How do you decide when something is too expensive? Are you logical, weighing up the benefits you will gain against the effort (work) it will take to pay for it? Or do you lean toward the more impulsive, eager to possess the next 'must have' item. It's hard to get through modern life and always ask the right questions about our choices; in fact, most of the time we don't even get the chance to stop and consider our own motivations. The only way we can get through this complex life is by taking shortcuts – assumptions and guesses based on our previous decisions and experiences. It is one of the reasons why we have come so far as a species – the ability to learn and build on our knowledge. Can you imagine a life where you had to work everything out from scratch every time you did it? We wouldn't have lasted very long! But this has been working against us as our commerce globalizes and the truth is increasingly hidden – so we end up paying manufacturers to destroy the very things we hold dear, and then we donate to charities to fix it!

To me this was the biggest problem facing us and also the key to a simple solution – this information needs to be where we need it, right next to the price. With these new trustworthy shortcuts we can make informed decisions, and also build our own knowledge of the hidden pitfalls of globalization and our shopping focused lifestyles. So we have produced a set of simple, intuitive, visual indicators that will make it easy to see, at a glance, each manufacturer's record on: Human Rights, Environment, Animal Rights, and Corruption. You will always be able to see the complex research behind this at Ethical Consumer. We're also adding a fifth rating to show how long the manufacturer's standard guarantee is; because there really is no excuse for making things that don't last at least five years. Poor quality products have only one purpose – to boost profits; and a short guarantee says that the manufacturer doesn't have faith in their own products. They aren't worried that this makes your life more expensive, let alone that it destroys the planet and its life. Then there are the direct costs to you of owning and using modern products – the toxins you encounter every day in the most unexpected places like your headphones, erasers, and pencils. We will be working closely with CHEM Trust to help you recognize and avoid some of the worst of them. Spaice is about exposing the secrets; bringing you the truth so corporations have to earn your trust by respecting you and your values. We want to be part of a moral world, not one where profit and greed are supreme, and hope you will join us. So follow our blog by subscribing to our RSS or email feed and contribute your thoughts below.  And don’t forget to share this post and follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@SocialSpaice)! Speak to you soon, Vipul