How To Shop Responsibly Without Supporting Prison Labor
Hello. I feel like it’s a bit of a different world since the last time I posted here. Yes, I have written since the Coronavirus pandemic changed the world. (See my posts on celebrating Earth Day during quarantine and how to donate hair to help the environment after getting a hair cut at home).
But the world has changed once again since I wrote these, with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement as a result of several tragic events. Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and now Rayshard Brooks just to name a few of the more prominent ones. All victims of police brutality and racism that resulted in their unnecessary deaths.
I have been addressing this issue on my social media channels by sharing posts from my fellow eco-blogger, Addie Fisher, who writes about her experiences as a black eco influencer at www.oldworldnew.us. But I’m realizing as I write this now that I haven’t addressed this issue yet in a post directly for my Eco Friendly Mama website. Here’s one of her posts that I shared on Instagram:
Several years ago I wrote about raising children to be inclusive and anti-racist for the OC Mom Collective. In it, I discuss my own experiences both with first hand racism and as an ally to a black friend experiencing racism. I also write about my attempts to discuss racism with my kids and to raise them believing in equality for BIPOC. More recently, I wrote a post on that site about what it means to say All Lives Matter. (If you’re not sure or don’t see what the issue with it is, please read my post here).
It’s not a perfect science, and I am constantly learning how to be a better advocate and teacher.
If you’ll indulge me for one moment, I’d like to share this humble brag about my son. On the last day of class this year, he received the Respect & Kindness Award. This was via zoom video conferencing of course because we have been distance learning since mid-March. His teacher later explained to me via email that she gave him this award because he is a friend to all and she has never seen him treat any child differently than another based on race or any other factor. This, more than any academic achievement he has accomplished this year, is the thing I am most proud of him for.
If you’re wondering what Black Lives Matter has to do with being eco-friendly, here’s the way I see it:
BLM is a human rights issue, and I firmly believe that human rights are entwined with a general respect for – and desire to protect – the health and future of our planet. As I wrote in this post on the subject:
“If you truly care about the health and well-being of the earth, that also means caring for the health and well-being of all its inhabitants.”
Recently, on Facebook, I saw a post about prison labor farms. Through a series of text images, this post described how police brutality and racism against black Americans is linked to the insanely cheap labor that prisoners provide to many major companies who benefit significantly from the unnaturally low production costs. As a rule, I try not to disparage brands for their harmful eco practices and instead try to lift up companies that are behaving in an environmentally ethical way.
Positivity over negativity, always, is one of my mottos.
That said, if you’d like to learn more about which specific brands are guilty of these inhumane practices, you can read the facebook thread here or see this list of 50 companies that take advantage of prison labor. The long and short of it is that due to a provision in the 13th amendment, slavery and involuntary servitude are in fact still allowed as punishment for crimes. There is a whole network of private prisons that make their profits from the forced labor of their prisoners as a result, which people are inadvertently supporting every time they buy a product sold by one the brands that have contracted for this prison labor. For example, some prison-based call centers only pay their customer service representatives $2 per day. Not even per hour. Per day!
Think of that the next time you’re wondering why you got less than stellar service from a call center!
There are numerous articles listed in this facebook thread that support these findings through research and journalistic vetting. This eye-opening piece from NPR for example cites a UC Berkeley study that found an alarmingly and disproportionately high percentage of young and healthy prisoners of color were incarcerated at prisons that have work contracts where their fitness is most useful on production lines. It should come as no surprise that many if not all of the companies guilty of exploiting prison labor also have questionable sustainability practices as well.
So what can we do about this problem and why am I writing about it on Eco Friendly Mama?
Here’s the point: if you’re buying local, sustainable, eco-friendly goods and services, and/or supporting small businesses through your purchasing power, the chances are fairly high that you are not feeding your dollars into this corrupt practice of prison labor at the expense of BIPOC. When I reviewed the list of companies that benefit from prison labor, I was relieved to find that I have only shopped at one of them in the past several years, and in some cases longer. This was not due to any proactive diligence on my part because I didn’t know about this issue until recently.
Rather, this was due to my personal pledge to reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, replant, and buy eco-friendly products whenever possible.
I’ve written before about B Corporations such as TOMS and Beautycounter. While I can’t say for certain that they and other B Corp certified companies are proactively attempting to avoid prison labor practices that exploit BIPOC inmates, they seem to do just this by the very definition of meeting the high standards required to become a B Corp. That means that they utilize transparency and eco-friendly practices in their supply chains, pay their workers a living wage, and avoid human trafficking and exploitation in the creation of their products. This is a direct quote from a document B Corp has posted on its website in regards to their stance on prison labor exploitation:
“For Companies who utilize prison labor: Companies utilizing prison labor are required to comply with guidance provided by the International Labor Organization in order to ensure that such labor preserves the rights of workers, is in their best interests, and not exploitative. They are also required to disclose the use of prison labor on their B Corp public profile.”
The complete list of B Corp requirements regarding humane prison labor usage is so lengthy that it’s impossible to imagine there are many companies that could qualify using exploitative prison labor.
My admittedly unscientific search of the B Corp business directory yielded zero results of any recognizable US brands that use prison labor.
And many of the highest profile B Corp brands are also very outspoken against exploitative labor practices, such as Eileen Fisher, Patagonia, Seventh Generation, and Ben & Jerrys. For each of these four companies just listed, I’ve linked to the specific page on their websites where they discuss their stance against prison labor and human exploitation. After reading their statements, I’m all the more motivated to support these eco-conscious companies!
Wondering how to check if a company is certified as a B Corp? It’s easy. Just check to see if they’re listed in the B Corp directory on their website here!
So if you find yourself feeling a bit helpless to create immediate change by recent events (or not-so-recent events if you look at it through the prism of systemic racism), consider making a direct and instant impact with your wallet.
You probably know the saying, “kill two birds with one stone.” Well, my spin on that phrase is this:
“Save two birds with one dollar.”
The two birds? The earth for one and exploited BIPOC prisoners for another.
The dollar? Your own. Shop local, sustainable, eco-friendly, and small.
Here are some ways to shop responsibly without supporting prison labor for items that both benefit the planet and the human condition in the long run:
Best Eco-Friendly Stain Remover Spray Ever
25+ Easy Ways To Have A Plastic-Free July
Everything You Need To Know About Reusable Sandwich Bags
My Top Picks For Eco-Friendly Amazon Prime Shopping
Best Organic and Eco-Friendly Baby Products
5+ Affordable And Eco-Friendly Back To School Buys
Do you know of an eco-friendly company that is outspoken against prison labor exploitation but not listed here? Please let me know in the comments below!
