Social Responsibility |

Find Pretty Much Anything Ethically with These Directories

June 16, 2015 by Julia 1 Comment

Once upon a time, the Fair for All Guide was the Fair for All Shopping Guide, and it was our dream to create an all-encompassing directory of ethical products and brands and to be a one-stop shop for anyone who wanted to make any kind of ethical purchase.

Our plan ended up being a little bigger than our britches, and we retired our directory in 2014. However, there are many other blogs and websites that feature ethical shopping directories, which we share on our Resources page. We recently added the following new directories to the list—check them out to help you find what you’re looking for!

Note that each directory is maintained according to its owner’s ethical criteria, which may differ from Fair for All’s. Be sure to look at the ethics of any specific company before purchasing.

EcoCult Shopping Guide

Includes several categories like clothing, jewelry, accessories, lingerie, men’s, beauty, and home.

Shop Conscious

Shop Conscious focuses on fashion brands and enables you to filter by a plethora of conscious factors including Handmade, Fair Trade, Empowering Women, Recycled Materials, Made in the USA, Vegan and more.

Top 10 List of Fashionable Fair Trade Companies

Looking for some chic wearables? This top ten list (actually featuring twelve items!) is for you.

Global Stewards Directory of Online Fair Trade Shops

Lists fair trade websites only. Categories include the usual plus some more obscure ones like toys/hobbies/entertainment, seasonal items, food, and flowers.

One of a Kind Sustainability Where to Shop Directory

Focuses on environmental sustainability rather than human rights, but several brands cover both bases. Includes categories for clothing, shoes, accessories, beauty and home, plus helpful notes about the product style or ethics/sustainability of each link.

Fair Fashion Finds

This Tumblr shares sales, discounts and deals from ethical shopping websites.

With the addition of these links, our Resources page is becoming a kind of mega Frankendirectory, which is pretty wicked if you ask me. If you have a favorite ethical shopping directory that isn’t listed, tell us about it and we’ll add it to the monster!

The True Cost of Fashion

June 2, 2015 by Julia 1 Comment

I recently learned about a new documentary that sheds light on the hidden flaws of the fashion industry. The True Cost explores the fashion supply chain from the cotton fields of India to factories in Cambodia and Bangladesh and exposes how the bargains we see on store racks are made possible by unsafe working conditions, rampant pesticide use and other negative factors. The film aims to answer the question, “Who really pays the price for our clothing?”

The True Cost focuses on establishing the fact that the fashion industry is deeply flawed and in need of major reform. According to a review by the LA Times, director Andrew Morgan says his intent was “to overwhelm the viewer with just how enormous the issue is.” I’m definitely a solution-focused person, so to an extent it bothers me that the film focuses so heavily on the problem, but in terms of educating the general public I think that’s where you have to start. (Plus it would be hard for a film to include solutions for a lot of different scenarios and consumers. That’s what blogs are for!)

I have yet to see the movie in full, but I plan to and would love to share the experience with other interested folks. Indianapolis locals: Would you be interested in attending a screening of this movie? I’ve never hosted a film screening before but I think this film could provoke great discussion, perhaps with an accompanying panel. If you or someone you know would be interested in such an event, let me know in the comments!

Everyone else, check out the True Cost website for a list of global screenings. You can also purchase the film on DVD or for digital streaming.

Have you seen The True Cost? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Let’s Start a Revolution

April 24, 2015 by Julia Leave a Comment