The Good Shopping Guide
Healthy shopping. What does that even mean? We have enough ‘health’ issues to concern ourselves with without adding shopping on to the list! Well, it was a few years ago that I began to feel uneasy about how – or more importantly where – we were spending our money. I felt that I could be somehow funding the human trafficking problem or keeping young kids in work and out of education with the money I give to a supermarket on my weekly shop and that really bothered me. I got to the point where I had to take action.
Unsurprisingly, I discovered that most retailers do not want us to know the ins and outs of their supply chain and they don’t want to give their customers any clear information about their ethics. There are a few exceptions; if you scroll to the bottom of the page some retailers include a ‘modern slavery statement’ (Amazon is a good example) which is great. I did learn this - the problems surrounding the consumer world in which we live are truly vast.
I thought about it, (often) and prayed about it, (not so often) because I really didn’t know how to begin to address the problem. Thankfully, after a few months, the answer was presented to me by way of a Facebook ad.
The Good Shopping Guide
This amazing website provides us with some incredible, amazing information in a really simple way that I could understand! It is not affiliated to anyone so the information they give is unbiased and really helpful. Here are the reasons why I love it……
1. The Tables
This is the most useful tool on this website in my opinion. As a family we use it often. The Good Shopping Guide produces an easy to view table of many retailers, from loads of different sectors (home to fashion to beauty) with their ethical rating – a number out of 100 showing how ethical they really are. An example is given below:
This means you can very quickly, at a glance, check who is the best supplier for whatever it is you need. You can also check how your favourite shops are rated. Armed with knowledge you can start to make changes where you are able.
2. A rating for different issues
The good shopping guide gives you a breakdown of how their ethical rating is put together. This means if you want to focus your support on human rights you can arm yourself with the knowledge you need.
3. In depth information
They give a more in-depth discussion of the problems surrounding different industries, what the main concerns are and what changes we can think about making.
The problems are vast so if you set out on a crusade to sort out ALL of the worlds problems many of us would probably just want to dive under the duvet and hide. I think the way to start out, is to put your finger on the issue that bothers YOU the most. Take some time to consider what really makes your blood boil, what concerns you most about the world in which children from today will inhabit tomorrow.
Then start there.
We can’t do everything for everyone, we all just need to do our bit and then we will see change in the following 4 main categories:
Planet
The problems are massive and well-publicised. We all know the problems that humans are causing from the beautiful Ran Tang/palm oil issue to the land fill mountain.
Animals
Animals are relentlessly abused and harmed by us in so many different ways. We cause them harm from the ridiculous – dancing bears – to the controversial - animal testing.
People
Human beings, who do not have, are so often taken advantage of by those that do. Large companies are able to swoop into communities and make promises to gain what they want, but often those promises do not come to pass.
Ingredients
The reality of what we put on us and in us is something really quite scary. Ingredients in this sense is not limited to food or beauty products, it also applies to clothing and everything else we use.
When I began my research and started to make changes a few years ago I was in the same place as many; I was happy to do my bit, but I didn’t want to become some kind of a fanatic or (stereotype) hippy and I certainly didn’t want to make any drastic, complicated or expensive changes to my lifestyle. I already wore lots of hats with lots of different labels, I really didn’t need to add anymore! And as a family we were doing what we could - we recycled what we could, we avoided plastic straws and bought fair trade when we were able but that was about it.
Initially, my main concerns were centred around ingredients, so we began to make those slow steps toward better health, remove toxins and go natural where possible.
(read - what is in my shampoo and starting off)
The next thing for me was Human Rights. It dawned on me that if a shirt can be bought for £3, there is no way on this earth that I have paid enough money to cover the cost of the material, the dye, the thread, the designer, the seamstress, the transportation, the packaging and whatever else I have missed from this list. Someone somewhere has missed out on fair pay for the work they have done, so my shopping behaviours were keeping someone in poverty. Worse still, my shopping habits could be funding someone else’s drug business or modern-day slavery. I love Fairtrade. I think what they have begun is amazing.
But shame on us that it is even needed.
As you shop this Christmas, if you can take some time to have a look at the Good Shopping Guide, just the simple table if that’s all you have time for, then please do that.
The desire for more money is one of our biggest drives and large companies are not immune. We each of us have the power to drive change sitting right within our purses and wallets.
Every one of our shopping actions cause a reaction – it is for us to choose if that reaction is good or bad.
Every one of our purchases impacts someone somewhere.
Let us begin to choose well.