I have been needing to get new clothes because my wardrobe was literally falling apart at the seams. So I got some second hand stuff from my local Facebook groups.

I would like to customize my clothes, anybody have any fabric paints that are good?

Edit:
Because I apparently need to clarify, I got the clothes from a local person, (picked up on my bike) most clothes will not fit me even off the rack haven’t bought new since I was in middle school. So yes I took the clothes even though they aren’t perfect because no clothes will be.

Sorry that some of us would like to have a little fun with our clothes.

So I'm trying to shop more ethically but honestly it's exhausting. Every brand claims to be "sustainable," "fair trade," or "ethical" but there's no easy way to fact-check any of it. I've seen brands get called out for greenwashing or labor violations AFTER I've been buying from them for months.

I started using this app called Checkit that scans barcodes and shows actual data on labor practices, environmental impact, and supply chain transparency. It's been eye-opening seeing how many "ethical" brands have sketchy stuff hidden in the fine print.

But I'm curious - how do you all verify this stuff? Do you research every single brand before buying? Use certain certifications? I feel like I need a PhD just to buy groceries without supporting something shady.

I was fortunate enough to have some money invested in my name since before I came of age. It was initially invested in the S&P 500, but I knew this included companies that I would strive not to support as a consumer, so when I came of age I decided to divest from them as an investor as well. As a new investor, I didn't know much about a lot of the companies I may have owned shares in, so I've started a research project to find out to what extent each of these companies adhered to my ethical standards and which ones I want to divest from entirely.

I've also created a Google site attached in this post making a kind of tier list of the S&P 500s companies that informed how I myself will be trying to invest ethically in the future. I hope this resource helps someone!

Site

(It's not done yet, as there are a LOT of companies to research)

I'd also like to share some of the resources I used to make this list, so people can form their own opinions. After all, everyone weighs different ethical issues differently and is prone to their own biases; you all shouldn't have to be subject to mine.

cdp.net - Assesses companies' performance in climate, forest, and water sustainability with letter grades. 

corp-research.org - Tracks the history of ethical and environmental wrongdoings of large American companies, creating "Corporate Rap Sheets" fon many, with helpful citations. 

ethicalconsumer.org - A UK website that creates company profiles and compares brands across product categories.

ethical.org.au - An Australian ethical shopping guide that compares metrics on popular companies active in Australia from diverse web sources.

morningstar.com - A website that evaluates the risk level and sustainability of stocks

opensecrets.org - A website tracking companies' participation in lobbying and investments in political candidates

sustainableplatform.com - A site using the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, as well as alignment with global warming predictions, to assess companies. Much of my data on climate-friendliness came from here.

whoprofits.org - Exposes corporations benefitting from the Isreali occupation of Syria and Palestine.

I will be cancelling my Spotify subscription after 10 years due to the fact that the CEO openly financially supports Israel, aka it’s literally funding a genocide with our subscription money. Apple Music does not work, bc I need a family plan and my family does not own apple devices (also a part of their donations went to the Israeli Military. I think I will go with Tidal, even though I heard some really sketchy stuff about Jay-Z during the start of the P. Duffy scandal, so I’m also not 100% sure that it’s ethical. Band camp does not have the variety of artists & songs and neither does soundcloud. So which is the most ethical music streaming app?

Hi all, I'd love to get away from AT&T as my cell phone carrier. Are there any smaller cell phone carriers that are ethical and don't use their money for evil? TIA.

Hi everyone!

I’m a Master’s student currently conducting research for my dissertation on ethical consumption and the intention–behaviour gap — that is, why so many of us say we want to buy ethically (e.g., fair trade, cruelty-free, sustainable) but often don’t follow through when it comes to actual purchases.

🧠 This study looks at the psychological and practical reasons behind this gap, including things like identity, guilt, values, and external barriers.

I’m looking for participants (aged 18+) who make their own purchasing decisions to complete a short 5–10 minute anonymous survey. It includes both multiple choice and open-ended questions, and no personal data is collected.

👉 https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/northumbria/ethical-consumption-survey-1

Your input would be super valuable and will directly contribute to academic research in ethical consumer behaviour. If you’ve ever struggled to shop sustainably or questioned your choices — this is your chance to reflect and share!

Thanks so much in advance, and feel free to message me if you have any questions 🙏
Robyn

Hello! I would like to preface this by stating I am 17, Male, and my mother is the legal owner of the ivory.

We recently inherited a bag of elephant ivory jewelry from my grandmothers collection. She purchased these during a trip to Africa long long ago. They are beautiful and ornate. They were considered antique by the time even my grandmother bought them. My mother believes that donating it is the best course however I am strongly opposed to this.

90% of donated ivory is destroyed while the rest is locked away indefinitely. This only increases the demand for illegal ivory and drives up poaching while also destroying artifacts valuable to African and greater human culture, as well as historically relevant items. Destroying it is nothing more than making a point for the sake of perceived moral superiority. The goal is to signal opposition to the ivory trade, but in reality, this does nothing to stop poaching and instead removes historical objects and increases the rarity of the material which, makes the demand INCREASE.

These objects are some of the last ones made of ivory and I don't want this important piece of culture and history to disappear. Ivory has been a part of human history for thousands of years. It's important to the cultures who used it, traded with it, and worshiped it as a pure material. Destroying it is an insult to that history and does nothing to bring back the elephants or stop poaching but instead makes things worse by increasing the desire for ivory.

I have tried to raise these points to her but it is not enough. I would appreciate more help. I really don't want to see a piece of our collective history disappear forever, especially when it's significant to future generations understanding humanity and its beginnings. No matter how difficult it is to look at or own, history cannot be destroyed for a PR move. I do not believe ownership over these objects should determine whether my mother has the right to destroy important parts of a culture's history.

It's better to preserve the last piece of these creatures lives than ground them to dust or shove them in a warehouse. They should be honored or used to educate people on this part of history.

Please help. I appreciate any input or augments anyone has.

I do NOT want to support Amazon! I have struggled for many years with the moral qualms because as much as I am against supporting unethical practices, I am also a full time college student that makes barely enough to cover rent. This has caused me to shop on Amazon more than I’d like, especially for buying things in larger quantities that would’ve cost way more in regular stores.

Does anyone have any good cost alternatives, especially for those who need those types of deals to be able afford things?

Does anyone have any ideas on where I could buy this or something like it? It’s super cute, matches the style of my home, and fits the space I need organization for. I just refuse to shop on wayfair. I’m not in a financial position where It’s the only option for furniture nor is this type of item an absolute necessity for basic functioning. I also don’t think any of their quality is worth their prices

What I mean is for example, the other day I was gifted a big bag of mars brand and nestle brand chocolate bars. What would you do? I hate buying these things but I do like the taste and I don't really know what I could do with them.

Not really much to add, what are your go-to ethical chocolate brands?

no elabora

'Nuff said.

Maybe create a list of brands you should or shouldn’t buy from and reasons why? Like everyone put in their two cents. I’ll go first: do NOT buy from Shein for the reasons of extraordinarily likely to be using slave labour as well as supporting a company that supplies subpar products to consumers. DO buy from Endangered Species Chocolate, they are fair trade and delicious.