This essay was written by Tavie Meier and was originally published on EcoCult in 2015, a blog devoted to all things sustainable in NYC and beyond. Republished with permission. Why Pity is a Bad Marketing …
Destroying the False Idol of Ethical Fashion
Changes in Ethical Fashion & Influencing Remember capsule wardrobes? You may recall that I was initially very skeptical of the capsule wardrobe movement, mostly because the people I saw touting it were using it as …
Why Give Back Brands Aren’t Ethical
Why Give Back Brands Aren’t Ethical In today’s consumer landscape, more and more companies want to be seen as “giving back” to those in need. But give-back brands that focus on donating a portion of …
Is Amazon Ethical?
Is Amazon ethical? On this Amazon Prime Day, Francesca Willow from Ethical Unicorn delves into the numerous ethical and human rights violations of this e-commerce giant.
Is Your Artisan Made Item *Really* Ethical? 5 Things to Look For
This piece was written by me with compensation and support from MATTER Prints What Does Artisan Made Mean? Artisan made was the buzzword that triggered my exploration of ethical consumerism. In 2011, while undertaking a …
Why Charity Navigator Can Be Misleading
Charity Navigator’s fixation on low overhead has trained people to assume that overhead is inherently bad when it comes to nonprofits.
Is Social Good Marketing Just Another Form of Greenwashing?
Is Social Good Marketing Hiding Ethical Issues? Recently I’ve been dealing with a really unpleasant situation regarding a company that reached out to me for collaboration. Their marketing looked good: they produce eco-friendly accessories in …
“Conscious” Capitalism and Imperialism
“Conscious” Capitalism and Imperialism I recently finished reading Dangerous Territory, a spiritual memoir about Amy Peterson’s experience as a short-lived missionary in a closed country in Southeast Asia. I read it hoping to glean some good …
What Is Fair Trade and Is It Fair?
What’s Fair in Fair Trade? A Chat With Brad Jeffery of CAUSEGEAR (now MADE FREE) Growing interest in conscious consumerism has necessarily brought with it a range of questions about what constitutes fairness, ethics, and …
You Can’t Buy Your Way to a Better World
You Can’t Buy Your Way to a Better World Since I recently reworked my Direct Sales critique from several months ago, I wanted to take the opportunity to answer a particular question I received from …
Ethical Fashion & “Poverty Porn” | Buyer Beware Series
This is the fourth post in a series called Buyer Beware on business models I generally don’t support. Ethical Fashion & “Poverty Porn” It’s a well known fact that advertising strategies routinely prey on our insecurities to …
Direct Sales Critique (Multi-Level Marketing) | Buyer Beware Series
Even fair trade multi-level marketing companies are unethical and exploitative businesses