WHAT TO BUY

Unfortunately exploitation finds its way into not only food and clothing, but also in other items that we buy and use in our lives. Examples include cosmetics, cleaning products, electronics, and even tires. It truly is sad that we as a society have let industrialization take over our morality, and it can get quite depressing once you realize how deep the problems run. Before you start crying, however, remember that you cannot nor will ever be perfect, and shouldn’t beat yourself over it. Perfection is a subjective term, so by definition no one is perfect. What matters is that you always act to the best of your ability to cause the minimum amount of harm to your fellow earthlings. You're not alone in your realizations, and there are ways to live consciously in a consumerist society.

Luckily, there are organizations that have stepped up and evaluated products based on how their manufacturing affects both human and non-human animals. Their databases overlap with food and clothing, but we’ve listed them here as general guides to ingredients and products. Leaping Bunny provides shopping guides to cosmetics, personal care and household products, focusing on whether they include animal ingredients or were tested on animals. They run a certification program, so that companies that abide by cruelty-free manufacturing standards can feature their logo on their packaging, making it easier for us consumers to discern between products. Fair Trade USA now certifies home goods and textile manufacturers in addition to food producers. When we think of sweatshops, we typically think of apparel, but fabrics are used elsewhere as well, for items such as bed sheets, towels or drapes.