Dear ExD: your thoughts are noble, but in reality almost everything comes from the F East these days. Even if 'made in Britain' the components have probably been sourced from China etc. The best way to guarantee that the factory workers are paid the going rate, conditions are safe, non-coercive practices etc and are not 'slave labour' is to purchase from a recognised brand or UK retailer. Most, if not all, will have a social compliance policy, which means their supply chain will have had to undergo 3rd party audits from recognised labs. This checks for workers welfare, such as wage rates, factory conditions, building safety, collective bargaining allowed etc etc. Also, as your friend says, many people in these areas would be very much poorer without the industry our orders bring to their regions. Their own living standards are also dragged up because of it.