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Kimberly Clark – Transnational Corporation

February 3, 2022 by Bella Genova

While you may not have heard of Kimberly Clark itself, you definitely have used several of its products. Kleenex, Scott toilet paper, Klotex feminine products, Huggies and Pull-ups are some of the countless names made by Kimberly Clark. The company manufactures and distributes its products world wide, having 216 locations in 63 countries with over 46,000 employees. Kimberly Clark previously sourced all of its paper/pulp from trees in the boreal and temperate forests in the United States and Canada. They have released sustainability goals, shifting to alternative and recycled fibers, and any virgin fibers being certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. 

Kimberly Clark Products – Kimberly Clark.

The Costa Rica 5,200 sq meters warehouse is located in Coris, Cartago and supplies 5 million products daily to Latin America, the Caribbean and Puerto rico. Over 1,500 people are employed by the company in its production plant, factories, distribution centers, national headquarters, regional headquarters and its global service center in Costa Rica.

Warehouse in Coris, Carago. (Garza, J).

Kimberly Clark follows the International Labor Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work with several guidelines outlined in their supplier social compliance standards. Freedom of association, minimum age of 15 (unless exception under convention 138), prohibit physical and mental abuse (slave, indentured, prison labor), and follow wage, work hours, and benefit standards. The company also strives to protect the environment by following regulations and sourcing conflict free minerals only, with supplier documentation. 

At the Costa Rica plant these practices have led to receiving the 2021 Global Preventico Award, and gold in Health Promotion, Safety and Health at Work, Human and Property Safety (Editor 3). They also received “Social Responsibility in Action” from the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce for their commitment to zero waste. These certifications and awards show that working standards in this company are high (Garza, J). Kimberly Clark invested US $31 million in 2014 and $42 million in 2019 bringing more jobs into the country (Morales, C). With its high company ratings, job opportunities and commitment to recycling it seems that Kimberly Clark is benefiting the Costa Rican community.

Kimberly-Clark Presidents. (Forbes Staff)

Kimberly Clark’s global manufacturing and trade is an example of Neoliberalism. This political economic process builds off the free trade market and little state or government intervention. Neoliberalism is “serving to hit the South once more, just as slavery and colonialism did in the past” (Potter). It has become one of the only ways for developing countries to close the income gap with developed countries and boost their economies. While companies like Kimberly Clark are benefiting the local economy of places like Costa Rica by investing and providing jobs, they are still imposing a form of control over a developing country. If there wasn’t so much money involved in the global market, then maybe smaller countries would be able to develop their own competitive companies. However with the current state of economics and the free market large dominating companies are able to exploit developing countries, preventing any other opportunities or ideas from forming. 

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Colonization of the Canary Islands

January 26, 2022 by Bella Genova

At the moment, I am staying with my grandparents on the Canary Island Lanzarote. When assigned to identify a place that had been colonized I decided to look into the history of the Canaries to learn about where I am now. All the pictures used have been taken over the past week and some of the information is from word of mouth.

The Gaunches was the name of the native population of the Canary Islands, located off the coast of West Africa. They had named the island of Lanzarote Caprasia, which translates to Goat Island. In 1336 Italian navigator Lancelotto Malocello arrived on the island, renaming it Lanzarote. In 1341 the King of Portugal commanded both Portuguese and Italian troops to conquer and settle in the islands. The goal was to convert the Guanche population to Christianity, but they also shipped hundreds of natives into the slave trade with Morocco and Andalusia. The French began to invade in 1402, leading to a 50 years worth of battles between the French and Portuguese for the islands. In 1461 the Spanish, under King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella, began launching attacks on the island,  leading to the surrender of the natives and settlers in 1496. The combined impact of Spain’s massive deporatation of Guanches as slaves and the spread of European diseases led to the eventual wipeout of native islanders.

Ermite de los Delores. The Church of Vigin de los Delores.

Incentives from governor Alfonso Fernández de Lugo led to a continued immigration of Portuguese and Italians. Sugar cane was planted on the fertile lands of the islands leading to the sugar plantations of the 1500s. With the discovery of the Americas, Spain implemented a judicial zone where ships traveling from the New and Old world were inspected. With the colonization of the Carribeans and Latin America, more sugar could be produced for less money. This caused a decrease in demand for the Canary sugar, turning the plantations into wineries. For several years there was a large export of wine by the Americas and Europe, particularly England where Shakespeare wrote of the wine 3 times. Benjamin Franklin’s financier had a large part in the wine export during the 1770s, leading to the trade funding part of the war of American independence. The oldest winery that is still open is El Grifo, established in 1775.

Wineries still in use today. The stone walls are used to protect the grapes from wind.
El Grifo wine museum.

The architecture of Lanzarote is still largely influenced by Spanish Colonial architecture. The white washed buildings with wooden trim reflect the sun’s rays to keep the temperature inside down. The homes have very little details, except for stone accents and wooden details in the trim. Activist Cesar Manrique, in fear of tourism development in the 1960s, wrote regulations for the island. Here there can be no billboards, like Vermont, and houses can only be one or two stories tall. They can only be painted white with wooden trim painted a specific shade of green or blue.

