Trader Joe’s is a popular store, viewed with fondness, like a quirky friend that brings us interesting things to eat. But how ethical is Trader Joe’s?
How Ethical is Trader Joe’s?
Category: Ethical shopping guide
These posts take examples of everyday items and examine social and environmental factors to consider in each case. The goal is not for this site to become the authoritative ethical shopping guide. That’s too much responsibility for one person or organization. The goal is for us to collectively decide on the most ethical choices, as consumers.
We increasingly rely on user-generated content, whether looking up reviews of a restaurant or trying to purchase a new laptop. User-generated content can make use of our various perspectives and backgrounds to come to a consensus on ethics – see this post for more on the topic of why we need user-generated ethical ratings.
So, the Green Stars Project is all about applying user-generated content to integrate an ethical shopping guide into our daily lives. The vision is that Green Stars reviews will soon be visible on the sites we use (Yelp, Amazon, etc.) so that they are visible to everyone. Many don’t have the time or energy to consult dedicated ethical shopping guides so the goal is to bring ethical consumerism to a wider audience and also to make it a democratic process.
The posts in this category aim to provide guidance that will help you to make your own ethical decisions, wherever you live. Importantly, please consider incorporating a Green Stars rating next time you review something! Contact me if you do, as there’s a recurring competition to encourage readers to write ethical reviews – you can win an ethical prize and be featured on this site!
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How to help the Uyghurs
Canada and the US have recognized China’s treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang as genocide. Up to 1.8 million Uyghurs have been detained in camps for “re-education” under brutal conditions. At least two investigations have found that Uyghurs are subjected to forced labor in companies that supply and manufacture electronics and textiles for major multinational companies. Three of them, Apple, Nike, and Coca-Cola, have been lobbying to water down the proposed Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
Impossible Burger – how would you rate it?
I bought Impossible Burgers at the Grocery Outlet and compared to them to Beyond Meat burgers. I rated the Impossible Burger 3/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact but want to know what you think.
Can you trust Amazon?
My previous post on Amazon.com, Inc. included a poll asking: How Ethical is Amazon? Please vote in the poll if you didn’t get a chance yet – I’ll discuss the results in a future post, and maybe dig a bit more into the social and environmental impact of Amazon. This post is going to focus … Continue reading Can you trust Amazon?
Califia Protein Oat Milk
The previous post looked at the carbon footprint of plant-based milk, focusing on a recent paper from researchers at the University of California. The main conclusion of that post was that plant-based milks tend to have similar carbon footprints, and that they are all a lot lower than the footprint of cow's milk. The research … Continue reading Califia Protein Oat Milk
The carbon footprints of plant-based milks
How do plant-based milks compare in terms of sustainability? Here, I want to specifically look at the carbon footprint of various plant-based milks, versus dairy milk. One of the key takeaways from this research is that the carbon footprints of most plant-based milks are similar, and all of them are significantly lower than that of cow’s milk.
Poll: How Ethical is Amazon?
There are more reasons than ever right now to support local businesses instead of purchasing gifts from Amazon. This post takes a look at the impact of Amazon’s business model, Jeff Bezos’s wealth (over $200 billion) and asks you to vote on a survey: how ethical is Amazon?
Ethical review of the Grocery Outlet
The Grocery Outlet is a supermarket based mainly on the west coast of the US that specializes in food and wine bargains. It started off in San Francisco when, back in 1946, James Read sold food at a discount that he had purchased from government surplus supplies. The idea is still the same – the … Continue reading Ethical review of the Grocery Outlet
Ethical vegan shoes from Etiko
In this post I’m going to do an ethical review of shoes from an Australian brand, Etiko, and decide on an ethical (Green Stars) rating. Since turning vegetarian at 15, I’d relied quite a bit on Converse High Tops as my go-to leather-free shoes. Converse used to make shoes in the US but eventually went … Continue reading Ethical vegan shoes from Etiko
Dean Foods bankruptcy and ethical consumerism
Dean Foods, the largest dairy company in the US, filed for bankruptcy this week. Sad news for employees, but perhaps a positive indicator for ethical consumerism. Is the myth of the ethical consumer becoming a reality? (The myth of the ethical consumer refers to the idea that, while many of us prioritize ethical choices in … Continue reading Dean Foods bankruptcy and ethical consumerism