In 2004 Fair Trade Center and SwedenWatch did a survey of conditions in the toy manufacturing and a comparison of the toy companies ethical work. Fair Trade Center and SwedWatch is engaged in a new survey in autumn 2009 and will at the end of the year be published with new information.
A lot of Sweden's toys come from countries where human right are not respected. Those who make them often work fourteen hours a day, seven days a week in dangerous workplaces. Nevertheless, they can barely survive on their wages and are forced to live in dormitories at the factory.
Sweden sells toys for 3.5 million Swedish kronor every year, and imports 85 percent of all the toys from China. The European toy companies buy almost 90 percent of all toys from Asian countries, mainly China, because the workforce is so cheap there. Poor workers from rural areas often does not have any other choice than to seek for the economic free zones in order to be able to get a job.
The chief at the factories is often a union chairman. If the Chinese workers would organize themselves in to free trade it would change the situation for workers all over the world.
One of the reasons to why there is no free trade in China is because the Chinese workers are fast, cheap and obedient. The only trade union that exists is controlled by the state and can hardly be considered to represent the workers.
Many of the Fair Trade toys come from Lanka Kade which translates as “the Sri Lankan shop” and was created in 1994 by husband and wife Upul and Diane. As time went on Lanka Kade developed a product range of educational toys and gifts for children utilising Diane's teaching and playwork background.
All the Lanka Kade products are hand made by seven family based enterprises with whom Lnka Kade has long team working commitments. New products are being created for each supplier to utilise their individual skills and knowledge.
This picture is from “Knot toys”, they sell fair trade toys all over the world. This toy is made of rubberwood, handmade in Sri Lanka. The families that makes these toys receives a full fair price.
