Clothing & Accessories

Perhaps no other industry has received more recent attention in the realm of ethical shopping than the garment industry. Sifting through information on labor practices, environmental concerns, and questionable marketing techniques can be a daunting task. We'll do our best to help you link the clothes on the rack to the companies, workers, and processes behind the labels.

How can a product that produces so much joy on Valentine's Day, weddings, and anniversaries be unethical? Unlike clothing, jewelry is not branded, so it can be difficult to trace specific products to specific problems. Producing diamond rings, gold bracelets or other jewelry can mean all kinds of nasty things (see: poverty wages, child labor, environmental destruction), but with a few tips to the ethical shopper, you can find jewelry that feels as good as it looks.

The boycott against the Nike shoe company in the 1990s brought public attention to the exploitive labor practices in the shoe industry. Major shoe brands continue to face criticism for using cheap overseas labor, while new concerns about the environmental impact of tanneries continues to grow. In the wake of the criticism, great-looking, super-cool, animal-free and anti-consumer brands have emerged.