What drives your shopping habits? Do you go for quality or the best price? You probably have different criteria when you are out for groceries than when you troll the mall. You might get just as excited about organic apples and potatoes as you did during the after-Christmas sales when you spent your rent money on shoes - but of course shoes are an investment, and end-of-season sales are unique money-saving opportunities. But I digress...

Retailers are starting to notice the growing consumer demand for better quality craftsmanship and natural/organic materials (to name just two) without using sweatshop labor. Some of your favorite brands have made changes to their manufacturing processes because of this marketplace pressure. It turns out the little guy does have a voice - who knew?

In recent years, overtly eco-friendly retailers (such as Mountain Equipment Co-op, etc.) have responded to this niche market that is far from filled. Socially responsible investments (SRI) offer "green" alternatives for your portfolio. Politicians are pledging support for environmental initiatives, including the use of alternative fuel and energy sources. You can see where this is going.

A brief overview of some popular brands shows how consumer pressure is affecting the way conventional retailers conduct business. Two examples of companies that do not use sweatshop labor are American Apparel and No Sweat. Check out this site for more information on sweatshop-free companies in all retail markets. Other brands carry natural, organic, or fair-trade products including Cotton Ginny, The Body Shop, Levi Strauss, Nike (read the label carefully - many stores offer only a few styles using organic materials); some have waste reduction and community support programs, such as The Gap and American Eagle. Department stores like H&M, Eddie Bauer, and Walmart have environmental policies in place; however, because the store inventory is outsourced their suppliers may not have comparable standards. Similarly, most manufacturers use external supplied materials and have limited control over that aspect of their sustainability policy.

You may find social responsibility pages on the websites of your favorite brands. Examine them closely.


You may discover that many of those changes only apply to North American plants, but outsourcing inventory from third-world countries where standards are lower or do not exist is still widespread.

To find out more about how your other favorite brands measure up, visit conscious consumer sites such as New American Dream or Co-op America's National Green Pages. If you know of other retailers who are making efforts to improve, please comment to this post and pass on the word!