Give That Company An Oscar

It’s easy to buy products we like, without knowing anything about the companies that produce them. Products that taste good, work well, look attractive, make us feel secure, and are easy to get, usually inspire us to whip out our credit cards. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, some of these companies are better than others at actually being better for us and for the planet.

Life in the Boomer Lane looked at a bunch of positive things that companies can potentially do for employees and for consumers. She did an exhaustive amount of research, primarily while wearing pajamas, staring at her screen, drinking coffee and avoiding going to the gym, in order to bring the following information to you.

A HUGE word of caution: Some of these companies are really great in one or more category, but demonized in others. Amazon, for example, shines in most categories, but is anathema to countless people who recognize that Amazon’s goal of taking over the planet has resulted in their putting countless smaller companies out of business and in holding countless others by the balls. So there. That said, there are categories in life and there are winners. You can think of it as LBL’s own private Academy Awards. And you don’t have to spend hours in front of the TV and watch people wear clothing that cost money that could otherwise be spent on providing health care for developing countries.

Basic Literacy. It’s LBL’s own opinion that companies should offer basic literacy courses for employees. She could find no company that taught employees to read. She did find a lot of companies that offerred employees incentives to read more and a lot of companies that offerred financial literacy (aka: How to get out of debt, which is super important.) Kudos to them. If any of you out there in Reader Land know of companies that teach employees to read, please share.

Employee Benefits. This is a catchall for an endless array of things (company equity, paid time off, employee discounts and rewards, matching 401 contributions, tuition reimbursement, career development training, personal development training, health benefits, health insurance, mental health services, work from home option, child care, and on and on and on.) Drum roll. And the winners (that you have actually heard of, since many are wonky IT companies and start ups) are: American Express, Target, Uber, Adobe, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon, Starbucks.

Charity. The list makes no distinction between smaller companies and large companies that have more money. It’s simply based on the dollars. Drum roll. And the winners are: Microsoft, Pfizer, Coca Cola, Google, Disney, Verizon, Alaska Air, Home Depot, Walmart, Bank of America, GE, General Mills, Best Buy, BP, Starbucks.

Eco-Friendly. This category includes the use of sustainable materials and of production methods that do the least damage to the environment. Drum roll. And the winners are Lenovo, Toyota, HP, Tesla, Unilever.

And last, LBL wants to include some companies that have been singled out for bad behavior. Many have been complicit in supporting Israel’s continued development of Palestinian terrority. Drum roll. And the winners in that category are Disney, Expedia, Booking.com,Amazon, Barclays, AT&T, MacDonalds, Marriott. (Soda Stream, which had also been cited, closed it’s factory on the West Bank, after complaints.)

Nestles has been cited for selling potentially dangerous infant formula in developing countries. Method and Loriel have been cited for animal testing. Kellogg has been cited for production methods that damage the environment. Starbucks has been cited by LBL in her own special category for burning their beans and for convincing the entire US population that they must drink their product 24/7 and form huge lines to get it, especially at airports.

There you have it. LBL has not identified companies based on their political or religious affiliations or their gun-selling methods or their sucking up to presidential wannabees who are felons, molestors and inciters of violence. She has stayed neutral. Do with the list as you will. And feel free to ignore the tirade about Starbucks. LBL knows she is in a small minority, here.