There’s a sea of shopping apps out there to make you a more streamlined, savvy consumer. Coupon generators, barcode scanners, deal finders, list makers, price checkers, parking finders….But there’s a great little app out there that enables you to be the most important kind of shopper–a conscientious one.
Created by the non-profit organization Fair Trade USA, the Fair Trade Finder app lets you search for ethically made products in your area, and gives you the buying power to support companies that use environmentally sound practices and fair honest wages for the farmers and workers that make and grow those products.
The app opens up with a map which pinpoints items by location. It gives you the name and address of the store, and which fair trade products they sell. Search for categories from clothing to honey to a fair trade cup of coffee.
While big cities like Baltimore and DC have plenty of options, I have to admit I was disappointed to see that the fair trade options in my area were pretty slim. Yes, I’m aware that my local gas station carries Honest Tea. But I did discover an unknown coffee shop that carries fair trade brews. And it’s right around the corner from the girls’ piano lessons.Being new on the market, the app also depends on its users adding their own fair trade finds to the maps, and it will get better the more you contribute to it. While I’m all for finding a good deal, or comparison shopping on-the-go, I’m glad to find an app that shows me the smartest places to spend my dollars with the most impact. -Molly
Download the Fair Trade Finder app–available for iPhone, Android or Facebook.
