Just as in sport, the questions we face are ones of fairness, justice and equality. What is the value of a football victory if the opposition only had five players instead of eleven? We need to develop fairer trade regulations in the global marketplace. Globalisation means not pretending that we have nothing to do with problems in other continents. In a globalised world, we are all in it together.
As consumers, we must do our homework. We need to recognise that with every action, and with every purchase, we are shaping the world we live in.
When we decide to buy one thing over another, we are also deciding which firms earn the profits, which countries can export more goods, and what kind of working conditions we think are acceptable for the people that make these products. Many consumers believe that the power to change global trade lies with politicians and businessmen. But this is not the case. Increasingly, consumers hold the power to influence world trade, through the choices we make with our shopping trollies and online baskets.
Take my red fleece for example. I should have asked myself: Where did it come from? How much energy was used to produce it, and how much waste was and will be created because of it? Department stores and chain stores will always supply goods acording to consumer demand. But all too often what the consumers demand are cheap products, which we buy without a thought for the working conditions of the manufacturers or the environment. Could we live without that cool pair of trainers, those fashionable trousers, or that cheep red fleece? We need to ask for products that are socially and ecologically sustainable. If we don’t, nothing will ever change. The rich will get richer, and the poor will get even poorer.
My mind is made up: next time I buy something warm to wear in my office, it will be another fleece from Bangladesh. But this time it will be one that was made in fair working conditions. And this time it won’t be red.
About the Author
Wolfgang Korn studied political science and history and works as a journalist and author in Hannover. He writes for newspapers and magazines (GEO and DIE ZEIT, amongst others). His latest book is Detectives of the Past: Expeditions into the World of Archaeology (Bloomsbury Children’s Books and Books for Young People, 2007).
This book was translated into English from German by Jen Calleja, a writer and translator based in London.
Glossary
abbreviation: short form of a word
advance: payment given to an author before their book goes on sale
antimony: toxic natural element used in medicine and metal compounds
artificial fibre: strand of material created by forcing fibre forming materials through tiny holes
(also see synthetic fibre)
Asiatic: Asian
assembly plant: factory where individual parts are assembled into a finished product
asylum: when a government gives a foreigner a safe place to live in their country to protect them from persecution
baksheesh: tip or bribe given for a service
ballast tank: tank in a ship that can be filled with water to stabilise the vessel
Baltic region: area surrounding the Baltic Sea
behemoth: large and powerful thing or object
bideshi: Bangladeshi for ‘foreigners’
biodegradable waste: also known as organic waste, this is waste made of animal or plant matter that can be broken down by bacteria
boisterous: rough and noisy
bolt (of fabric): an industry standard length of material that is stored in a roll (length and width varies according to material)
boubou: a robe worn by West African men and women (both sexes wear boubous in a slightly different manner)
bow: front of a ship
bridge: room or platform from which a ship is commanded
bulk (produce in): to make or produce something in large quantities
canopy: fabric cover held up by poles
coal: a natural form of carbon burned for fuel
commercial: easily made and sold or traded for profit
commodity: product made for trade or buying and selling
consumer: person or group who are final users of products or services
contaminate: when an unwanted or toxic substance is mixed in with another substance
control room: room from which a service or process is controlled
convoy: to travel in a group or line
cost price: how much it costs to make something
counterfeit: fake
crude oil: unrefined oil, also known as petroleum
deadweight tonnage (DWT): the maximum weight a ship can safely carry
defenceless: without any form of protection
deftly: skilfully and cleverly
densely populated: a high number of people living in a small area
deported: to be made to leave a country
desalination: to remove salt and other minerals from water
designated: when someone or something is given a particular job
dilapidated: broken and run-down
dire: extremely serious or urgent
disembark: get off a ship
distress (fabric): to give simulated marks of age or wear
domestic (product): commodities produced in a person’s home country
dud: failure
echinoderm: invertebrate sea creature
