I think it is a good idea to keep in mind that the lucrative business opportunity here is convincing potential customers that things are much better than they a

I think it is a good idea to keep in mind that the lucrative business opportunity here is convincing potential customers that things are much better than they actually are (at the lowest possible cost), and advertising will be geared to that effect. However, this issue has been going on for hundreds of years. It is still in the US possible to buy products produced in part by slave labor, forced labor, and/or child labor. I do not belive at all that people will make "real change" even without certification. Just the legal standing aspect is a huge reason to prefer certification even if they are entirely false advertising. If you can find one that helps avoid the worst issues meanwhile, then that is even better and can directly impact someone's life today, while leaving plenty of issues left to demand change. It can also be a way to frequently remind people that there is a problem, and anyone who genuinely belives that certifications will fix the issues may be more likely to demand change once they find out that isn't true. On the flip side, people who believe there is nothing at all they can do to make a difference seem highly unlikely to demand change. So, I still think trying to find the best available certifications is one thing that people can do to potentially have a small immediate positive effect and at least establish a ritual around caring and the possibility of legal challenges to force change. I also think it is worth avoiding the wost of the worst companies and supporting politicians and organizations that are working to make larger changes. If you have alternative suggestions, please share. Here is one example that I came across recently about someone using legal standing from certification to force small changes: http://waterandsanitationhealth.com/newsroom/ http://waterandsanitationhealth.com/newsroom/