Originally Posted by
Charles Wahl
As rufus says, I think that the issue is hand-made, artisan work vs. factory production. There's no way to legislate this -- you could make crap in Italy using exploited labor, or something divine in Taiwan. So you just have to know something about the people who made your bike if that's important to you, and not rely on governments or guilds or the lawyers to do your research.
This is a great point. On the other hand, I don't think most of us have the time to extensively research every purchase. That's where some kind of "seal of approval" can be very helpful. A group of Italian builders committed to maintaining local, artisan traditions and methods could establish their own "guild" with specific criterion for membership. This could have rigorous criteria for inclusion that would at least guarantee a minimum standard, if/as enforced. It wouldn't obviate entirely the need for individual research, but it would narrow the field, as it were. If we all have to "caveat emptor" every freaking second of every purchasing day, we're not going to have time left to actually enjoy our purchases, ATMO. It works for other DOC products; maybe it could work for bicycles.
Edit: To say, I think we all recognize that the likelihood is a great deal more that something exploitative is going to be made in Taiwan rather than Italy, despite the fact the the opposite could theoretically occur - which is one factor arguing in favor of accurate labeling. Different locales/nations have differing labor standards - we all know this. In other words, of course it can be legislated, as long as the legislation is enforced.