Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Sadly, it's all about price. It’s about price because consumers can’t measure by anything else. Eg. I can’t tell which of two products is manufactured to higher standards, nor which one isn’t infested with formaldehyde. Until consumers are able to determine those other factors then yes sadly it is all about price (and marketing).
that’s why we need regulatory bodies and, yes, tariffs which should factor all those additional costs: to environment, human rights, etc.
tariffs are a poor instrument for anything except raising the price of incoming goods so that your local industries can compete. And then you're still "picking the winners and losers" by selectively applying tariffs. It's a tax that hurts consumers and helps industries. There's a place for it in well measured smart economic policy, but in almost every case it's better to use a tax (like carbon tax) than a tariff. Essentially that's what a tariff is, but calling it a tax and giving a good reason for it is a lot less likely to cause retaliatory tariffs.