Ethics

• People like the things they buy to be of a good quality and low cost
• To keep prices low, manufacturing companies can cut costs in a variety of ways, but in doing so there are other costs
• To keep prices low automating factories can cut workforce costs by employing fewer people, but this means some people lose their jobs
• Other methods of reducing costs in companies include manufacturing in a country where labour costs are lower than in the UK. In these cases, workers are paid less and work in poor conditions, and often the pollution created in manufacturing may be much higher
• Environmental costs may come from transporting the products between countries