The item I chose for this assignment is a plush Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street that some friends gave to me the night before I had spinal surgery. I first found it in the hospital’s gift shop, on a rotating rack with other Sesame Street characters (I was 17 when I had the surgery, so I was staying in a children’s hospital). For reasons unknown, I felt immediately drawn to it. It was probably nostalgia, or the fact that Snuffleupagus seems like such an obscure character, even on a show like Sesame Street. It has become an important part of my nighttime routine, and I can’t seem to sleep if it’s not with me. According to its sewn-on tag, it is made of polyester fibers and stuffed with polyurethane foam. 

This plush is distributed by GUND, a Canadian-owned toy company based in Edison, NJ. However, like most products, its tag says, “Made in China”. China is an important hub for the textile business. While I could not find sources about polyester production specifically as a part plush toy manufacturing, there are numerous sources about the textile industry in China.  

Many Chinese garment factories are known for what we refer to as “fast fashion”, or cheaply made clothing typically made by exploited, low-paid factory workers. Polyester is a commonly used material in fast fashion items, so this seemed like the best place to start. Brands that partake in fast fashion usually claim their employees make “at least minimum wage”, while that may be true on paper, these minimum wage values only constitute to less than half of a livable wage. Garment workers in China face long hours, about 14 to 16 hours a day, all week long. Like the video we watched about Bangladesh, the conditions in Chinese garment factories are morbid. Workers often breathe in toxic substances, and there is little to no ventilation. The fast fashion industry is also notorious for the use of child labor, a staggering 11% of children in the world are forced to work monotonous, dangerous jobs like this.   

When researching GUND, I visited their page on Amazon and read the small blurb written about the manufacture of their products. They simply state that their products are made in China, shipped to the United States, and kept in warehouses for distribution. When stated so regularly, you would not even consider the amount of labor and pain endured to make a product as inviting as a plush toy.

Sources:

https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx32FD1XDPP3IOA?ref_=ws_cp_5d1c147625091864a89d_m_4_s_5_qa

https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Textile-and-apparel-industries-still-using-child-labor,360680.html

https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-working-conditions

Ever since I was younger, music has been one of things that I have enjoyed the most and is something that I’ve tried to make a big part of my life. My first introduction to music most likely occurred from a very young age with music played by my parents, however the first time it actually was of great interest to me occurred in 4th grade when it was time to choose an instrument to play in the elementary school band. While I was really interested in learning the alto saxophone or the trumpet, I was assigned the clarinet, which of course led to the obligatory jokes referencing Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants. Being assigned the clarinet kickstarted my interest in learning instruments, and I went on to learn the alto saxophone, viola, piano, guitar, drums, and the ukulele. While I enjoy all of these instruments, one of my favorites is the cherry red Fender Telecaster that I received from my cousin after her father died. Even though my uncle was a psychiatrist, he managed to collect many electric guitars, amps, and records with the purpose of learning how to use them once he retired, which he unfortunately was never able to do before his death. 

While the cherry red Fender Telecaster was given to me by my cousin after she finished cataloging my late Uncle’s guitar collection, my uncle most likely purchased the guitar from a music/guitar store like Guitar Center or directly from Fender itself, and from the serial number on the back of the neck it is likely that the guitar was produced in either Mexico or the United States depending on the production year, which I don’t know. I can’t find out how my uncle actually purchased this guitar, I can find out the history of the guitar and how specific parts, like the tuning pegs, strings, and body, are made. Coming directly from the Fender website, the introduction of the Telecaster allowed musicians to have a guitar that was well designed, easy to play, and that had great sound, among other good qualities. Fender describes the Telecaster as having many of the same features of the Hawaiian steel guitars they had already been producing (fender.com), including the guitar’s bridge covers, knobs, and tuning pegs.

My telecaster has a Cherry Red colored body with one singular pick up and three knobs that I have yet to completely understand the use of. The guitar’s neck is a light tan color and the tuning pegs are silver. The shape of the pegs are flat and rounded, making tuning easy. While there are many different parts of the guitar, I wanted to look more into how guitar strings are made.

When I first started researching guitar strings, the complexities of what seems to be an incredibly simple object surprised me, however the more I looked into the more sense these complexities made because different strings produce different sounds and different musicians want different sounds. While there are different types of strings for acoustic guitars and electric guitars, I decided to focus on electric guitar strings. 