Arches and skylights typical of the Spanish Colonial style.
Small arched windows
The typical green paint on houses

Sources

  • Fleming, E. (2020) Why are Spanish Houses White? Sidmartinbio. https://www.sidmartinbio.org/why-are-spanish-houses-white/
  • Horton, O. (2020) Canary Island Wine and its Historical Trading Links. Wine Shop Lanzarote. https://wineshoplanzarote.com/blogs/news/canary-island-s-wine-and-its-historical-trading-links
  • The Spanish of the Canary Islands. Pennsylvania State. http://www.personal.psu.edu/jml34/Canary.htm

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Products of the Osa Peninsula

January 21, 2022 by Bella Genova

Members on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica have developed several ways to earn an income and make a living. From fishing, harvesting to creating, there are several ways that locals earn a living. The products that are harvested or made are sold either locally or to a large global market. Here are a few…

Piangüa

In the Sierpe region of the Osa Peninsula it is common for families to fish for piangüa. This is a species of mollusk that grows in the mangrove swamps along the coast. Piangueros, those who fish for the piangüa, adventure in the swamps during low tide when the shells are exposed. They walk with rubber boots, to protect their feet and dig up the piangüa with paddles. From there they sell to local restaurants and markets, or to an intermediate who will distribute further into Costa Rica. In the past, there was no regulation on the piangüa harvest, leading to a large decline in species and eventually a small harvest. After some studies by the Osa Conservation and the Association of Piangüeros and Marine Resources of Ajuntaderas y Afinesa, sizing requirements were placed on piangüa to maintain a stable population size. Piangüa can be made into several dishes such as ceviche.

Piangüa. Rojas, U.

Gold

The gold rush began in the 1930s on the Osa after the Spanish caught wind of the deposits. There hadn’t been many living on the remote Osa prior to this, so many migrated during the gold rush. The gold was considered “high grade natural gold with purity of above 21 carats.” On the Osa, gold was deposited in river sediments, which can be collected through sieving, primarily in the Tigre river and along Corcovado National park. Mining this way had very little impact on the environment. In contrast, foreign commercial mining production occurred in the mountainous regions destroying the natural landscape. This led to strict regulation and preservation of the parks, now protected by guards. On the Osa, gold pendants, headbands, and bracelets were formed in the shapes of native animals, used in religious ceremonies and given to leaders. Gold mining tours are found throughout the peninsula, Dos Brazos de Río Tigre offers 3 hour guided tours for US $40. Local artisans can make jewelry from gold, for example iguana lodge, or shop owners may trade goods for gold.

Gold pendant. Doc, R.

Bananas

Bananas are another of the top exports from the Osa Peninsula and Costa Rica in general. Most of the banana demand comes from the United States. Large banana corporations, Dole and Chiquita, have processing plants located in Limon and Heredia. Costa Rica ranks 8th out of 130 banana producing countries. Originally introduced in the 1800s banana plantations changed the landscape in Costa Rica as previously untouched places were converted. Farms such as Cocoterra and Rio Agujitas are incorporating sustainable practices to reduce impact. The Corporación Bananera Nacional Corbana established in 1971 has been working to improve the quality of banana farming, leading to increased wages and productivity. A banana plant produces a flower which eventually forms a bunch of bananas. The fruit grows for about 3 months until it reaches an acceptable size and is ready to harvest. Bananas are still green when harvested and will eventually ripen to yellow. Growing bananas are wrapped in blue plastic bags to protect from UV radiation, which burns the peels. Once collected the bunches are cut into smaller groups called manos. They are then washed to remove debris and leaves, afterwards any injured bananas are removed. The fruit is then packaged and shipped commercially. 

Banana bunches covered from UV radiation. Learn about the Banana Industry.
Bananas being washed. Earth University.

Cosmetics

Local shop Osa Natural produces soaps, lotions, shampoo and bug spray. The products are hand made by a woman named Alison and are certified organic. They are made of coconut oil sourced from Costa Rica. They come in several scents, lemongrass, tea tree, lavender, peppermint and ylang ylang. Ylang ylang is a scent from the fruit of the tree named Cananga. This scent is most famous in the perfume Chanel No. 5. The tree is often planted in gardens around hotels for the aroma it produces. Osa Natural has a shop on the eastern part of the Osa Peninsula where products are sold. Along with products cosmetic courses and pedicures are also offered. Online Osa Natural is sold on etsy, where it seems that tourists are able to continue purchasing the soap and shampoo long after visiting the shop on the Osa Peninsula.

Osa Natural Logo.

Palm Oil

Palm oil has become a large export from the Osa Peninsula. African palm was first introduced in the 1940s when banana production suffered from disease. Since then, palm has dominated crop production as it provides consistent year long harvests. Companies like Palma Tica incentivized locals to convert their farms to palms by offering loans and free seeds, leading to consistent income and improved daily life.  The fruits of the palm that are harvested on the Osa are sent to one of several Golfito processing plants, for example Cámara Nacional de Productores de Palma. The fruit is put under high temperature to break down the cells, then pressed to extract the oil. The oil is then stored and exported, the largest exporter currently being Mexico.

Palm fruit being transported. Beggs, E.
Palm processing locations. Beggs, E.

Sources

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