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Occasionally they come to the notice of a big company and they like what they see. They want it!
Now last I heard big companies jealously guard their credit terms of 60 days, 90 days or even more after delivery of the item to them.
Never mind that they want HUGE quantities of ?it?: that can always be arranged by the amalgamation of work from hundreds of different suppliers with the combined power of thousands of craftspeople.
Just what do these families eat while the big buyer is enjoying their 90 day credit facility?? How do they look after their sick and send their children to school?
The universe invented the middle man, didn't it? What does the middle man want? He/She wants the same credit facilities as the big companies it supplies and squeezes the craft production businesses to comply.
If they don't agree? The idea they had is appropriated by the middle man, of course and hence the US supermarket or whoever they are selling to. They find someone who has a factory where workers are brought in from a kampung somewhere and locked up for a couple of years with no distractions like time off.
Of course there is a system to front with respectability, and a benign person to answer questions and hide the reality of the sweatshop.
So unless you go into the places that produce ?green? items you may be buying stolen property. Sweat shops are not a source of creative ideas, in case it needs to be said.
Be aware of that next time you step into a ?green? warehouse or retail store.And book a ticket to visit some of the places where ?green? items are actually produced. Visit craftspeople in their homes. They will usually welcome you with open arms.
You might have to pay cash but you will actually be contributing to a greener world.
Sigh! Now if only there was a bridge between micro credit organisation in the third world and US supermarkets, the ?greening? might get somewhere. Not to mention that the poor craftspeople of countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand might actually improve their standards of living.
When are you coming to Bali? Make it soon!! We would love to see you.