Fair trade beads?

[lexs_creations]

It has recently been brought to my attention that many beads (especially semiprecious gemstone beads) are made in factories--particularly in China, India, and a few other countries--where the workers are subjected to terrible conditions.  Many of them come down with lung diseases from inhaling too much of the dust from the grinding process, and some die prematurely.  They are also paid such low wages that they don't really have what they need to survive, but they are forced to work for whatever they can since other jobs are not available.

I work with polymer clay, but I have also been making a lot of beaded jewelry lately.  I've decided that, from now on, I will use mostly fair trade beads in my beaded jewelry.  I am not worried about paying more for the beads.  A socially conscious customer base will be willing to pay a little more for jewelry that is handmade by me from fair trade beads.

That being said, does R&T carry fair trade beads and findings, and other fair trade materials?  I would like as much information as I can get about R&T's providers, so that I will know what is "safe" for me to buy and what is not.

(And no, I don't believe the argument that if we boycott these factories, they will shut down and the workers will be out of jobs.  If enough people do this, and we let companies know why, they will be more likely to shape up and get the proper equipment, and to treat their workers better, than they will be to just shut down.  And if it doesn't work, at least we will have tried, rather than just accepting it.)

Which beads are most likely to have been made in a more humane way, and is it better to buy beads made in certain countries?  I am trying to do research on the subject but it seems like there just is not a whole lot out there.

Thank you for your help!  '>

Lex

[Russ Nobbs]

Great springboard for discussion, Lex!

Fair trade is a label that is defined by one of several organizations. We are not a member of any of the FairTrade organizations. Nor are we certified by any of them. Because we lack certification our products are, by definition, not fair trade items. The fair trade organizations work heavily with agricultural and hand craft items. Although some of our items are made at the village or compound level, most of the  stone and glass beads are factory made. I'm not familiar with ANY bead distributor that is part of the Fair Trade movement. I do know some Fair Trade importers who bring back beads or beaded products as part of their business.

At http://www.fairtradefederation.com/memcrit.html they list the following criteria for membership in their particular program.

* Paying a fair wage in the local context.
* Offering employees opportunities for advancement.
* Providing equal employment opportunities for all people, particularly the most disadvantaged.
* Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices.
* Being open to public accountability.
* Building long-term trade relationships.
* Providing healthy and safe working conditions within the local context.
* Providing financial and technical assistance to producers whenever possible.
     =============== end quote ================
    
Now that we work directly with cutters and bead makers in China and Bali we have more direct connection with the working conditions. We've traveled to factories and villages where our beads are produced. A staff member speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese. We've seen the working conditions and spoken with workers as well as factory owners and brokers. The factories and workshops we've visited are fairly small family owned businesses although some employ 100 or more workers. (Just like Rings & Things is a fairly small family owned business supporting about 70 employees.)

There ARE bead factories in China with conditions so bad the Chinese officials have tried to get them corrected. They are not one of our current suppliers although we did buy from them at the Tucson Gem Show in the past. See http://www.professionaljeweler.com/archives/news/2003/062003story.html  I discussed these issues in a forum earlier this year at http://forums.about.com/ab-jewelrymkg

While the workshop and factories we visited would not meet US standards I felt most were better than one might expect in the local context. Personally, I'm an old hippie craftsperson, I was once part of the back to the land movement and voluntarily lived primitively by US standards. I and my family worked long hours at fairs and craft shows. I did not find the workplaces we saw in China and Bali unreasonable. I would be willing to work there.

You can read about our recent trips and see some of the pictures we took at:
http://rtnews.rings-things.com/travels/travels.htm
http://rtnews.rings-things.com/travels2/travels.htm

Rings & Things has been very active in trying to honestly or correctly represent the materials we sell. It hasn't been easy finding out what new stones really are. The jewelry industry is slow to honestly disclose enhanced and treated gemstones. We've pushed the bead industry towards accurate disclosure. This is not an area covered by the fair trade principles quoted above.

We do look for ways to improve the process of making beads. We do talk about safety and honesty issues with the owners. We do try to be culturally sensitive to the people we work with.

The whole gemstone industry is very questionable in terms of "environmentally sustainable practices."  Sometimes it seems like Mother Earth IS for sale and we sell parts of it by the strand every day. We have used up natural resources. There is no more gaspeite to be mined as far as anyone knows. We've used up many US turquoise resources unless we are willing to use deeper or harsher mining practices. Mining for gold and silver is done with destructive methods. Electroplating operations use harsh chemicals and have problems with environmental regulations. There are objections to polymer clay because of the petrochemical base. The plasticizers added to the polymer clay are classified as hazardous chemicals by OSHA.

