Ethical issues in BP Oil Spill & Blue Jean Waste Pollution

BP Oil Spill & Blue Jean Waste Pollution

            Due to the fact that mainstream companies, including those of BP and the Gap, are not exhibiting any kind of corporate social responsibility in their professional endeavors, all of the positive things that these companies have done for American civilization are ignored, overlooked and downplayed. This is owed to the fact American civilization favors more than just the benefits that companies provide them. In addition to receiving high quality goods for economical prices, American inhabitants also like to know that the companies from which they usually buy their merchandise are obtaining their goods in ethical, or manners of which the population would approve.

BP is known as one of the leading gas distributors here, in the United States of America. In 2010, the company came under fire for dumping its oil that contained extremely toxic chemicals into the seas and thus, polluting the entire gulf area and all of the animals that surround the area. Since the spill, BP has tried its best to make up for the mishap that they caused a few years prior by creating a series of advertisements in which they only told the general public half-truths about what really went on during this time. In the video, “Timeline of the Gulf Oil Disaster: Make BP Restore,” NationalWildlife says, “After at least seven failed attempts, BP says leak has stopped.” But in actuality, in June of 2013, “More than three years after the spill, [environmentalists found] nearly 200 miles of Louisiana coastline remain oiled” (2013).

Another American company that is considered to be one of the leading brands in the retail industry is known as the Gap. Just like that of BP, the company found itself in hot water several years ago when it was criticized for polluting African civilization by failing to properly discard their unused materials left over from the fabrication of its blue jeans. Among the visible evidence that was found around the Gap’s textile mill included discarded blue jean material, plastic tags and pins. “We found sharp razors and needles that are traditionally used in textile machinery. . .there is a lot of hazardous waste in here amongst the denim,” The Sunday Times correspondent Dan McDougall explains in the video, “Jean Suppliers Pollution” (CBS New, 2009). Eventually, the blue dye that the company uses to color its signature blue jeans contaminated the village’s local water supply, which caused the local population to experience serious bouts of sickness. “Most of the children have chest infections. [A] woman said her hands and arms were covered in sores after she touched chemicals sometimes found” in the water,” CBS News continues to report (2009).

Even though both companies have tried their best to cover up the mistakes that they have made in the past, consumers and stakeholders are looking for the companies that are serious about carrying out their operations in forthright manners. Just like the moderator says in “Jeans Suppliers Pollution,” “People might feel differently about their favorite pair of jeans if they knew the hidden costs that was happening a half of world away” (CBS News, 2009). To some extent, there is a lot of truth in this statement considering the fact that in the field of business, exhibiting corporate ethics is extremely important to the individuals who purchase from the existing companies. In order to be deemed as ethical, companies must make morally right decisions in all of their endeavors, including the ones that they make both in and out of the public eye. The companies that fail to behave in such upright manners have the tendency to not experience as much success within their respective fields.

References

CBS News. (2009, August 2). Jean suppliers pollution. Youtube. Retrieved from

NationalWildlife. (2013, September 30). Timeline of the gulf oil disaster: Make bp             restore. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/    watch?v=BSemeLtri3o