The fact is that there is no single, overall body that sets definitive legal rules and regulations for ethical trading.

Many countries are happy to ignore blatant examples of terrible working conditions, even some who have laws against such practises. Corruption is endemic in many places around the globe and not just in underdeveloped nations, ethical trading is not confined to the factories and sweatshops, there is as much of it going on in the boardrooms and offices as there is on the factory floor.

A company that decides to pay a bribe to win a contract is as unethical as the workshop owner who employs child labour. There are no guarantees but it is generally the case that the higher the standard of living a country has the more likely it is that their working practises will be higher. Although it is certainly not unheard of for stories to appear from some very developed nations in relation to poor working conditions. The degree of ethics is also in question. Should we demand that countries who are much poorer than richer nations try to attain their standards, is that fair?

Ten years ago Indian children were seen on television stitching footballs at home in their villages, the story was broken by a local TV company. The world's press descended upon the region and within days all production had stopped with orders cancelled and manufacturers shut down. The families involved were left to go penniless and hungry whilst the whistleblowers all returned to their homes patting themselves on the back for doing a great job. Even today some 10 years after this event there are still stories in the press relating to the same products in the same regions. This perfectly demonstrates the need for co ordinated action to be taken to help factory and farm owners in assisting them towards improving the conditions under which workers carry out their duties rather than depriving them of an income.

Good sources of information on Ethical trading are not in great abundance. Organisations such as the Economic & Social Research Society have been awarded grants to research the subject and some investment companies now offer clients the opportunity to invest in what they terms as Ethical Funds. The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)is one of the very few good sources of information for those who want to learn about trading ethically.