My Search for Fair Trade, Slave-Free Tires

Was slave labor used to make your tires? The tires currently on my car came from Firestone, back in 2007, so slaves were definitely involved. I just didn't know it when I bought them.

Now the world knows that Bridgestone/Firestone used slave labor to get rubber for their products thanks to a lawsuit filed by workers. They won, by the way, but labor practices there are still atrocious. Obviously, I can't buy Firestone's tires again, no matter that they're cheap (surprise surprise) and my budget is super small.

So how can consumers have peace of mind when we put rubber to the road, knowing our tires weren't made by enslaved children or adults? I decided to go the tried and true research route.

My first stop was Call + Response's Chain Store Reaction website, which provides access to hundreds of manufacturers, allowing consumers to request their products be certified slave free. Many manufacturers respond with their labor policies and promises to become/remain slave free. Many don't. Neither Firestone, Michelin, nor Goodyear have given a sufficient response to inquiries, if any response at all. I sent them e-mails and moved on to Plan B: go straight to company websites.

Goodyear has had its share of labor disputes with unions, but states it doesn't support or use slave labor or child labor. I couldn't find any independent data to back it up or refute this. Michelin (parent company of BF Goodrich) states that it doesn't support or use slave labor or child labor and doesn't tolerate the inhumane treatment of its employees. I also couldn't find any independent data to back it up or refute this. Cooper? No mention of labor practices on their site and a handful of internet reports about labor union disputes through the years. Same deal with the not-so-mainstream tire companies I researched.

Well okay, Plan C: Research fair trade rubber. Guess what I found -- nothing conclusive. The rubber industry definitely uses slave and child labor, but it's very hard to connect the rubber source with the tire manufacturer unless you're a well-funded super sleuth with lots of free time. The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions will occasionally report on slave labor where it's attempting to unionize workers, but I want a tidy list with big green check marks next to certified slave-free tire companies and big red x's next to those who aren't. No such luck. And none of this changes the fact that I really need new tires and want to be a responsible consumer.

It's enough to drive a girl to public transportation. Too bad Los Angeles is a labyrinth of late buses, half-finished rail routes, and confusing plan-your-trip websites that are harder to decipher than One Eyed Willie's treasure map.

So now I'm turning to you, readers. Do YOU know to find slave-free tires? Have you had any success in your own research? Where else should I look?

Photo credit: GST HBK