Brands, labels and guides - a starting point to shopping ethically.

Okay, so the feedback I have had from the last post has been great, and also very constructive.  For those who did download the Free2Work app you would have realised by now that most of the brands mentioned are from the US market (for obvious reasons - as the app is an American based creation).  

I had thought there was no Australian based equivalent and was going to direct you all to buy the Ethical Shopping Guide - a great little resource that you can carry with you to the supermarket.  Upon visiting their website to collect details, however, I discovered that they now have their own app!!! Ahh, how exciting! So, now I am going to encourage you to buy the Ethical Shopping Guide AND download the app :).  The guide includes a rating and assessment for hundreds of brands and products.  It also includes other snippets of information on certain brands and information about fair-trade labeling (letting you know which brands you can trust).  I cannot recommend it enough! 

http://www.ethical.org.au/

Another useful shopping guide is the one produced by the Fair Trade Organisation, which can be downloaded from their website. It provides information about fair-trade businesses. Here is a link direct to the guide:

http://www.fta.org.au/sites/default/files/file/Fair_Trade_Association_Fair_Trade_Guide_2012-13.pdf

The last place I am going to direct you to is one of the Fair Trade Association’s website’s where you can search online for fair-trade stores and products.  The search works Australia wide, so to narrow it down to your local city make sure you include the city name in the search - e.g. "Chocolate in Melbourne"

http://fairtrade.com.au/

Thanks guys, and I hope the above information will help you to be more informed about the brands you buy and guide you to making ethical choices in your shopping.

Till next time, happy shopping!