Kate Hall: Ensuring the brands you buy are sustainable and ethical

It can be hard these days to know if you’re buying from ethical sources, with drop shipping, exploitation, and cheap labour all common in the business world.

Kate Hall has cultivated a list of questions to ask brands before you give them your hard earned dollar, and, if you don’t have time to do it yourself, her Ethical Directory is filled with brands she’s already vetted.

Questions

Where are all your products/materials sourced from and how are they produced?
(details of each material type if there are multiple)? - E.g. countries, certifications, including swing tags, packaging etc.

Where do your products end up at the end of their life?
How can they be recycled and kept in the resource loop?

How are your products shipped to customers?
e.g. packaging and carbon neutral shipping.

What is the NZ shipping cost
& where in the world do you ship?

Who makes your products?
(as specific as possible please)

How do you ensure
the people who make your products are paid a fair wage?

Aside from the people who make your products,
Tell me about your team culture and how your head office/staff are treated. E.g. living wages, bonuses, staff wellbeing.

What do you do with
returns/samples/unsellable items?

How do you foster diversity and equity in your business?
practical examples please. e.g. diversity of models/staff etc.

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