Electric guitar strings can be made of materials, including nickel plates, nickel, stainless steel, chrome, and the can be polymer coated. Each of these materials produces different sounds, with stainless less steel strings being used for hard rock due to the sharp sound that they produce and chrome strings being used in Jazz. My guitar uses nickel strings, one of the most common strings for electric guitars.

Most nickel is mined in the Sudbury region of Ontario, Canada and is mined specifically from the mineral pentlandite, which has the chemical formula NiS 2FeS. While not known for sure, it is likely that this specific nickel deposit was the result of an ancient meteor impact. While there are different brands that produce nickel electric guitar strings, I use Ernie Ball Regular Slinky strings which nickel strings, which are made from nickel plated steel wire that has been  wrapped around a tin-plated hex shaped steel core wire (www.ernieball.com).   

Sources:

https://www.fender.com/articles/gear/the-one-that-started-it-all-a-telecaster-history

https://primesound.org/how-guitar-strings-are-made/

https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele028.html

https://www.ernieball.com/guitar-strings/electric-guitar-strings/slinky-nickel-wound-electric-guitar-strings/8-12-string

I’ve decided to choose a plastic water bottle for this project. It’s an old Poland Spring bottle I drank a few days ago and forgot to throw out. While this item does not have any personal significance to me, I thought it fit this assignment as it’s something that many people have used and have never given much thought towards. I think that by learning where and how these small plastic bottles are made, we can better understand how to deal with the consequences of their mass production. 

First, it’s important to discuss the water itself. Poland Spring (and it’s parent company, Nestle) claim that it gets its water from natural springs, which is correct. What it fails to mention is that the company doesn’t harvest the water itself but rather buys it from the water suppliers for local towns. These towns are the ones who collect the spring water and refine it, but Poland Spring buys and bottles it. This has led to several controversies over the years, such as towns running low on drinking water for its citizens due to a larger than expected purchase from Poland Spring. What was interesting to me is how Poland Spring managed to twist the origin of where the water comes from to make it seem as though they are the providers of water itself, and despite this we still buy bottled water on our campus despite having access to reusable water bottles and several dozen water fountains spread out around campus. 

While the origin of the water has its own history, what I was really interested in was the origin of the bottle itself. About 60 million plastic bottles are thrown away every day, and most end up in landfills. This is devastating to the environment and shows that despite the societal movement to recycle, we as a society throw out far too much trash. 

But this issue is in part caused by an overabundance of trash to begin with, or rather a surplus of trash as a result of our general way of life. For example, the US is predicted to produce over 1.5 billion plastic bottles in the year 2021. Each of these bottles will be drunk from, and while some may be recycled, studies show that the majority will be thrown into landfills. This raises the question: where do all of these bottles come from? While there are several sources for these water bottles, their biggest exporter is China who is responsible for producing around 30% of the world’s plastic products. Other exporters of plastic products, including water bottles, include Germany, the United States, France and Italy. With all of these global superpowers producing such a high quantity of plastic products, it’s no wonder why plastic bottles contribute to so much of the planet’s waste.

While I couldn’t find much information about the location where my specific water bottle was made and sealed, there was still much I learned from researching the origins of the bottle’s core components. What fascinated me the most was how the plastic that made the water, as well as the water itself, likely came from a large first-world country. Going into this assignment I was under the impression that a lot of the water bottled by Poland Spring was taken from smaller springs from less developed countries but it was interesting to see how little the creation of these water bottles actually influenced smaller countries and their economies. 

Sources:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/723191/production-of-polyethylene-terephthalate-bottles-worldwide/

https://healthyhumanlife.com/blogs/news/plastic-water-bottle-pollution-plastic-bottles-end

The object I’ve chosen to discuss is a pair of silver earrings. I purchased them today at the farmer’s market that is held on campus every Thursday. The vendor assured me that they were sterling silver, and the little 925 engraved on the hook of each earring confirmed this. Sterling silver jewelry should have the 925 engraved on it somewhere. This indicates that 92.5% of the metal is pure silver, and the remaining 7.5% is alloy, usually copper. This is a standard ratio for sterling silver that is utilized by most countries, with the exception of some places like France which use a higher percentage of pure silver. The reason for this is because pure silver, which is 99.9% silver, is too soft to make jewelry with. It’s mixed with harder metals to make products like jewelry and silverware, stronger and more durable.

