It's been a couple of weeks since I wrote a blog post and although one of the main motivations for writing this blog is to grow the business I also firmly believe that sometimes being philosophical and sharing insights is helpful to that cause. Consider it a form of transparency, something I pride myself on as a business owner and the topic for today's blog. Being honest is something I value as a human, maybe to a fault, and today I would like to share how that translates into my business practices and what I look for in terms of transparency when adding products into the shop.
Being transparent about business practices is something that I have discovered is not on every business owners agenda and it is also sometimes even hard to implement for those that care about being honest to a fault. For me it's the most important thing and something I look for in every vendor or brand that I am considering working with. But in a way it is also one of the most complicated things to implement as a business owner. I claim that all goods in my shops are "ethically" manufactured but in reality it can sometimes be more challenging to ensure this dynamic in a manufacturing process of every single item. There are sometimes assumptions made based on country of origin or resources used for a product. For instance, beechwood is commonly used in the Redecker line of brushes. I can easily draw a conclusion that this is ethical because it is easy to determine that beechwood is a fast growing wood and is easy to renew quickly. Which basically means that no forests are being decimated to create the products. But for most things I rely heavily on information provided by the vendor which means I have to place my trust their word.
One example of this trust is often seen in products that I carry that are made in China. When I encounter products made in China it plays out into two different ways. The first is that I see a subtle mention of the place of origin that I have to search quite hard for on the website. Often the vendor will go so far as to say "Made in the People's Republic of China". I think saying it that way somehow makes it more palatable to them. The other scenario is that the place of origin is mentioned and accompanied with an explanation of why the vendor chose to use China as a place of manufacturing but they will go so far as to explain the relationship they have with the vendor which will often times include annual site visits. They will sometimes mention that there is an intentional decision made due to the materials and the ways in which the materials are used. Baggu bags are a great example of this in that their website clearly states that their manufacturer in China works with them to reduce waste by determining fabric widths that match the sizes of the bags and the fact that China is one of the few (if not the only place) where recycled nylon can be remade into new nylon, an attractive aspect of their products for a shop like mine. So while I personally am not traveling to China on this site visit the transparency of the brand the acknowledgement manufacturing in China can be problematic helps me take them for their word.
Labor practices can be super difficult to vet especially when one considers the layers of labor involved in a product. There isn't just the making of the product but the resources that are acquired to make the product and where those come from. There is administrative aspects of every business that must be considered. It seems that generally speaking we tend to make assumptions about the labor practices of certain underdeveloped countries or places like China that do not appear to have checks in place to ensure that workers are treated with respect and dignity. But it is just as easy to make an assumption going in the other direction. For instance, the United States has labor laws in place but we also have indentured servitude written into our constitution and a major problem with human trafficking specifically in the realm of forced labor. This is my main sticking point with this current round of tariffs being imposed. At its core it is quite hypocritical and yet another instance of the US policing other countries when it really needs to take a look in the mirror and fix its own issues.
If you have been around for a while you will have noticed that for every product there is a maker and a biography of that maker is always listed at the end of the product description. This is one way that I work to be completely transparent about where this product comes from and who the folks are that are responsible for bringing it into manifestation. This is also where you will often find tidbits of information regarding the ethics of the product. For instance, in this description you will learn that the Sao wood spoons that we carry are made from Sao trees that no longer produce fruit. This area that I call "Meet the Maker" is the first step for me when picking new products which means that I myself have to discover this information before placing orders with a brand. There have been many products that I have declined because when researching the brand I cannot find the pertinent information that I know I will want to share with you, the consumer.
If I am unable to determine things easily such as country of origin or resources used the clear message I am getting from the brand is that they simply don't care about this aspect of their product which means they lack transparency. In my opinion the only reason to not be completely transparent is because you are trying to hide something.
I knew before I even gave this shop a name that ethics was the most important thing for me. If I could not do this in a way that would guarantee no harm was done to the planet and the people inhabiting it I just did not want to do it at all. As a consumer this is important to me and I was banking on the idea that it would be important to others. Look, I love a pretty little thing as much as the next person but what I love even more is knowing that someone was paid a living wage in an environment free of hazards to make that pretty little thing. It's just not worth it to me if that isn't a reality.
Is being honest to a fault really a bad thing? And if we are truly being honest perhaps the truth is that we can never really know the ins and outs of everything that we consume. Take this recent bout of lettuce diarrhea that is running amok in this country. I have to admit that when I think of it all I can see is a field worker who likely did not have the time to take a break and probably not a proper facility in which to do their business. Why else would a contamination from human waste have even started in the first place? Not to be crude but if poop goes into toilets with proper sewage pathways there is no reason for an outbreak of this type. But we have all spent years and years detaching ourselves from this reality because when we go to Dorothy Lane Market to get salad we just grab a big plastic box packaged neatly and clean with no signs of distress or mistreatment hitting us across the face. While we all may strive for total transparency I believe that at times the discomfort we feel from such realities is too much to bear. So perhaps we would prefer in some instances to not know the truth.
One of my biggest fears as a business owner is to be called out on something offensive that I have done or said. I have seen this happen to even the most well meaning of business owners. We live in a world that is deeply connected and where folks can get quickly easily offended by something they consider inappropriate. On some level I believe that being transparent about my practices will curb this possibility but in reality I am just bracing myself for when this does happen. The closest I have been to this feeling is when someone asks me if everything in my shop is made locally or if I make everything. When someone asks me if I make everything I actually spontaneously laugh out loud. I would truly be some kind of miracle worker who never slept. When folks ask me if everything is local I take the question to heart because I understand and appreciate the intention behind wanting to source the goods we need to live locally. But, if there is one thing I have learned from running this shop filled with practical goods it's that there is no true utopian town or region that can provide all of the goods we need. There are some where we may get close to that but none that it can be 100% true.
Truth is complex. What may be true for one moment can be completely untrue for another moment. At the end of the day it seems to me that striving to be as transparent as possible while continuing to seek the needed information to do our best for our communities is the most important task we can take as individuals. Remembering that there are folks out there striving for this same level of transparency gives me hope just as knowing how much each of you value this aspect of this adorable little shop.