The Better World Shopping Guide: 7th Edition: Every Dollar Makes a Difference

By Ellis Jones

EVERY DOLLAR IS A VOTE. MAKE YOURS COUNT.

Every dollar we spend has the potential to create social and environmental change. In fact, it already has. The world that exists today is in large part a result of our purchasing decisions.

Now in its seventh edition, The Better World Shopping Guide continues to be the gold standard for socially and environmentally responsible consumers. Pick-up the seventh edition of this perennial bestseller and find out which companies actually"walk the talk" when it comes to:

• Environmental sustainability and climate change
• Human rights
• Community involvement
• Animal protection
• Social justice

From cereal to computers, meat alternatives to outdoor gear, and pet care to toys, check the rating before you buy. Drawing on decades of research, this comprehensive resource rates hundreds of brands, products, and services from A to F so you can quickly tell the "good guys" from the "bad guys" – turning your shopping list into a powerful tool for positive change.

• 6000+ hours of research
• 2000+ companies evaluated
• 70+ product categories
• 50+ reliable sources
• 5 essential issues
• 1 report card

Small enough to fit in a back pocket or handbag, easy to use, and covering more brands than ever, The Better World Shopping Guide helps you reward companies who are doing good, penalize those involved in destructive activities, and change the world as you shop!

ACCESSIBILITY NOTES
This publication meets the EPUB Accessibility requirements and it also meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG-AA). It is screen-reader friendly and is accessible to persons with disabilities. This book contains various accessibility features such as alternative texts for images, table of contents, landmarks, reading order, page list, Structural Navigation, and semantic structure. Blank pages have been removed from this EPUB.

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Society Publishers
• Release date: Mar 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781771423359

Ellis Jones

Ellis Jones has been teaching students to make a difference in the world for the past 15 years. A scholar of social responsibility, social change and everyday activism, he founded and directs the Better World Network, giving presentations throughout the US. He currently teaches sociology at University of California, Davis.

Book preview

The cover of the book. At the top, it reads “EVERY DOLLAR MAKES A DIFFERENCE” in red letters against a white background. Below, in large white font on the same red background, it states “the better world SHOPPING GUIDE”. At the top left,“#7” appears in a blue circle with the words “Over 100,000 copies sold!” Below is a realistic Earth is inside an open paper bag against a yellow-orange background with rays extending outward. The author's name “Ellis Jones” is at the bottom.

the

better world

SHOPPING GUIDE

EVERY DOLLAR MAKES A DIFFERENCE

the

better world

SHOPPING GUIDE

Ellis Jones

New Society Publishers logo: a line drawing depicting a tree stump, with a seedling growing out of the top. Rays of light form a halo around the seedling.

Copyright © 2022 by Ellis Jones. All rights reserved.

Cover concept by Ellis Jones. Design by Diane McIntosh.

Images: Getty Images/Photodisc Green.

Printed in Canada.

Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of

The Better World Shopping Guide should be addressed to

New Society Publishers at the address below.

To order directly from the publishers, please call

[phone], or order online at www.newsociety.com.

Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to

New Society Publishers

P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: The better world shopping guide / Ellis Jones.

Other titles: Every dollar makes a difference | Shopping guide

Names: Jones, Ellis, 1970– author.

Description: 7th edition. | Includes index.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20220133468 | Canadiana (ebook) 20220133476 | ISBN 9780865719460 (softcover) | ISBN 9781550927399 (PDF) | ISBN 9781771423359 (EPUB)

Subjects: LCSH: Shopping — Moral and ethical aspects — Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCSH: Social responsibility of business — Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCSH: Commercial products — Evaluation — Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCSH: Green products — Evaluation — Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCSH: Consumer education — Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCSH: Shopping — Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCSH: Green products — Handbooks, manuals, etc. | LCSH: Consumer education. | LCGFT: Handbooks and manuals.

Funded by the Government of Canada” written in both English and French, followed by the word “Canada” with a stylized maple leaf logo.

New Society Publishers’ mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision.

The New Society Publishers logo, which is a drawing depicting a tree stump with a new seedling growing out of the top. New Society Publishers, Certified B Corporation. The Forest Steward Council logo, which is a check mark that transforms into a simple tree outline on the right, with the letters FSC below. This book is certified as being made from a mix of paper from responsible sources. FSC C016245.

Contents

Appreciation

7th Edition Notes

The Website

The App

The Other Apps

Social Media

The Documentary

The Problem

The Solution

The Issues

The Sources

The Rankings

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do The Grades Mean?

