Good to KnowMore

  

We are much savvier consumers today and we have excellent business practice transparency resources available to us. Considering this, is there any excuse for being unaware of what's going on behind the scenes of the companies we support? 

In researching the allegations of inappropriate (and truly gross) treatment of staff by American Apparel's Dov Charney (apparently a depraved 14 year-old boy in a 38 year-old man's body), I discovered the superb website Knowmore.org that you can use to find out the real scoop on any large multinational corporation. The aim of the grassroots, web-based community is 'to raise awareness of corporate abuse, and to serve as a catalyst for direct action against corporate power.'

Knowmore.org promotes ethical consumerism which they define as 'an important movement toward corporate reform, through which individuals recognize their own role in systems of oppression, and take personal steps toward resistance and positive change.' The site offers an intro to the relevant issues as well as ideas for taking direct action if you've seen and heard enough and want to do something about it (beyond boycotting a company's goods and services). Behind the Logos is a handy reference for checking on major brands, and their cracking investigations (such as the one into American Apparel) are fair and comprehensive.

You can search companies right here at The Swelle Life using the KnowMore.org search feature in the sidebar. (Cue Rage Against the Machine's Take the Power Back - dew dew, dew dew, dew dew deeewww...)