Geneva (CNN) -- Last week United States senators expressed dismay and outrage to learn that the uniforms for American Olympians were produced in China. But this is not new. For years unrestrained globalization has seen textile and clothing multinationals race to the bottom in the search for cheaper and cheaper production. The end of the Multi Fiber trade agreement saw the volume of textile imports to the U.S. from China more than double from 2004 to 2011. The phasing out of quota arrangements has led to the loss of millions of textile and garment jobs in industrialized and developing countries alike. For example, in 1980 West Germany had 4,055 textile and clothing manufacturers. Now, Germany as a whole has only 690. As it is cheaper to manufacture in countries that do not enforce international labour standards or pay workers a living wage, textiles and apparel are most often sourced from low wage countries such as China, India and Vietnam. Developing countries need jobs for their growing populations, but they have to be good jobs, without exploitation by companies from the industrialized world.
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Senators outraged to learn that uniforms for U.S. Olympians made in China
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Phasing out of quota arrangements has led to loss of millions of textile jobs in U.S.
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Jyrki Raina says textile companies must pay prices so suppliers can pay living wage
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He says consumers must make clear they will pay price for decent conditions of work
With labor costing as little as 50 cents in the manufacture of a $100 sports shoe in @placeholder or Vietnam, paying a living wage would have a negligible impact on retail price.