ecologically sustainable: produced in a way that doesn’t damage organisms or their environments
economy: the financial state of a country (or region)
elasticity: the ability of an object to return to its original shape after being stretched
ethylene: gas derived from crude oil used to make plastics
evaporate: to change from a liquid to a gas
export: products created for trade or sale in other countries
fake goods: products that are illegal copies of designer brand goods
forty foot equivalent unit (FEU): 40 foot long shipping container
flare stack: elevated torch on an oil rig that burns off escaping gas while drilling for crude oil
flotsam: wreckage found floating on water
freight: goods being transported for money
freighter: ship that delivers cargo or goods for money
frond: a large, fine leaf, such as a fern
galley: kitchen area of a ship or an aeroplane
general strike: when people stop working in every industry in a town or country as a form of protest
globalisation: the increasingly interlinked nature of the world, in terms of economic relationships, ideas, trade and culture
global warming: increase in the world’s overall temperature caused by human activity
Green Dot: a green recycling logo
guthra: cloth headscarf worn by Arab men
Harmattan: a cold and dusty wind that blows across West Africa
hull: the main body of a ship or vessel
imported: brought in from another country
incentive: some kind of reward to encourage a person to do something
inconspicuous: not easily noticed; does not attract attention
industrialised (more-developed) country: a comparatively rich country with a highly developed social, industrial and economic structure
industrial unit: factory or processing plant
illegal immigrant: person who moves to another country without permission
incinerated: burnt to ashes
international waters: bodies of water that don’t belong to any one particular country or state
internment camp: a holding centre for prisoners of war or illegal immigrants
intersect: to cut across something else
invertebrate: creature without a spine
jetsam: discarded objects found at sea
kandura: a long robe worn by Arab men
labyrinth: maze
landfill: area of land where rubbish is buried
Large Range 2 (LR2): oil tanker that can carry 80,000-159,000 tonnes of liquid
less-developed (unindustrialised) countries: a comparatively poor country with a less-developed social, industrial and economic structure
list: nautical term for when a ship sits lower in the water on one side than the other
loading bay: area where cargo is loaded and unloaded
loincloth: a piece of cloth worn around the hips as clothing
malleable: able to be flattened or rolled out
mage: (also known as a marabout) North African holy man believed to have supernatural powers
mantle: rocky region of the earth’s interior between the crust and the core
manufacturer: a person, group or company that runs a manufacturing plant or factory
marabout: (also known as a mage) North African holy man believed to have supernatural powers
marketplace: a place where goods and products are sold to the end user, the consumer
mass-produced: to produce products in bulk in a factory or manufacturing plant
mbalax: genre of popular dance music in Senegal and Gambia
mechanical loom: a machine that weaves fabric
merchandise: goods bought and sold in a business
metaphor: figure of speech in which a word or phrase is not literally applicable
minimum wage: the minimum hourly rate you can be paid for a job by law
molecule: group of atoms bonded together
monsoon season: period of strong winds and heavy rain in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean
more-developed (industrialised) countries: a comparatively rich country with a more-developed social, industrial and economic structure
natural gas: gas found trapped in reservoirs deep underground
non-perishable: something, usually food, that doesn’t go off for a long time
obsolete: no longer produced or used
oil field: area where large amounts of oil can be found underground
organic waste: also known as biodegradable waste, this is waste made of animal or plant matter that can be broken down by bacteria
outpost: isolated settlement
persecution: to be treated badly because of religion, race or political beliefs
petroleum: unrefined oil, also known as crude oil
polyester: man-made fabric made of polyethylene
polyethylene: type of plastic
port: a town or city with a harbour, or the left hand side of a ship (the right hand side is called starboard)
precarious: unstable or unbalanced
processing plant: place where raw materials are split into their component parts or turned into a product
protagonist: the main character of a drama, film or book
province: part of a country
quarterdeck: part of a ship’s upper deck that runs from the centre to the stern
quay: a platform lying alongside or projecting into water for loading and unloading ships
quayside: a quay and the area around it