The earrings are bell-shaped hoops, with a downward point at the bottom. The edges are scalloped. Each earring is no larger than a quarter.

I have no idea where the vendor acquired the earrings, but I know they were not brand-new. Everything he had for sale was second-hand; clothing, jewelry, books, CD’s, and other paraphernalia that he had collected over the years. The price tag on each item he had labeled and applied himself. Because of the fact that there was no original tag or brand attached to the earrings, it would make it even more difficult for me to try to find its origin.

Silver is a natural resource found all over the world, from South America to Europe, and even in the U.S. In 2020, the top 5 silver-producing countries were; Mexico, Peru, China, Chile, and Australia. My earrings could have been mined as nearby as “The Rochester Mine” in Nevada, or as far away as Potosí, the famous Bolivian mining town.

Today, silver comes from 3 main sources: silver mining; silver produced as a by-product of mining for other metals; and silver recycled from used materials. By which of these methods my earrings were produced there is no way to know. However, at least 80% of the world’s silver today is produced as a by-product of mining for other metals, so there is a high chance my earrings were the result of a surprise finding.

To mine silver, miners must go into open pits or in underground mine tunnels. They pack explosives into holes drilled into rock and blast it into smaller pieces. Once the ore has been collected, there are a variety of extraction techniques for the actual silver, which vary based on the type of ore. The techniques include mixing certain chemicals and powders to dissolve parts of the ore, or melting the ore and using filtration processes to separate the metals.

Once the silver has been mined and either exported or brought to a local factory, the process of manufacturing jewelry, specifically earrings in this case, begins. The silver and its alloy are mixed in molten form, and it is then poured into a stainless steel mold where it cools and hardens into a thick hunk of metal. This thick piece of metal is subject to various processes, consisting of flattening, lengthening, soldering, buffing, and other various technical processes that I don’t understand well enough to try to explain.

The labor that goes into this process is perhaps near impossible for me to detail. There are overlooked laborers such as the ones driving the trucks with the metals in it, the ones responsible for ensuring proper mine ventilation, the engineers who make sure the machines used in manufacturing are up to par. The labor that I have more of a grasp of are the individuals working in the mines, literally blowing up rock at the endangerment of their own lives. While there is ventilation in the mines, the air pollution coupled with working in such tight spaces is hazardous to their health. The temperature that deep in the earth can be over 110°F, enabling the possibility of dehydration and other serious heat-related medical emergencies.

I remember the news story a little over a decade ago of the 33 Chilean copper miners who had become trapped underground when the mine collapsed on them. They were there for more than 2 weeks before being rescued. They all survived. They got lucky.

The sourcing and manufacturing of silver for jewelry is more complex than can be done justice in 800 words. This assignment allowed me to better understand all of the manpower, environmental and human strain, and the many facets that went into making what was to me, a simple pair of silver earrings. I no longer see them as simple, and I appreciate them even more.

Sources:

https://www.sciencechannel.com/show/how-its-made-science

https://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/education/precious-metal-mining-refining-techniques/silver-mining-refining/

(Left to right: Voldemort, Harry, Snape)

I have grown up with a relatively big immediate family. I am one of four girls, so as you can imagine getting Christmas presents for everyone can become rather expensive. Because of this in my house, we do secret Santa among my siblings. Last year for Christmas my sister Sara got me a collection of Harry Potter pens that are made to look like character wands. In the set, I received Harry’s, Snape’s, and Voldemort’s “wand”. I tend to get a little wary when asking for pens because I can really only use ones that are ballpoint. Gel pens are an absolute disaster in my hands, as whenever I use them a trail of smudged ink will follow (blame it on being a lefty). I also have a thing against blue ink pens, as they tend to make my notes look sloppier.

    Upon inspection of the pens I received, I was beyond pleased to realize that they were both ballpoint and black inked. Over the last year, these pens have become my absolute favorite, and I use them whenever I can. Unlike some pens that tend to have a lighter ink (I’m looking at you Bic Round Stic), these pens are prominently black and almost have the same boldness as a fine point sharpie. They also have a medium point tip allowing the writing to be more fluid than when using a fine point pen, which can write choppily. 

