Who pays the social and ecological costs for our consumer goods? What about supply chains, working conditions, environmental impact and disposal of the products that are always available in affluent societies? The photographs and texts collected in the book take a critical look at the global commodity economy and the consequences for climate change and human rights.
Whether in the supermarket, in the shopping mall or on the Internet – our everyday life is characterized by constantly available goods and consumer goods. They are part of a global system in which raw materials are extracted and processed into goods, which in turn have to be consumed and ultimately disposed of. Rarely do we see more than the finished product in the process. The photographic works and texts collected in this volume shine a light behind the scenes. They show where the coltan for our smartphones comes from or how the vegetables end up on our plates and the used look in our jeans. It becomes clear that the price for mass consumption and lifestyle in affluent societies is paid by people in other parts of the world – in the form of exploitation, miserable working conditions and progressive environmental destruction.

The project was supported by the picture editing class of the Ostkreuz School of Photography under the direction of Nadja Masri.