So... there is a HUGE list of companies to ignore. But, who can I buy from? From the looks of the list, it might be easier to list the ethical companies than the unethical ones .
Yep, the list of ethical companies might be a whole heap shorter although possibly it could be a lot longer because overall it's the huge corporations that tend to be really awful - I think they get to a point where the corporation overules the humans IYKWIM. The small ma and pop companies are often much more ethical.
If you have a look at ethical.org.au they have an 'Ethical Shoping Guide' which have a 72 page .pdf files with heaps of products and information on companies, where they are from. I have found it to be a really great starting point when looking at what you regularly buy.
I think anyone should choose to buy from someone, or choose to avoid someone because of your own stance or philosophy on issues, not because of who the crowd are avoiding. I also posted a link to an info page that categorised australian made and owned products too. It helps if you know exact brand names instead of companies as many 'brands' are all owned by only a few large companies these days.
I bought the ethical supermarket shopping book that is made by the peeps that Leasha linked to. It's really handy because it's handbag sized. It only costs $5. They explain why all the companies are listed so if the issue isn't one for you then there's no need to boycott them.
They also have a list of the worst numbers which is handy because it saves me from having to dig around in my wallet for my little yellow list.
Bookmarks