As found in the “about this item” section on Amazon these pens are made from ergonomic durable plastic and are officially considered part of the Harry Potter Merchandise. The plastic from Harry’s “wand” was molded to mimic the wood used for the wands. The plastic shaft has been painted the color holly (the wood his wand is made from). When you reach the “handle” of the “wand” it becomes wider in size and is carved to match the jagged wood handle we see in the movies. The handle of the pen is no longer holly colored but black.

Severus Snape’s pen is fully jet black and is said to be made from ebony. Unlike Harry’s wand, there is no molding to be made to look like wood, instead, the shaft is completely smoothed. The handle of the “wand” is divided into two columns separated by a thick black ring. These black rings can also be found at the top of the first column and the bottom of the second. The columns contain intricate carvings of symbols that have been hypothesized to make the “wand” more capable of dark magic.

The last wand/pen is Voldemort’s. The entirety of the pen is ivory, as his wand is said to be made with yew wood. Just like Snape’s wand, the shaft of the wand is completely smooth. The handle of this wand is where we see incredible detail. “Carved” in a hook-like manner the handle of this wand was created to mimic bone. When looking carefully at the handle of this wand there are small areas that are left unpainted (assumingly to give it more depth) which expose a clear material underneath. This material seems to be the plastic the exterior of the pen was molded from. 

    When looking at the shaft of the pens in small black writing is information from how these pens are created. The first title I recognize is Seven20. Seven20, also known as Underground Toy company in the U.K. This company was initially stationed in the U.K. but has begun to branch off into the U.S. for marketing and production time reasons.  This company is also known for the infamous Funko Pop toys as well. This product is designed and licensed under the Seven20 brand. 

Once the product is designed it is sent over to a factory in China where the pen is then produced. I couldn’t find anything on the factory that produces these products. However, once created these products are sent to warehouses located in both the U.K. and the U.S. From the Seven20 warehouses, products are then distributed to stores and warehouses such as Target and The River Colony trade, which is the company Amazon uses to sell and distribute these pens. The River Colony Trading resells goods produced from other companies (such as Seven20). This business address is located in Connecticut.

    When trying to map out the journey my pens took, this is how I believe it proceeded. It started in a design studio in the U.S. From there the product design was sent over to the factory in China, where workers manufactured the product. After manufacturing, it was sent back over to the United States on a plane or cargo ship. The Seven20 warehouses then distributed the product to the specific warehouse, in this case, the River Colony Trading site, where it sits until someone purchases the product through a site (like Amazon). Once the item is bought it is packaged, labeled, and shipped to the buyer’s house. 

Link to References 

https://www.amazon.com/sp?_encoding=UTF8&asin=&isAmazonFulfilled=1&isCBA=&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&orderID=&protocol=current&seller=A1B7M9EQGNCLQA&sshmPath=

https://licensinginternational.org/news/seven-20-brands-former-underground-toys-u-s-to-focus-on-housewares-toys/

https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Wand-Pens-Pack/dp/B08PDSZKX1/ref=asc_df_B08PDSZKX1/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475690120006&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6317465216951890356&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004843&hvtargid=pla-1131898528970&psc=1

Just this past Tuesday, I had walked into aisle 14 of Tops and bought a Black Bamboo candle by the brand of Village Candle. The object itself is a glass jar about 4 inches wide, with black scented candle wax inside, 2 wicks, and a glass lid with a rubber seal. A sticker label on the bottom of the glass jar states the candle is made in “Wells, Maine, U.S.A”, which gives me some sort of geographical insight. As I looked closer, on the edge of the rubber seal, “MADE IN THE USA” is printed, which confirms to me that in addition to the candle, the glass jar is also produced in the United States. 

I began to research a little bit about the company. How did this company start? Where was it founded? According to the Village Candle website, the Village Candle company started in 1993 on a kitchen stovetop in the home of, founder, Paul Aldrich. He pursued his candle-making hobby as a business and as demands grew, he was able to move his at-home business to a 2,500 sq ft space in Yarmouth, Maine. With continuing success, Village Candle grew into a large candle company owned by the parent company of Stonewall Kitchen, with both United States and international sales. 