All these issues make me uncomfortable. In that sense there is a question if ANY contemporary jeweler could produce fair trade goods in any but the most primitive manner.

You mention "such low wages." That involves the local context. A living wage in a 3rd world country is not the same as a living wage here. The high wage and benefits that the unions fought for in steel factories are being lost because US consumers want to pay low prices and the manufacturing jobs are moving overseas.

For the most part, we pay the price asked for the goods we buy. We don't negotiate for lower and lower prices to squeeze the producer. I think that leads to better equipment, better conditions and better pay for the employees. It means we don't have the rock bottom prices we could have.

In our own warehouse we start staff at higher than minimum wage and offer benefits after 90 days. Most of our staff gets what is considered a living wage in our area. (I'd like it to be all the staff.) But again, that means our prices are not as rock bottom as they could be. We apply fair trade standards to our operation in the US. I ride a bike to work and have lived in the same house for 21 years. In the winter I take the bus or drive my 79 Ford van. I push recycling and reuse in our business and try to make "green" choices. None of those "good things" make our products Fair Trade products.

Does one country produce beads more humanely than another?  Maybe Bali as they take the time to attend to their spiritual side? Maybe Navajos in the US? Maybe I feel that way because I admire those cultures.  Czech bead production had some dark history. See the Bead Bugle story at http://www.nfobase.com/html/forced_bead_labor_.html  At least one Czech importer will tell you many of today's factories are now owned by the Communist Party managers who got a "sweet deal" when Communism faded away in Czech Republic.

In summary, I'm not sure any "full service" bead importer / dealer could qualify as a certified Fair Trade dealer because of the type of industry this is. But I think Rings & Things tries very hard to be a "good citizen of the world" within the context of this industry.

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this. I'll share this with the staff here at Rings & Things. It will be good for all of us to consider how what we do fits into the "global scheme of things."

[Russ Nobbs]

I forgot to answer some of the other questions you asked Polly.

Yes, some of our plastic and metal beads are factory made in the US. Some porcelain and ceramic beads and the laser "burned" wood pendants are made by small crafts producers in the US. Some of our hair sticks are produced by a small crafts producer. We carry some lampworked beads produced by hand in the US. Aside from crafts producer goods, the only beads made in the US are plastic or metal.

"suffering due to inhumane conditions" is hard to quantify because it relates to the cultural context.  Many people feel it is unconsionable child labor when a child works with their parents producing handicrafts. My children worked fairs with us or worked with my wife at juried craft shows. That would be a "bad thing" in many people's eyes today. Yet my grown children consider it a valuable part of their growing up.

A Navajo or Zuni family produces jewelry by involving  all (or most) members of the family. That's how the children learn the skills. Is it inhumane child labor. I think not.

We did not see people  suffering in inhumane conditions conditions. We did see conditions that were not up to US standards. Most were very much like conditions in a craftperson's  or rock hound's personal workshop.

[lexs_creations]

Quote (Russ Nobbs @ Aug. 17 2004,7:57)

I forgot to answer some of the other questions you asked Polly. Yes, some of our plastic and metal beads are factory made in the US. Some porcelain and ceramic beads and the laser "burned" wood pendants are made by small crafts producers in the US. Some of our hair sticks are produced by a small crafts producer. We carry some lampworked beads produced by hand in the US. Aside from crafts producer goods, the only beads made in the US are plastic or metal. "suffering due to inhumane conditions" is hard to quantify because it relates to the cultural context.  Many people feel it is unconsionable child labor when a child works with their parents producing handicrafts. My children worked fairs with us or worked with my wife at juried craft shows. That would be a "bad thing" in many people's eyes today. Yet my grown children consider it a valuable part of their growing up. A Navajo or Zuni family produces jewelry by involving  all (or most) members of the family. That's how the children learn the skills. Is it inhumane child labor. I think not. We did not see people  suffering in inhumane conditions conditions. We did see conditions that were not up to US standards. Most were very much like conditions in a craftperson's  a rock hound's personal workshop.

When I write about people suffering under inhumane conditions, I am mainly thinking about workers having to inhale toxic dust from bead grinding that can lead to silicosis, or toxic gases from the making of certain silver beads.  And I know that in sweatshop scenarios, workers are often not paid enough to feed themselves and/or their families, but they are forced to continue working because there are no other jobs.

There are, in fact, quite a few fair trade bead sellers.  I have only been searching for them since last night, and already I have compiled a pretty good list.  A World of Good, Risashay, and Ananse Village are three that come to mind, though there are more of them.  While none of them has a huge selection when compared with R&T, they are indeed fair trade organizations.

When you say that you have seen the factories and the workers, and spoken with the workers, does this mean that you have been able to find out what conditions are like for those who work there all the time?  Do you know if enough dust or gases are being produced to cause diseases, or if they have the proper equipment to prevent that?  Do you know for sure that the wages they are receiving are enough to ensure their survival?

