit of a racket sometimes. So it just goes to show like we live in this world without borders in terms of commerce, at least. So there is no single global authority that says, you know, the standards of Canada apply in Cambodia or whatever it is. Like there is this principle of buyer beware that comes when you're doing these kinds of things. So in the end, you know, if you're struggling with this, I think you do what you reasonably can.
And then you decide to, you know, make your decision and move on, either with sourcing from overseas or finding an alternative if it bothers you so much. So there you have it. Not an easy answer, as I said, but I hope it is helpful to Gary. Thank you so much again. And anyone else who wonders.
All right, listeners, if you have a question of your own, whether it's an easy one or a hard one, come to sidehustleschool.com/questions. We'll be featuring them throughout the year, along with updates from other listeners as they launch their projects. I just love making this show for you. I really enjoy getting these questions and hearing what people are working on. So do give me your feedback.
If you've got something to add to a previous answer, I get some feedback about that sometimes, and that is welcome as well. So thank you again so much. Do come back tomorrow. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side us, We'll School." [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
