Working Conditions

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Among the many benefits of being a dual-degree student is the chance at 2 internships. Most people’s progression follows some sort of clear logic, but given my wide range of interests and tendency toward experimentation, my internships seem like polar opposites (read about this summer here). I spent last summer in a sparse highrise office at World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, evaluating the sustainability of Ford Motor Company’s immensely complex supply chain. My days were filled with careful manipulation of monstrous amounts of data regarding (primarily) working conditions in first tier factories. Did Ford suppliers provide proper ventilation, enforce the use of safety equipment, paint yellow lines around designated work areas, post proper signage? Moreover, did Ford suppliers ever show the merest trace of forced or child labor? Were workers averaging total hours in accordance with local law, and were they given at least one day off per week?

Last year, I understood these concepts only abstractly. Ford contracted several global companies to conduct supplier working conditions audits and training sessions, and I received their data in the epicenter of the failed American dream, sifting through spreadsheets to figure out what it all meant. I picked out differences between Thai and Nicaraguan and Turkish and Indian and South African suppliers, analyzed the success of Ford’s training program, and dreamed up recommendations to further strengthen human rights in the automotive supply chain.

rotational molding

I flew from Bombay to Ahmedabad Saturday morning to nail down some manufacturing numbers for Wello, and ended up spending the weekend interrupting workflow at plastics factories (redheads are a much rarer sight than camels and buffalo). Owners bade us into their air conditioned offices (Saturday reached 115F), plied us with chai (I am a firm proponent of this tradition), and toured us through the manufacturing floors. The facilities were spotless, well-lit, and highly organized, albeit horrendously hot. As production stopped in favor of staring, I wondered what the workers thought of us. Had they received foreign clipboards before? Had they been interviewed about their contracts and working hours? Did someone tell them they should probably wear shoes around heavy equipment?


I tried to avoid inhaling plastic fumes too deeply and my mind wandered to BPA, phthalates, PFCs, and all the other horrible scary chemical ingredients we’re just starting to wonder about in our endless quest for more, better, cheaper products. One manager showed us an injection-molded part destined for a Cummins engine, and I realized my personal pieces are linked. In a nonrandom, still roundabout way that I’ll have to work to pitch convincingly to interviewers in the fall, all of the projects I’ve worked on in grad school are connected. It’s not nirvana, but it’s a gratifying feeling nonetheless.

Read more about my toxic chemicals reduction project with REI here, and more about Ford's working conditions program here. Get in touch with more specific questions - I’m allowed to share.