Find out more about Alexandra Harney's new book The China Price: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage. I haven't actually read the book yet (sorry, Alexandra – haven't made it through the weekend's newspapers yet either) but I did catch her on Radio 4's You and Yours (listen again here) discussing the hidden cost of our addiction to cheap goods.

 

Of course we all know in our hearts that you can't actually make a £3 shirt or a £1 toy on the other side of the planet without some consequences somewhere: for the labourers – and the environment.  

 

When Western manufacturing started moving to China at speed, we were all told globalisation was a great thing. Now that most of our clothing, toys, shoes and computers are manufactured in China (along with a huge proportion of electronics and furniture) how rosy is the picture? Former industrial centres in the west may be ghost towns with high employment, but so long as shoppers were happy with their cheap goody bags, no one seemed to mind. Now that the secrets behind many cheap goods are being revealed (including unsafe and unfair conditions for factory workers, environmental pollution and associated disease) are we shoppers still tempted to brag about our bargains?

 

In addition to problems for the Chinese workers, recent scandals over product safety mean our own health is threatened (so maybe we'll finally sit up and take notice). These scandals also show how companies lose control when manufacturing is subcontracted. 'Shadow factories' (as revealed by Alexandra's book) are used to flout international rules and regs (including laws against child labour and forced labour). 

 

We often wonder how slavery continued for so long, but wasn't a big motivation the comfort of the middle classes? (After all 'free' labour does mean cheaper goods.) Will future generations wonder how we could sleep at night knowing our high streets are stocked with the fruits of slave labour? Free trade doesn't mean free workers.

 

Alexandra stresses that the problem isn't limited to China. If manufacturing costs rise, dirty manufacturing will simply move on to other countries where it can exploit people and resources at will. The only solution lies with the multinational corporations – and with us, the consumers.  

 

Can we make better choices (and simply buy fewer things?) I've just completed a feature on sustainable fashion for the Environment Channel at MSN.co.uk. Watch this space for a link once the feature is live. 

 

And if you're free on Thursday the 12th of June, pop into London's Chatham House to hear Alexandra's talk (details here) about the issues in her book. And for the in-depth story, read it yourself – instead of hunting for 'The China Price' from a multinational corporation, why not support your local bookshop?

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