Star Company Profile

The 20 Best List

The 20 Worst List

The Top 10 Climate Actions

The Top 10 Things To Change

The 10 Biggest Success Stories

The 10 Biggest Disappointments

The Top 10 Bailout List

The Top 10 Lobbyist List

Who Owns Who?

Independently Owned

The News

News-Center

News-Left

News-Right

What If I Can’t Find A Company?

How To Use This Shopping Guide

1. Airlines

2. Appliances & Hardware

3. Baby Care

4. Baked Goods & Baking Supplies

5. Banks & Credit Cards

6. Beer

7. Big Tech

8. Body Care

9. Bread

10. Breakfast Food

11. Butter & Margarine

12. Candy, Gum, & Mints

13. Canned Goods

14. Cars

15. Cereal

16. Chips

17. Chocolate

18. Cleaning Products

19. Climate Change

20. Clothing

21. Coffee

22. Computers & Accessories

23. Condiments & Dressings

24. Cookies & Crackers

25. Cosmetics

26. Dairy Alternatives

27. Dairy Products

28. Dental Care

29. Eggs

30. Electronics

31. Energy

32. Energy Bars

33. Energy Drinks

34. Fast Food & Restaurants

35. Feminine Care

36. Frozen Dinners

37. Fruit & Vegetables

38. Gasoline

39. Hair Care

40. Hotels

41. Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts

42. Insurance Companies

43. Juice

44. Laundry Supplies

45. Meat Alternatives

46. Meat Products

47. Medical

48. Milk & Alternatives

49. Mobile Phones & Service

50. Office & School Supplies

51. Oil, Vinegar, Olives, & Pickles

52. Online

53. Outdoor Gear

54. Paper & Paper Products

55. Pasta & Sauce

56. Peanut Butter & Jelly

57. Pet Care

58. Popcorn, Nuts, Pretzels, & Mixes

59. Retail Stores

60. Rice & Other Grains

61. Salsa, Spreads, & Dips

62. Seafood

63. Shoes

64. Soap

65. Soda

66. Soups, Noodles, & Curries

67. Sugar, Spices, & Sweeteners

68. Supermarkets

69. Tea

70. Toys & Games

71. Travel

72. Vitamins

73. Water

74. Wine

Product Category Index

Data Sources

About the Author

APPRECIATION

I am very grateful to Paul Todisco, Collin Ahrens, Ross Haenfler, J.P. Meyer, James Beam, Warren Zeger, Kristin Wallace, Mark Fairbrother, Tom McGlynn, Jason Logan, Brett Jacobs, and Jacob O’Brien for their hard work testing the guide and researching brands in the real world. And to my wife, Ara Francis, for her unwavering advocacy and dedication to getting this project the recognition and support it deserves. Also, a very special thank-you to the good people at Free Range, Christie Communications, and The Pachamama Alliance who have been incredible in making important connections for me around this work. Finally, I want to grant my deepest gratitude to everyone at The Amity Foundation for being amazing alllies for this work while doing such extraordinary work on their own to build a better world for us all.

I am also very grateful to you, the reader, for picking up this book. I’d like to say (because you may never hear it from anyone else) on behalf of all of the people on this planet whom you will never meet and all the natural places you will never see…

Thank you.

7TH EDITION NOTES

A decade and a half after the 1st edition was published, I am humbled to think that this little book has sold around 200,000 copies.

In 2022, even more of us are beginning to understand the fragility of our democracy and its vulnerability to powerful interest groups. Given the global pandemic, climate change, income inequality, racial injustice, and the attempted overthrow of our last deomcratic election, the connections between economics and politics have become difficult to ignore.

This particular edition has taken a few extra years to produce, but hopefully it will have been worth the wait. In this edition you’ll find:

More than 2,000 companies evaluated

A simpler, more practical grading system

New charts on Big Tech, Climate Change, etc.

Sample report cards for each grade

More ways to engage beyond this book!

Let’s reclaim our democracy

while we still have time.

THE WEBSITE

This guide is far too small to contain the wide range of data used to generate rankings for each company. If you are interested in more specifics on how individual companies are rated, and exactly what is taken into account, you can visit the website. It also contains updated ratings, direct links to resources, and new product categories that have been added since the writing of this guide.

You can also connect with me directly through the website. I’d be happy to give a presentation, lecture, workshop, or even host a live Q&A session in person, over the phone, or online. Whether you’re interested in this for your school, college, office, festival, conference, retreat, annual meeting, reunion, or for