“We’ve had psychologists who specialize in organizational development tell us that Patagonia has a far above average number of very independent-minded employees. In fact our employees are so independent, we’re told, that they would be considered unemployable in a typical company.”

Anyways, another link I thought you might like is http://www.storyofstuff.com/
It talks about what goes into the “product” and the whole life cycle of it.

Emily’s point is a good one too. Labels aren’t enough. They’ll put what ever they want on there if they can.

Another step to take is to look at going local.
Supporting local shops, farms, etc. is another step towards freeing ourselves from these corporate giants that don’t care about us or their employees.

Anyways, keep up the good work.

If you are heading towards “free-range” or ethical reasons, I would advise you to look further into the label before basing your purchases on that claim alone. Free-range is not a regulated label and has no official meaning. Birds labeled “free-range” are not necessarily raised on pasture, and can spend their entire lives in a building with occasional “access” to the outdoors.

If you aren’t able to visit the farm yourself, look for “pasture-raised” or “Animal Welfare Approved.” Pasture-raised is not regulated, but Animal Welfare Approved is. In fact it is the only pasture-based welfare certification available. For more information and some great resources, visit (www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org). Thanks for writing.

Also I know the main area 20% time is considered ineffective is in call centers. Don’t know what to do about that one. I’m also delightfully imperfect.