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Responsible Bloggers: August 15, 2007
Today’s round-up of responsible bloggers will focus on the Mattel recall fallout.
Here’s what’s circulating around the blogosphere:
They Got Barbie and Batman now.
Diligence China
By Andrew Hupert
August 14, 2007
Finished in toxic lead paint that was intentionally substituted at the factory level, Sarge is a textbook example of supply chain failure.
Polly, on the other hand, is a toy for toddlers that contains a series of tiny magnets glued to fabric. This really sounds like a design flaw which started – and should have stopped – at HQ early in the product development cycle.
If the mainstream media interprets the kids who got sick from Polly Pockets as victims of China Inc, we have got a pretty severe situation on our hands. A) China Inc is a lightning rod for everything wrong with consumerism in the US, and B) China will have gotten little kids sick on CNN. That’s a pretty big deal.
China Toy Problem Recalls Technology Gap
Matter Network
By John Gartner
August 14, 2007
While labor is cheaper in China, the carbon and other emissions from the older machinery and lack of regulations puts an added cost on all of those toys and electronics that are so much cheaper to make elsewhere. According to one estimate, the energy consumption (relying mostly on old coal power plants) is more than four times that of the U.S.
So blaming China, India et al for not being part of Kyoto when they are providing us goods that produce millions of tons of CO2 isn’t fair.
Also, consider the fossil fuels burned in shipping from 5,000 miles away versus to a port in the U.S. before the are moved by rail/truck to warehouses and then driven to your local WalMart.
This system may be the most economically efficient, but not the most sustainable.
Execution or suicide — your choice
HEY!
By Dane Golden
August 14, 2007
Was the toy exectutive’s death a suicide, and was he the one responsible for the lead paint? I don’t know. Was the Chinese FDA official responsible for tainting the food supply of Americans and their pets? I don’t know that, either. But they have not been legally charged with either (the FDA guy was charged with bribery, not on the latest food problems). Both men, however, have been designated as responsible parties for perpetuity.
Don’t Ask China to Change
Maté Tea for the Mind
By Edward Chenard
August 13, 2007
The US government decided the best course of action was to ask China to clean up the growing problems it has with bad imports. And that’s it. Now I do think it was the right thing to do to tell China they should clean up their mess, environment, air quality, etc… But I think it was very wrong and reckless to stop at that.
China is not going to change because we ask. It is not in their interest to change if nothing else changes. Consumers should act in their own interest and not buy from any company that is not open about where their products come from and how those products get to the consumer and the quality of the product and ingredients in them. That’s how consumers impact change.
[tags]ResponsibleChina, China, news, blogs, Mattel, toys, recalls[/tags]
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