Look for the Label

The ubiquitous product label, long a trusted source of information about consumer concerns like safety and nutrition, has finally established itself as an effective tool for social and environmental change. Thanks to a relatively recent surge in so-called "eco-labeling" programs, which tag (with independently certified seals of approval) everything from nontoxic paints and locally grown food to responsibly harvested timber, consumers can voice their consciences every time they shop.

The labeling of environmentally friendly or socially responsible products is rooted in the belief that a majority of consumers, given a choice, will buy them. A 1996 nationwide analysis of buyer attitudes about farming and food appears to support that theory. "The Hartman Report: Food and the Environment, A Consumer's Perspective," discovered that 52 percent of the population cares about the environment and the impacts that agricultural practices have on it. In a dollar-driven marketplace, that's a figure that producers--many of whom traditionally list the environment among the least of their concerns--can't afford to overlook.

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