I’ll admit that it came as a bit of a shock to learn that 79 slaves are apparently working on my behalf around the world.
That’s the number that Slaveryfootprint.org – a website that tracks the forced and unpaid labour that goes into producing the things we take for granted – conservatively estimates have toiled to produce the raw materials used to make my clothes and food to my car, bike and the iPad I’m writing this on.
Slaveryfootprint uses a general survey to chart the type and quantity of products you use and the type of food you eat and produces results based on the number of exploited workers it knows are used to produce those type of goods. Most of the slavery occurs way down the supply chain in the mines, fields and factories that produce or process the raw materials that go into making your jeans, morning latte or your smartphone.
Most of my “slaves” appear to be in China as clothing and gadgets figure more prominently in my results. Many of China’s 150 million migrant workers toil illegally in mines and kilns producing everything from silicon, silk and silver to pearls, pig iron and polyester.
Breezeblog 