Toys
4 million Chinese slave workers are employed by the toy manufacturing industry, with 80% of all toys sold worldwide being made here there is a huge pressure on workers to be quick and efficient while earning just pennies an hour. There are three Barbie dolls sold ever second, 80% of these are manufactured by Chinese slaves who work 12 hour days, six days a week for as little as 11 pence an hour. Some investigations have suggested these workers are so desperate for work they give into signing factories contracts which commit them to working illegal overtime. In 2010, 12 people from a factory in Beijing committed suicide after being verbally and physically harassed by their bosses in the slave toy factories. This is not a rare event; this appears to be happening all over the world, from China to Brazil, Africa and the rest of South East Asia.
It’s estimated that as a nation we eat 22 million units of poultry on Christmas day alone, including chicken, turkey and goose. These animals spent their short lives in appealing conditions and 10 months after their birth, they’re slaughtered ready to be served up on Christmas day. With more than 10,000 creatures in one barn, they are restricted from moving, socialising and performing natural behaviours. The cages become dirty and disease ridden very quickly. Many are physically abuses and mistreated. Around November they’re stunned, hung up and have their throats slit; many of them still live during the process and taking minutes to die from blood loss, ready to be served on your plate on Christmas day.
The global impact
We produce more CO2 in the build up to Christmas than at any other time of year. A fake Christmas tree may last longer than a real tree but the PVC of which it is made creates CO2 both in the production and incineration of the tree after you’ve finished with it. Studies imply that on average each fake tree generates 16KG of Carbon emissions. Investigations by private recycling companies tell us 60% of fake trees are sent to the dump within a year. Another thing which causes issues is wrapping paper; we used 600,000 tons of gift bags, wrapping paper and containers each year. The excessive amounts of paper and bags results in the deforestation of thousands upon thousands of trees, everything we consume uses resources and produces CO2.
Summary
Of course Christmas time is a time of indulgence and fun however just little changes could have a positive impact on a massive scale for the planet and its inhabitants. Not all of our gifts need to be store brought, we don’t have to buy as many factory made gifts and we do not need to consume as much meat. Creating your own gifts or buying more green and ethical products, swapping meat for alternatives or even having smaller portions and being wiser on what we use to wrap our presents, using recycled paper could have a huge positive effect for everyone.