Self proclaimed on the website, the candles are born in Maine with meticulous care and craftsmanship. Each candle is crafted with a blend of food grade paraffin wax for a clean and safe burn. With the emphasis of cleanliness and safety, I decided to first take a look at the wax. Paraffin wax is derived from petroleum, coal or oil shale- that consists of hydrocarbon molecules containing 20-40 carbon atoms. Historically, paraffin wax was first created by the German chemist Karl von Reichenbach in 1830. The creation of paraffin wax paved way for developments in candlemaking, because it was clean, reliable, and cheap. With the addition of stearic acid, the candlemaking industry was able to produce efficiently made candles with high melting points. During the early 1900s as meat and oil industries grew, paraffin and stearic acid were byproducts of these productions- leading to a growth in paraffin wax production. For paraffin’s manufacturing process, slack wax is used as the feedstock, which is a byproduct from the refining of lubricating oil. To remove the oils from slack wax, the wax goes through a process of heating, resulting in crystallization and separation between oil and wax. The wax is then filtered and further processed. Because the paraffin wax is naturally white, liquid dye is used to add the black color of my candle. In addition to candle making, paraffin wax is commonly used for lubrication, electrical insulation, cosmetics, and crayons. Throughout my deconstruction research process of paraffin wax, I found out that word itself can be deconstructed. Paraffin derives from the latin word, “parum” which means “lacking affinity” or “lacking reactivity”. Paraffin wax has such an unreative nature, which allows for many different uses.

Besides wax, the fragrance is one of the most important components of a candle. They state that the fragrances include pure essential oils and plant extracts from around the world. My Black Bamboo candle states it includes bamboo, lotus flower, fern, and cedar fragrances. These plant extracts for the fragrances derive from oils, which come from their various native areas of the world; bamboo and lotus flowers are native to Asia, ferns are native to eastern North America, and cedar is native to the Mediterranean region. At around 185 degrees Farenheit, the dye and fragrance oils are able to chemically bond with the paraffin wax. Once prepared, they are distributed into the glass jars, along with the paper and pure cotton core wicks. 

Stated on their website, each candle is quality checked and the wicks are hand trimmed by the Village Candles team. I imagine after my candle jar is filled, hardened, and cured, the jar was checked for any errors by detail driven workers. Once screened, the wicks are hand-cut and placed in boxes, ready to be shipped at the designated locations. Shipped from Wells, Maine, in a truck- the candle travels to New Paltz and distributed at the local grocery store, for a likely young part-time student to unpack and place on the shelf. Through this journey of preparations, manufacturing, packaging, and transportation, the candle finally finds a home in my bedroom of New Paltz.

Sources:

https://www.prweb.com/releases/2018/04/prweb15418054.htm

https://www.stonewallkitchen.com/village-candle-behind-the-scenes/village-candle-behind-the-scents.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20120630024342/http://bitumenengineering.com/materials/paraffin-wax

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/paraffin

The object I choose is one of my favorite dresses that I currently own. This dress is very special to me for many reasons, including how to came to be in my possession and the meaning I now have come to associate with it through determining its origins. 

This tie-dye sun and moon maxi dress was found at a thrift store in Beacon, NY, back in 2017. I happened to stumble upon this dress through the many racks that the store had lined up from door to practically ceiling it felt like. To my surprise, upon first trying it on, I was taken aback that it fit me to a tee, unlike many thrift store finds as we all know are usually way too big or a tad too small. I knew at that moment this dress was made for me and I had to purchase it. Since that spring day nearly five years ago, I have had this dress and have worn it to many fun and memorable occasions.

I never before honestly thought about the life this dress had before me. Before I stumbled across this great find, it undoubtedly belonged to someone else who had discarded it and given it up to the thrift shop, but for what reason? There are no stains, rips, or tears, no visible reason I saw that someone would not want this beautiful attire anymore. Could it simply be that this person didn’t want it in their closet anymore or was cleaning out their wardrobe as so many of us have done with the changing of seasons? It wasn’t until I was searching for a tag on the dress itself, a marker of sorts to where the origins of this dress perhaps were. The search was futile but also, at the same time, eye-opening. There was no tag, no place where a label may have been or ever was. This can only mean one thing, and as a fellow creative, I knew that this dress was handmade. 

