Transcript Moral and Ethical Issues

Moral issues
Ethical design
1
Moral Issues
Moral issues influence design
and manufacture
As consumers become more aware of the moral issues that affect
how a product is designed and manufactured, so too are designers
and manufacturers aware of the need to design and manufacture
with this consideration.
The following slides feature some of these concerning issues, and
the principles followed to ensure a moral and ethical approach is
taken into account when introducing new products.
Poor wages
Workers (often in developing or poorer countries) are
taken advantage of and are paid poor wages.
Manufacturers can then produce products in high
volume, enabling products to be sold cheaply in richer
wealthier countries.
I work long hours
for little money, but
I have to feed my
family.
Poor Wages
Fair Trade
Fair trade
Ensure that workers and producers are paid a fair price or wage.
We are Mali cotton
producers. With Fair
trade, we are
guaranteed a fair price
for our cotton.
Poor working conditions
Workers (often in developing or poorer
countries) are taken advantage of and are
forced to work in unhealthy and unsafe
environments. Children are also used as a
form of cheap labour.
Workers often inhale toxic chemicals and
work with dangerous tools and machinery,
with little training of safety precautions.
I just get the job
done whichever way
I can; no one cares if
I hurt myself.
Fair Trade
Fair trade
Fair Trade
Ensure that children are not forced to work and employees are working in a healthy and
safe environment.
Fair trade ensures that I
am not breathing in
poisonous pesticides, as
the cotton we grow is now
organic.
Short-term work
Fair Trade
Often, workers in developing countries are not offered long-term contracts. They are being exploited
as it means there are no contractual obligations or guarantees between the producers and the
buyers. The manufacturers are under no obligation to give continued orders to the producers.
Fair Trade
Fair trade
Ensure that long-term trading relationships are established, so that producers
and workers have a sustained income.
Fair Trade
Lack of benefits for workers
Workers (often in developing or poorer countries) are not given any sort of benefits. The
most valuable benefits they could be offered are those of health and education to improve
their quality of life.
Help with school fees and
health benefits would
secure my family’s
future.
Fair trade
Ensure that workers are provided with muchneeded benefits, such as health and education.
Fair trade can lead to
benefits, such as healthcare
plans, education, transport,
hospital treatment, and
funeral costs.
Fair Trade
Other issues to consider
Animal rights
Animal rights’ supporters strongly believe that it is
no longer necessary to use real fur when there are so
many good synthetic imitations.
Vegans also believe that no product should be made
from animal products; including leather shoes.
These views are widely supported, but sometimes
suitable alternatives need to be found before the
majority will fully support these views.
Animal rights
Children
Children's modesty
Not only is it important to ensure that children are
not exploited by using them in textile manufacture,
it is strongly supported that children's products and
garments should not be body-revealing or bare
sexual implications.
Children’s garments should not use inappropriate
slogans or imagery.
The Primark Bikini
This padded bikini for 7 year old
girls caused controversy because it
was padded, and people felt that
this was sexualising young girls.
Primark stopped selling these after
a public outcry.
Playboy Branding
Playboy is a pornographic magazine. There has been a lot of
controversy on branding little girls’ clothes bags and
stationary with this logo which is associated with
pornography.