Better Big Box Choices
STALKING THE BETTER BIG BOX
Nothing is ever simple - especially when it comes to ranking
best choices in Big Retail. Is a livable wage your top concern?
Or are environmental standards your make-or-break issue? The
world of Big Retail is a shifting landscape that can change
with the latest news cycle, your own priorities or a fresh
source.
Take the Gap. It's one of only three U.S.
retailers to make the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for social,
economic and environmental issues - yet both Global Exchange
and Responsible Shopper have for years given Gap poor marks
for using sweatshop labor. Now a new report from Interfaith
Center on Corporate Responsibility praises the Gap for taking
the lead on sweatshops with a new policy to evaluate suppliers'
compliance with the company's code of conduct. Good Gap? Bad
Gap? No wonder your head is spinning.
Bottom line: your local economy is always better off when
you shop locally! But if you must go big, here are some better
bets.
Costco/Price Club: The Ben & Jerry's
of the big-box world? CEO James Sinegal offers the best wages
and benefits in retail (full-time hourly workers make $40,000
after four years) and caps store markups at 14%. Customers
get blanket permission for returns: no receipts; no questions;
no time limits. Costco's board is developing a policy to consider
and incorporate social and environmental factors in store
site selection process, due this July. The company also has
a non-discrimination policy and provides health benefits for
domestic partners regardless of gender. For more, see http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_15/b3878084_mz021.htm
HEB Grocery/Central Market: Since the 1930s,
this Texas original has donated 5 percent of its pre-tax income
to public and charitable programs, one of the few U.S. companies
to give at such a level. The grocery chain also boasts its
own Environmental Affairs Department and has been recognized
for its commitment to water conservation, recycling, green
building and air quality.
Home Depot: One of only three U.S. retailers
to make the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for social,
environmental and economic issues. But note, this list is
just for the humongous: only the biggest 2,500 companies in
the Dow Jones World Index were eligible for consideration.
Gap/Old Navy: Like its pricer parent Gap,
Old Navy also gets high marks on the Dow Jones Sustainability
Index (DJSI) for social, economic and environmental issues.
Office Depot: The top-ranked U.S. retailer
on the DJSI list - get your recycled legal pads here.
Target: Like all U.S. clothing retailers,
Target gets a cautionary mark for sweatshop use, but ranks
high in charitable contributions, giving back over $2 million
per week to local communities.
Walgreen's: Big drug chain gets a green
light from Coop America's Responsible Shopper.
Whole Foods Market: Business Ethics magazine
has ranked Austin's homegrown grocer as one of its 100 Best
Corporate Citizens for five years running, and Responsible
Shopper gives it a green light, too. But frustrated labor
organizers will disagree, citing WF's staunch anti-union tactics.
For more information on responsible shopping, see these links.
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
http://www.icr.org
Dow Jones Sustainability Index
http://www.sustainability-indexes.com/htmle/assessment/DJSI_World_isectoroverviews_new.html
Responsible Shopper
/http://www.responsibleshopper.org/
Coop America
http://www.coopamerica.org/
Business Ethics Magazine
http://www.business-ethics.com/
Got a tip on a responsible retailer? Or one who belongs in
our Hall of Shame? Email us details and sources at austinfullcircle.org
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