The tie-dye sun and moon fabric are unique, and you can tell that the background indigo fabric was, in fact, hand-dyed, and the stencils of the celestial beings are placed in different spots. This fabric itself is a handmade pattern that is unique unto itself. The rainbow-colored dyes used in both the moon and sun are rich and look as if they are from a tie-dye kit that includes all the primary ROYGBIV colors. As someone who has done the practice of tie-dye before, this is familiar to me, and after looking at it so close, it was something I recognized immediately. The buttons themselves have the fabric sewn onto them and are gently attached to the dress by a simple stitch using navy embroidery thread. It could be from the many times I have worn this dress or even perhaps from the life it had before me, but the thread that holds the button is very fragile and looks as if one or two of the buttons could detach at any second, adding that that handmade touch once more. The last detail that caught my eye was the hem of the dress. On the bottom, you can see that the hem isn’t perfectly straight and looks as if an amateur on a sewing machine was the one behind this creation. If this was a mass-produced dress, the hemlines would be perfectly level. The buttons would be securely fastened to the dress, and the fabric would not be as individualized as it is. Seeing and breaking down all of these details and coming to understand that this dress was made by a lovely artist was heartwarming to me.

The origins of the person are unknown to me, and since 2017, that thrift shop on Main Street in Beacon has closed its doors. I wonder if I had the opportunity to go back there and ask if any local up-and-coming fashion designers or even just everyday crafters had come looking to get their pieces out there, that maybe I could know who is responsible for this beautiful creation. I feel as if I will never truly know, but now I do know that I own a one-of-a-kind piece that I will keep with me forever. I always knew that I felt connected to this dress as if it was made just for me, and I like to think that maybe it really was.

The summer of 2021 was one in which I wore the same pair of boots almost every day. They were functional, comfortable, and (if I say so myself) quite good-looking. This was not an issue until I started thinking about moving back to New Paltz where I would not want to wear the same, beaten and stained leather boots each day. So, I decided to purchase a pair of sandals that a friend of mine wears all the time. The forest green closed cell foam (basically a type of plastic that does not have bubbles between the material) Birkenstocks were on the top of my list for items I wanted for school. I did some online research that brought me to the Birkenstock website. My thrifty self found a solid student discount which solidified my choice to purchase the sandals.
Birkenstock plastic sandals are branded as polymer EVAs which holds little to no meaning for the common person. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) is a commonly used material that has desirable qualities for plastic sandals. It is lightweight, waterproof, and very elastic which makes it a versatile option when making plastic shoes. Crocs and various other plastic shoes utilize EVA to make quality footwear.

The specific manufacturer that supplies Birkenstock seems to be hidden in some hole in the abyss of the internet but based on Birkenstock’s vow to hold dealings in Germany, one can speculate the company Biesterfeld is the supplier. They are a family-owned company based out of Germany that provides over 30 countries with various plastics. They are known for EVA, so my best guess is they supply Birkenstock with the plastic used for the polymer EVAs.

The production of EVA happens through a process in which the compounds ethylene and vinyl acetate are mixed then compressed under significant pressure to create the material. It typically leaves the high-pressure reactor in long sheets that are then sent off to the companies that use the material. This allows companies like Birkenstock to work the closed cell foam in whatever way they need to.

The metal buckle that holds the straps across the sandal holds mystery when it comes to their origin. Birkenstock’s website delves into the quality of the metal but does not have any sourcing information. The nickel-free metal that is used has the company name etched on the side. The metal is enameled several times which prevents wear. The protective enamel allows the buckle to last longer while maintaining its original glory.

These sandals that typically go for $44.95 are made in Germany. The company prides itself on having their manufacturing happen in the country they are based in. From a quick Google search about where they are made one can gather the working conditions in the factories are ethically acceptable. They claim to have the best working conditions in their production factories which makes me (the consumer) feel better about purchasing new sandals. The steep price points of many products from Birkenstock reflect the fair wages paid to their employees.

Companies such as Birkenstock are fascinating in their ideas about keeping production close to home. They have created a company that consumers do not have to feel bad about purchasing from. Fair treatment of workers and sourcing locally each have their financial drawbacks that Birkenstock is willing to endure to run an ethical company.