The Good Shopping Guide: Your Guide to Shopping with a Clear Conscience (Ethical Standard) (Paperback)

As far as I can see this is the first easy to use guide for the mass of consumers who are interested about where their shopping comes from, and are prepared to make more ethical purchases. But who don't necessarily want to completely abandon the local supermarket for the health food store.

The guide is broken into 2-3 page chapters which cover everything from toothpaste to TVs. Tables show how each brand and parent company rank when it comes to animal testing, the environment, support for oppressive governments, and political donations. So, if you don't want to fill the coffers of companies who (for example) test their products on animals, you now know who to avoid.

Yes, small organic and green orientated companies do generally come out top, but so do some major names. For example, Jordans in cereals, Sanyo in TVs, Abbey National in banking and Bahlsen in biscuits.

When this book was released in the UK there were howls of protest from some of the corporations who found they were in the lowest bracket. Honest guv, we're not that bad!

Which goes to show - they do care that you might stop buying their products if you find something about them that you, and most other people, disagree with.

For a relatively modest price this guide can be a powerful weapon in your hands - buy it

Essentially this is the first easy to use guide for the mass of consumers who are interested about where their shopping comes from, and are prepared to make more ethical purchases. But who don't necessarily want to completely abandon the local supermarket for the health food store.

The guide is broken into 2-3 page chapters which cover everything from toothpaste to TVs. Tables show how each brand and parent company rank when it comes to animal testing, the environment, support for oppressive governments, and political donations. So, if you don't want to fill the coffers of companies who (for example) test their products on animals, you now know who to avoid.

Yes, small organic and green orientated companies do generally come out top, but so do some major names.

When the first edition was released a year ago in the UK it got a fair amount of national newspaper coverage. The result was howls of protest from some of the brands who found they were in the lowest bracket.

Which goes to show - they do care that you might stop buying their products if you find something about them that you, and most other people, disagree with.

For a relatively modest price this guide can be a powerful weapon in your hands - buy it

On the downside, the book is not as comprehensive as it could be. Only the most popular brands are compared. In addition, the book is heavily biased towards the consumer in the UK.

If you have read Naomi Klein's No Logo and wish you could do something about the world: try this. It is surprising how big a difference your daily shopping can do.