Lots of kayaks in the ware house!
A first picture of the DoubleShot
The managers and station heads (lamination, wet assembly, dry assembly, qc, packaging and stock each with about 5-8 workers) at our factory in Shanghai
A kid learning to paddle near our factory
5 comments:
Hej Richard!
Hur många procent av kajakerna som lämnar fabriken/fabrikerna i Kina konsumeras av "havspaddlare" i Kina?
/
mvh Stefan
www(punkt)kusthare(at)hotmail(punkt)com
Stefan, thanks for your question on how many kayaks we sell in China. Well, not many. Paddling is still an infant sport in China and the growing Chinese middle class is jumping on more high flying sports to start with. Golf has taken of big time in China. As far as watersports go, yachting and sailing is popular. But as things evolv I'm sure that the Chinese will come to love paddling as much as we do.
In earlier contributions on your blog, you arguments that in some sence your action helps peoples in a developing country.
You wonder why people like me complains when companies taking responsibilty to the developing world. Why! I´m sure that traditional market economic & trade politic isn´t the right way to take ecological and social responsibility. In global sence.
You say ..."-Interesting to is that western companies are doing fantastic business in China and India selling goods produced in Canada, Sweden, the US etc. Nobody complaining there." ...I do...
But in the same breath you say that... "-Point 65 is a Swedish company, based in Sweden. But we are an international team."
I wan´t to say that you are an interantional company ,taking advantage of lower label costs, low transporting costs, lower environmental demands. Which leads to cheaper products for the consumers in our part of the world.
so...Point 65 is a swedish company producing kayaks in China, for the swedish (western world) market.
In ecological sence there is nothing good in consuming low price products from the other side of the world.
It´s not only the companies responsibility but also the consumers to take action against that.
And:
....don´t forget "human rights", Tibet and so on.
...But what action should I do with U.S.A products. A country breaking all conventions against human rights in the sence of torture of prisoners.
/ Stefan!
www.kusthare.blogg.se
Stefan, thanks for your comments. The issue is quite complicated and there are many perspectives to consider. If you look at it from a Chinese citizens perspective the personal freedom and standard of living has improved exponentially during the last 20 years. So opening up the country to foreign investments has been extremely positive for the individual Chinese. Still the difference to our standard of living and democratic rights is big. But is is closing. To extract foreign business from China and wishing things to revert back to a manual agricultural society would make things a lot worse.
You say that "I´m sure that traditional market economic & trade politic isn´t the right way to take ecological and social responsibility. In global sence." What are the alternatives? Throwing the Chinese back behind their plows and isolating them? I do not agree to that.
And you say this with a straight face while consuming all sorts of western luxuries. Like kayaking in heated swimming pools in the middle of the winter. Is that necessary and responsible consumption? Do you know how much energy is consumed by heating large quantities of water during winter so that you can enjoy paddling around in it?
Regarding the Chinese ecological responsibility. I can assure you nobody is heating huge swimming pools to go paddling:-) The per capita imprint left by the Chinese is 100 time lower than the imprint you leave behind. Yes, it is increasing, as is ours. But my impression after doing business in China is that they are serious about improving the environment. I feel a greater urgency from their government there than I do from our western governments that are extremely influenced by big business . Regulations the Chinese implement are more severe than what we have in the western world. And again, we western companies producing there, have the possibility to influence things. I don't think things will improve more if we stay away.
To ship a kayak from China to Europe in a container ship consumes the same amount of fuel as shipping it by truck approximately 350km/220 miles, the distance from Stockholm to Norrköping or New York - Boston. So if you buy a Swedish made kayak living in Germany or a US made kayak made on the other side of that country you are much worst of. Most of our kayaks are shipped to a harbor near the local distributor.
Also, we sell our kayaks in 22 countries. We ship more kayaks to countries outside of Sweden. Like Germany, England, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan etc. Producing in Sweden would increase our freight emissions considerably.
Regarding human rights things are a lot better than 10, 20 years ago. Chinese are allowed to travel freely. They can now leave their province and actually the country without permission. Small steps are taken. Provincial government officials are promoted by their financial performance. Like how much investment they attract to their province , etc. Not any longer by an absolute decision from the central communist party. At schools kids are voting to choose the class representative. This was unheard of only 5 years ago. Tibet is a bad situation but I do not feel it would not improve by isolating China. Interaction on all levels is a better option.
China is a fantastic country with fantastic people. They are primarily trying very hard to improve their standard of living. I guess being very poor makes you wish for this first. Many westerners I discuss this with seem to want the Chinese to stay on their bikes so that they can keep driving. Thats a very egoistic view.
At the same time the Chinese are taking steps to improve human rights and democracy -even though slowly. As well as taking the ecological issue seriously.
"And you say this with a straight face while consuming all sorts of western luxuries. Like kayaking in heated swimming pools in the middle of the winter. Is that necessary and responsible consumption? Do you know how much energy is consumed by heating large quantities of water during winter so that you can enjoy paddling around in it?"
-Thank you for that argument... :-)
I will take it to consideration.
I´m everyday taking considerations about my consumption. But it is very hard. We live in a sociaty that pay tribute to consumtion. We get flooded of products from all part of the world.
I would really like if "third world" inhabitants could take a further step to a better sociaty in the sence of helth & social care, an healthy environment and so on. An increasing consumption as well, but if so we (western world)also have to decrease consumption of gods and energy. I have NEVER said that "third world" should have any responsibillity to avoid something we have.
I would be glad if they didn´t fell in the same trap as we. A bizzar "consumption sociaty". I´m a ecologist...
That is partly why I´m critical about western companies producing gods in "third world" only to consume in western world.
You wrote to me that people you met, as number one, want to have a TV. That can be correct but I think the answer can be diffrent depending how you put the question....There is a number of dissident chinese in prison. I belive they have another agenda.
/ Stefan
www.kusthare.blogg.se
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