These are my main concerns.  Thank you for your replies.  '>

I am glad that you no longer purchase beads from the factory (or factories?) in China that you mentioned as having terrible working conditions.  (If the Chinese officials are getting involved, it must have been REALLY bad.)

If I cannot be sure that beads are being made under conditions that I myself would deem to be ethical (and I may have different standards than you do), I would prefer to buy fair trade beads and beads that I know are from countries where the standards are higher.  That being said, I will make a conscious effort not to buy beads unless I know where they have been made and am sure that they have been made in an ethical way.  

Maybe this seems extreme, but I am a young hippie craftsperson.  '>  I would like to know that the jewelry I make does not come at the expense of a worker's well-being.

Please rest assured that I am not trying to make any sort of attack on your company--far from it.  I have had nothing but good experiences with you, and I think that you run a great operation.  I am only saying that I don't want to compromise my principles.  I will still gladly continue to buy whatever products I can from you, provided that I can be confident that they were made in a way I would consider to be ethical.

I felt the need to post this here because it does not even occur to most people that bead manufacturing could be harmful; I would probably not have thought about it if not for an article on another web site about semiprecious gemstone beads...


Lex

[marym]

Wow!  I was unaware of a lot of that information.  Thanks to both of you for the insight.  

I fell in love with gem stones and stumbled across some information regarding the dirty diamond industry that snapped me into reality.  Unfortunately, this industry is chock full of "unfair" and inhumane practices.  It is ALWAYS a welcome sight to see a crafter making the effort to purchase clean goods, and eventually, this could facilitate a larger change.  But it's not just the crafters that make a difference, it's the end customers as well.  Customers boycotting and refusing to purchase diamonds eventually made an impact on Tiffanies.  I have noticed that they have attempted to sell only diamonds that were not mined in an inhumane manner, and they have refused (very recently) to purchase from mines that are not complying to earth friendly standards as well.  That's a good start.  

But there are other options for gaining beads as well... some things I have done (and am learning to do) that help ease my conscience:

Art Clay Silver (and gold) is made from recycled precious metals... making beads out of this recycled material is inexpensive and not hard to do.  Depending on your abilities, the beads can be quite stunning.  Glass workshops are also available in abundance and hand made glass beads are quickly becoming my favorites (although the process is a tad difficult, either that or I am just too clumsy).  As Russ said, our lampwork beads are all hand made in the US.  There are many methods that you can use to make the beads you want, and it's pretty rewarding and fun.

And of course you can still purchase beads.

From one crafter to another:
I recommend that you keep doing what you are doing and just research the beads, and the company, on a case by case basis.  Unfortunately I have found that no-matter what the company response to my questions may be; there is no guarantee that they do as they say they are doing.  The best bet is to purchase from a supplier that speaks honestly… and practices policies that are in keeping with your ideals.  Be wary of those that give you the exact answer you want.  

Researching is a bit time consuming, but as you seem to have already discovered... it's a reward in its own right.  Good luck!  And thanks again for all the good info!


-Mary

[lexs_creations]

Quote (marym @ Aug. 18 2004,10:26)

But there are other options for gaining beads as well... some things I have done (and am learning to do) that help ease my conscience: Art Clay Silver (and gold) is made from recycled precious metals... making beads out of this recycled material is inexpensive and not hard to do.  Depending on your abilities, the beads can be quite stunning.  Glass workshops are also available in abundance and hand made glass beads are quickly becoming my favorites (although the process is a tad difficult, either that or I am just too clumsy).  As Russ said, our lampwork beads are all hand made in the US.  There are many methods that you can use to make the beads you want, and it's pretty rewarding and fun.

Hi Mary!

I'm glad to be putting (or helping to put) this information out there; I think the more people who know these things, the better.  I've been e-mailing fair trade and anti-sweatshop organizations, but none of them seem to have done research on the bead and jewelry industry in particular.  I will keep looking, though...I would really like to have some concrete facts, without having to travel around the world to get them.   '>  And Russ, thanks so much for the info.

I would really love to work with Art Clay Silver, but I can't.  The only "studio space" I have is my one-bedroom apartment, which I share with another person.  I can't afford a special mini-kiln or anything like that.  Even if I could, and I was using one and the building management found out, they'd have a fit (and rightfully so).  I have been wondering about these introductory kits with the "hot pots"--maybe that would be a safer possibility?  I have no idea.

I am also a polymer clay artist, so I can make my own beads from clay.  I will be doing that as well.  But I would like to support whatever fair trade companies there are that sell beads and jewelry components, and the beads I would buy are things that I definitely would not be able to make.  '>

Lex