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Continued from page 15

want,’ the consumer is given the opportu-
nity to make their needs and preferences
“known,” said Cohen.

The Blackspot campaign also includes
a unique shareholder program. “Basically,
anyone who buys a pair of Blackspot
sneakers automatically becomes a share-
holder in the Blackspot
Anti-corporation,” said Cohen.

“Whenever anybody buys a pair of the
shoes, they will receive a shareholdet’s
certificate in the shoebox,” said Cohen.
“That gives them the right to vote on any
or all issues pertaining to the present and
future of the Blackspot Anti-corporation.
We anticipate open debate on issues like
what to do with the money that is raised
from sales of the sneaker and future pro-
totypes of the shoe.”

“We want to present a more ethical
alternative to the corporate domination
model that seems to be present at the
moment in society,’ said Cohen. “We
want to present a more grassroots version
of capitalism, a more bottom-up, people-
driven version of capitalism.”

“Tt’s putting more power back in the
consumet’s hands.”

Jeff Ballinger, co-founder of No
Sweat, a Massachusetts-based ethical
clothing manufacturer, helped lay the
groundwork for the Blackspot project.
Ballinger also wrote one of the original
exposés of Nike’s labour practices in a
1992 Harper’ article.

“Years ago, when I was in Indonesia, I
actually did the original research on the
Nike factories there,” said Ballinger. “So,
if you’re talking about shoes and sweat
shops, you eventually get to me.”

According to Ballinger, he and
Adbusters founder Kalle Lasn developed
a business relationship regarding an ethi-
cally produced shoe.

“We (No Sweat) wanted a joint mar-
keting relationship (with Adbusters) or
something, but Lasn was totally unwilling
to have us partnered this way,’ said
Ballinger. “So we (No Sweat) just decided
to make the shoe ourselves, and he still
doesn’t have a shoe as far as I know.”

Despite the problems encountered

 

RTS

with Adbusters, Ballinger is still a propo-
nent of the Blackspot idea. “Anything that
raises consumer consciousness on. this
issue trumps all other considerations.”

Ballinger continued: “Fifteen years
ago, when I saw these factories in
Indonesia, I said, ‘How can I link Nike’s
name to this exploitation?’ In a way, Lasn’s
continuing that project, so I’d be positive-
ly inclined toward the educative feature of
the Blackspot sneaker.”

However, Ballinger was concerned
with Adbusters founder Kalle Lasn’s
remarks about the sweatshop movement.
“What disturbs me about Kalle Lasn is
the way he trashes the anti-sweatshop
groups and the unions as he did almost
every time he was quoted about the con-
cept of the Blackspot,” said Ballinger.

“He (Kalle Lasn) had to say that,
‘Those knuckleheads in the anti-sweat-

shop movement were just alienating
people, and they were stupid and not
effective” He said they may have given
Phil Knight a hard time, but they didn’t
win consumers’ hearts and minds.”

 

At the time of printing, Lasn was
unavailable for comment.

For Morris, Nike’s efforts on behalf of
corporate responsibility need to be noted.
“We invest a lot of resources into corpo-
rate responsibility work with community,
environment, and labour conditions in the
supply chain. One of our key tenets
around here is transparency.”

According to Ballinger, Nike is not any
more socially responsible than when he
started his work. “That’s the general con-
ception because they put 85 people on
their corporate social responsibility pay-
roll out in Beaverton, Oregon,” said
Ballinger.

“They went to all these conferences
about better businesses and ethical busi-
nesses and they convinced most of the
world that they had changed, that the con-
sumers forced them to change,” said
Ballinger.

“Well, you go ask workers in Indonesia
today how much different things are in
the factories. They didn’t change.”

 

 

 

 

 

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