What is Buy Better Stories?
Buy Better Stories is a community-run directory for people who care where their money goes. At its heart is a growing catalog of businesses worth buying from: companies doing work we think deserves support, recommended by people who’ve taken up their cause.
Why it exists
Our world is designed to make spending effortless through frictionless habits: subscriptions, algorithmic recommendations, one-click buying… We’ve all experienced it. But when we operate this way, we lose our awareness of the human effort — and often exploitation — that’s behind the products we own. Somebody grew or mined the raw material, somebody sewed or assembled the thing itself, and somebody transported it to you. We don’t usually think about any of them, and that isn’t really our fault — the system keeps those people out of view.
And what’s even harder is that most of us don’t have the time or energy to do the hours of research it takes to vet companies for responsible, fair and sustainable practices. It’s taxing to sift through reviews and certifications and supply chain reports, and let’s be real – many of us don’t even know where to start!
That’s why Buy Better Stories exists: to make it easier for you to choose better. We feature businesses that not only exemplify fair and ethical practices, but many that go several steps further, to create real, meaningful change in the lives of overlooked or marginalized people (you can read more about the Areas of Impact we feature here).
Whether you’re an experienced conscious consumer or are just starting to take notice of your purchasing habits, we’re here to support your journey towards buying better. And it’s not just about our individual efforts: researchers who study social movements have found that once around 3.5% of a population commits to something, the rest tends to follow. We hope to inspire others to join the movement to collectively reach that 3.5%.
How it works
Anyone is welcome to add a brand to the directory, and every submission is reviewed and published manually. We’re looking for businesses that can show something concrete: fair wages, mission-first practices, worker ownership, a certification, a sustainable supply chain, etc. It’s become too easy to say the right things, so we look for evidence that companies are truly walking the walk.
For more information about submitting a brand, please check out our FAQs.
Add a brand you love
It only takes a few minutes, and someone out there will be grateful you did.
