Made in China- do we care?

[shootingstar]

I tend to judge the overall garment quality and price before I look at where it was made.

There are certain types of garmets where I do want long-lasting quality-- jackets in particular, shoes, etc.

For the past few decades, I have actively invested in Canadian firms some with international operations (for the global market exposure). This is the area where I feel I can make the strongest contribution to support the Canadian economy.

In Toronto, there was an active vibrant garmet industry where I remember shopping to get deals on local-manufactured clothing.

Gone when free trade agreement was signed.

There are certain fresh foods that I won't buy from China..because it makes no sense to me and doesn't feel "safe" in terms of how it must have been produced so cheaply to fly it here (and tons of fuel for the shipping???) I mean, snow peas from China. How ridiculous when such a veggie can be easily grown in British Columbia?

[OakLeaf]

I'm with GLC.

It's not only China that I try to avoid. Because of China's sheer size and the way its economy has developed, they're probably the world's largest source of sweatshop-made, environmentally deadly goods... but by no means the only one.

Country of origin is only one of the labels I read and one of the factors that goes into every purchase decision. Organic fair trade Rishi brand Chinese tea? The only thing that makes me hesitate even briefly is that their organic certification is done by huge for-profit privately held QAI, which I don't necessarily trust. (I prefer Japanese tea, but that's just because of the flavor. And should an American be drinking tea - "real" tea, camellia sinensis, at all? )

As far as the OP, I don't know of anything either. But Velowear makes a men's vest - it might be worth contacting them and letting them know there's a demand, and maybe in the future they'll do one in women's sizes as well.




ETA:

When we put your money where our mouth is, we often have to put more money there, or take it away from some other budget category.

Maybe only partially true, and maybe not at all, when you do real-cost accounting and look at the whole picture. If I pay an extra 30% or 40% to buy a product made in my own country, state, or county, then I've made sure that money stays in my community, and some or even all of it it comes back to me. It comes back in a higher tax base - better roads means fewer repairs on my vehicles; better cultural opportunities and libraries mean I don't have to purchase as many books or travel long distances to see shows; better equipped first responders, when I need them, can benefit me financially as well as physically; higher real estate values "raise all boats" (bubbles excepted, of course). It comes back in making it a more livable community, more attractive to professionals whose services I may need in the future, so I don't have to travel a long distance to see a competent (or any!) doctor or lawyer. It comes back in less use of mechanized transport and the associated pollution, and the associated health problems that I pay for both when my own health is affected, and when my insurance premiums reflect my neighbors' impaired health. Et cetera....