Made In China

Sustainable Minimalists

Bleav + Stephanie Seferian

Kids & Family, Leisure, Parenting, Home & Garden

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2022

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We want new things and we want them now. Our spending habits put brands on perpetual searches for ways to shorten the time between design, manufacturing, and distribution, and China has stepped up with the technology and the supply chains to meet our needs. Our consumption habits, then, can only be satisfied by purchasing from China. Today's show analyzes the ethical and environmental implications associated with excessive reliance on the "World's Factory", as China has affectionately been dubbed. What does manufacturing and lax regulations mean for both the people and the planet, and how can we as consumers do better? Here's a preview: [2:00] What the Made In China label means (and doesn't mean) about a product's quality [5:00] A deep dive into Chinese manufacturing: 5 reasons why China has become the "world's factory" [7:00] What China's lower compliance standards mean for people [10:30] The story of Oregon mother Julie Keith, Halloween decorations, and Sun Yi [14:00] Chinese manufacturing and environmental pollution [19:15] Practical action steps for listeners that go beyond "just buy local" Further Reading: Nearly 14,000 companies violate China pollution rules (via NYTimes) How your cheap Chinese-made products may be killing thousands in China (via USAToday) How much do we buy from China? (via NPR) Are Made In China toys safe? (via The Baby Penguin) Resources mentioned: Episode #186: The Lowdown On Wooden Toys with Christina Floyd * Join our (free!) community here. * Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube. Our Sponsors:* Thank you to LifeStraw! https://lifestraw.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/sustainable-minimalists/exclusive-content

Transcript

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0:00.0	It has been a summer of self-care over here. I'm talking lots of hikes, lots of beach trips with the
0:06.4	sunscreen of course, you name it, I'm fitting it in before Labor Day. Wherever you're off to this summer, know that you're taking your microbiome with you. And seeds
0:17.3	D.S. 1 daily symbiotic benefits your gut, your skin, your heart in just two capsules a day. Now if you've been around here for a while you
0:27.0	know that I pay close attention to what I put in my body I do my d darndest, to avoid synthetic ingredients, and that's why I trust seed.
0:37.0	Support your gut this summer with seeds, DS01, daily symbiotic.
0:41.8	Go to seed.com
0:43.0	sustainable and use code 25 sustainable to get 25%
0:48.0	off your first month.
0:49.0	That's 25% off your first month of seeds, DS01, daily symbiotic at seed.com slash sustainable,
0:58.3	code 25 sustainable.
1:00.8	Well, hello, welcome back.
1:05.0	My name is Stephanie Safarian and you're listening to episode 266 of sustainable minimalists.
1:11.9	On today's show, we are discussing the hidden costs associated with
1:16.2	America's love of cheap goods. Specifically we're talking about what the made in China label means, what the
1:26.9	implications are of us continuously buying stuff from China, cheap stuff,
1:32.4	expensive stuff and everything in between.
1:35.0	China has been nicknamed the World's Factory,
1:39.0	the World's Factory, and that's because the People's Republic of China is the world's biggest manufacturer of stuff.
1:47.0	China can make virtually any product and virtually any part to any product you can imagine. and
1:55.0	China generally can make it cheaper than any other country.
2:00.0	Now a question for you,
2:02.0	rhetorical question time, are you in the habit of regularly looking at the tag and finding out where in the world, literally where in the world your stuff is made?
	...

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