raw materials: basic material from which a product is made
reconnaissance: survey or research to find out information
recycle: to convert waste products into useable materials
refinery: a processing plant where raw materials are split into their component parts
refugee: person who leaves their home country to live in another country due to war or persecution
relegate: to assign a person an inferior job, or to become diminished in stature and importance
reservoir: a place where liquid is contained
retailer: people and places that sell things, such as shops or market traders
revolution: when citizens overthrow the government so they can change the way the country is run
run aground: when a vessel becomes immobilised due to hitting a raised area of river or ocean bed or enters water that is too shallow
rural: characteristic of the countryside
scapegoat: a person who is blamed for the wrongdoing or mistakes of others
scour: to scrub an object with rough material for cleaning purposes
seamstress: woman who sews as a job
sector: a particular part of an economy, society or area of professional activity
Serengeti: a geographical region of Africa where wildlife such as lions, zebras and elephants can be found
sheikh: an Arab leader, the head of a tribe, family or village
sheikhdom: an area of land under the control of a sheikh
ship breaking zone: place where old and unused ships are taken apart
shipping container: a standard sized metal container used for moving and shipping cargo and goods
shrewd: clever and a bit crafty
starboard: right hand side of a ship (the left hand side is called port)
stern: the back of a ship
subsidy: buying a part of, or giving money to a business or organisation to keep it going
sulphur: a chemical used to make matches, gunpowder and in medicine
sulphurous: something that contains sulphur
superstition: irrational belief in supernatural influences such as good or bad luck
superstructure: the visible part of a building or vessel
synthetic fibre: strand of material created by forcing fibre forming materials through holes (also see artificial fibre)
taxi-brousse: a mode of transport that is a cross between a taxi and a bus
trader: person who sells products
trawler: fishing boat used for trawling
trawling: to fish or catch with a trawl net
tribe: social division in a traditional society made up of connected families or communities
tuk-tuk: three-wheeled car used as a taxi in India
twenty foot equivalent unit (TEU): 20 foot long shipping container
Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC): oil tanker that can carry 320,000-549,000 tonnes of oil
unindustrialised (less-developed) countries: a comparatively poor country with a less-developed social, industrial and economic structure
United Nations: an international organisation that monitors worldwide laws and security, social progress and human rights
Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC): oil tanker that can carry 160,000-319,000 tonnes of oil
viscous: thick
wharf (wharves): level quayside where boats can be moored to load or unload goods
whipping boy: a young boy assigned to a prince or noble who is punished when his counterpart misbehaves, often used metaphorically to describe a scapegoat
wholesaler: person or company that sells goods in bulk, often to retailers
World Trade Organisation (WTO): an organisation that monitors world trade and attempts to make sure trade agreements are fair
yarn: thread used for knitting and weaving
Further Information
Books
Fast Food Nation: What The All-American Meal is Doing to the World
Eric Schlosser (Penguin, 2002)
Globalization: A Very Short Introduction
Manfred B. Steger (Oxford University Press, 2009)
No Logo (Special Edition)
Naomi Klein (Fourth Estate, 10th Anniversary Edition, 2010)
Not On the Label: What Really Goes into the Food on Your Plate
Felicity Lawrence (Penguin, 2004)
The End of Poverty: How We Can Make it Happen in Our Lifetime
Jeffrey Sachs (Penguin, 2005)
Websites
Duck Spotting
beachcombersalert.org
Fairtrade Foundation
www.fairtrade.org.uk
Make Poverty History
www.makepovertyhistory.org
Trade Justice Movement
www.tjm.org.uk
Winter Sports in Dubai
www.skidxb.com
DVDs
An Inconvenient Truth
Al Gore and Davis Guggenheim (Paramount, 2006)
The Corporation
Mark Achbar (In 2 Film, 20
06)
First published 2012 by A & C Black,
an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP
This electronic edition published in January 2013 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
www.acblack.com
Copyright © 2012 A & C Black
Text copyright © 2009 Wolfgang Korn
Translated into English from German by Jen Calleja in 2012
www.jencalleja.com
The right of Wolfgang Korn to be identified as the author
of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the
Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1998.
ISBN 9781408192474
A CIP catalogue for this book is available from the British Library.
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