Can we all really live ethically? / Boycotts (quietly)

[Lmccrean]

Does anyone avoid all products that have anything to do with testing on animals/companies that help in arms trading/use pesticides on plants and unnecessary antibiotics in animals etc etc ??

Im rather overwhelmed with it all, and thought I was doing well with Seeds Of Change stuff (mainly their organic pasta), until I found out that it is owned by Mars...ugh...

I dont openly boycott anywhere, but do choose not to buy their stuff, and try to make informed decisions, although it seems it would be a lot easier if I just remained naive!

Someone reassure me please! (sorry for rambling)

I think that whatever you do is better than doing nothing. I would say every little helps, except that Tesco are my biggest personal boycott. And as someone pointed out to me, if you don't tell people you're boycotting them, then they won't know to change.

And if you're worried about people like Mars, by far the best thing to do is buy from local suppliers- our farmers markets have a link with organic co-operatives in Italy, so can supply us with all sorts of nice things with no big businesses involved...[rereads message, realises this all sounds v islington, but in fact we're in somerset]

Actually I'm not so sure that it matters that seeds of change is owned by mars. your money is still "voting" (as it were) for organic farming and, by extension, corporate responsibility.

what I mean is, it's what you buy and not who gets the money that's important. I hate the way that the big supermarkets abuse their buying power, but I still shop there. I do however try to get as much produce as possible from other sources. every little helps, as tescos probably wouldn't say in this context.

I buy organic produce from local market on saturdays, and use eco cleaning products (for home and body). I must admit, I do use tesco but usually only spend a tenner a month, cause I cant find organic milk anywhere else. Thats very cool about your local farmers market though..

Am trying to do my bit, only buying meat from the local farm shop, having organic veg delivered, fair trade and organic other stuff as far as possible. Seems as soon as we make one shopping decision (which invariably costs more in terms of money, effort or time) we have another ethical dilemma to face. Think you are right twocats that every little helps

I asked before, ages ago, but maybe someone may know now - any organic/fairtrade shops online that sell v neck tops in size 16? Only found one so far, (hug.co.uk) and some mad radical shops with pics of people in biohazard suits printed on them, and other extreme stuff...not really my thing!

Lmccrean - have you looked at Traidcraft stuff yet?

\link{http://www.traidcraftshop.co.uk/\Traidcraft shop}

They sale a reasonable selection of clothes and nice jewellery.

The Bishopston Trading company is good for ethically produced stuff too.

One of my friends always goes shopping with her Good Shopping guide which rates high street and Multinational companies according to how ethical they are - ie Boots - not so good re animal testing but Primark is good because there is no sweat shop production.

lmccrean, have you seen this book, \link{http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1903919592/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2_cp/203-1393001-1031936\A Good Life?}

\link{http://www.bishopstontrading.co.uk/main.htm\Bishopston Trading Company}

They do cute patchwork childrens stuff too at the end of the catalogue

\link{http://www.gooshing.co.uk/\GOOSHING}

Shopping ethically online! This is the guide several of my friends use on every shopping trip.

This is the same idea in a book version:

\link{http://www.ethical-company-organisation.org/the-book.htm\THe Good Shopping Guide}

LMC - where are you? I know a couple of shops in London for tops, but that might not help. I did hear tho' that TopShop are doing an ethical range, plus M&S have a few bits of organic cotton in too.

ps if anyone's in the southwest, we have farmers markets who deliver here (!). Better than tesco

Good question. I think unless you really do live off your own (organically-farmed) land, never use fossil fuels, recycle everything - basically, if you are never a consumer - it is impossible to be truly ethical. Doing what you can is as much as we can do in this climate and society - climate being perhaps more of a bugger to deal with ethically.

thanks for all the replys- phones gpt really busy (in work) and had to leave mn for a bit! but now ive missed my train home and thanks to good old st paddy theres a holoiday timetable and ive an hour to kill before going home!

WWW, I have that book at home, and just finished reading it, and his other book "A life stripped bare" really brilliant - the second is the least patronising make-yourself-ethical book i have ever read and love it.

Unfortunatly, im in NI, so none of the london shops will suit, and since we dont have flagship stores of oasis and topshop, its unlikely we will get their fairtrade stuff :(

Will check traidcraft now. unfortunatly bishopston stuff isnt really my style, from what I remember :( and gooshing rocks :)

mcmudda - primark doesnt use sweat shops? really? Im very suprised at that (not that i think ur lying or anything, just thought with their prices...you know )

Saw this earlier and got called away by kids: I think there are some active ethical choices it is possible to make, as well as decisions to avoid things. Fair Trade is the most obvious case in point. So is locally grown food. The Co-Op is a reasonably ethical bank, and ones like Triodos are more so (shamefully my current account is with the NatWest, but our joint ones and my work one are with the Co-op, honest, guv ).

Gossypium has organic fair traded cotton pants (very nice ones, I am wearing some now). No Sweat does non sweatshop trainers. The Traidcraft catalogue had some niceish scoopnecked Tshirts, and People Tree has some other nice stuff.

That's weird - I read a newspaper report recently that claimed a consumer report had Primark down as the least ethical high street (clothing store), followed fairly closely by M&S....

Apparently L'Oreal, which is set to acquire Body Shop, is part of Nestle.