EthicalShopping.com is produced by Consumer Ethics Inc. Our mission is to provide information and resources to help Americans more fully consider the consequences of purchase decisions related to the environment, economic justice, and quality of life. Consumer Ethics Inc. also manages HybridCars.com, providing consumer information about sustainable transportation decisions, and ZipcodeVillage.com, a site (in beta development) designed to foster social interaction at the hyper-local level.
The goal of EthicalShopping.com is to provide news and information about products and services—not only based on price, quality, features, and convenience—but also about the impact of shopping decisions on workers, communities, and the environment. We diligently review breaking news regarding issues such as fair trade, sweatshop labor, fair compensation, treatment of animals, health & safety, and militarism. We examine these issues across the full range of consumer purchase decisions, from clothes and chocolate to credit cards and cars, and post to the site in a direct, user-friendly style.
Some companies continually exhibit questionable ethical behavior—and end up on our “Boycott These Companies” list. Other firms establish the highest ethical standards as the centerpiece of the corporate mission—and are placed on our “Support These Companies” list. However, in most cases, ethical shopping decisions are not cut and dried. (Although you can’t go too wrong by consuming less and buying local.)
We have our opinions, and we express them, but our goal is to arm consumers with the information so everyone can draw their own conclusions. Each individual purchase decision should be based on your own ethical framework and your commitment to specific social, political and environmental concerns. That’s personal, so we’ll do our best not to moralize or pontificate. (And we’ll rely on you to keep us honest.)
We hope the site helps you think more deeply about your responsibilities as a consumer and a citizen, and to discuss opinions and share information resources with other visitors engaged in the same process of redefining our consumer culture.
If you run into any problems, or can think of ways to improve the site, please drop us a line. Your feedback will help us to improve the site, and to hatch other innovative ideas. Thanks.
