The main event today was a trip to TTT, a company focusing on the design and manufacturing of furniture pieces used in hotels, resorts, and large houses. When touring the factory, the main differences I noticed between this factory and the ones I have worked at in the U.S. were the lack of lighting and small safety issues. For example, factories in the U.S. are required to have a certain level of lighting to maintain safety in industrial settings. American factories also tend to have stricter safety requirements, such as steel-toed shoes and gloves. Inside the TTT factory, there was a lack of both. Aside from these two factors, the actual product flow and general work in the factory seemed to be very similar to American factories.
In terms of sustainability, it seemed that the company focused on meeting state and client standards, but not going too far beyond this. They specifically mentioned their focus on reducing waste, maintaining air quality, and ensuring proper material compliance, all things that were meant to meet the standards of the industrial park or the clients they were serving. While this may seem like a criticism, this is what most companies in the United States do as well. Since sustainability costs money, companies will typically not spend to be sustainable unless forced to. Therefore, TTT seemed to place an appropriate amount of focus on sustainability for a regular company. However, in comparison to companies who make sustainability a part of their brand (ex. Patagonia and their focus on reusable materials and environmental activism), TTT did not seem to reach for this level.
