The Proper Standard - a new moral framework for consumption
How can we live with integrity when we can't see the consequences of our choices? What if transparency was the dominant cultural protocol? How do we turn opacity from normal into unacceptable?
We are drowning in opacity. Despite a flood of "sustainable" and "ethical" labels, most products pass through dozens of hidden hands. We rarely know who made any of the items we consume, how the laborers were treated, or what the ecological cost was. This isn't just an information problem. It's a moral crisis. It's improper.
What if we made visibility the moral baseline?
Introducing the Proper Standard:
If it is visible, it is Proper. If it is hidden, it is Improper.
How can we live with integrity when we can't see the consequences of our choices?
The Ancient Wisdom of Transparent Consumption
For centuries, kosher and halal traditions have provided people with clear, community-based moral frameworks for consumption. With a simple question—"Is it kosher?" or "Is it halal?"—adherents can instantly know whether something aligns with their values. These are not casual preferences but moral ecosystems, upheld through shared meals, transgenerational wisdom, and collective practice.
For those unfamiliar (and those who are): these ancient standards determine which foods are permissible to consume—not just personally, but collectively. They embed consumption within relationship: to community, to tradition, to place. They create economic ecosystems of trusted producers, certifiers, and distributors. Their rules often reflect ecological limits—prohibiting harmful mixtures or requiring respectful preparation methods that aligned with local ecological sustainability. Most importantly, they are upheld through shared meals and intergenerational practice via a living, communal ethic.
What if we created a similar standard for our time—one that applies not just to food, but to everything we consume?
The Perennial Right and Proper Standard
The Perennial Right and Proper Standard offers radical but simple moral clarity:
If it is visible, it is Proper. If it is hidden, it is Improper.
Rather than prescribing what values you must hold, Proper insists that all information be visible so you can decide for yourself. It doesn't define right action. It defines right relationship: a relationship based on transparency.
Improper isn’t just incomplete. It’s unjust. It hides the hands of exploitation. It breaks the moral chain that connects human to human, choice to consequence.
When information isn't immediately visible, it must be readily providable upon request. No hidden supply chains. No buried labor practices. No obscured environmental costs.
"Perennial" connects us to timeless values.
"Right" asserts a moral dimension.
"Proper" calls upon cultural standards of acceptability.
The result is a framework as simple and profound as kosher: a binary standard that can be collectively upheld.
"Is it Proper?" becomes the cultural prompt.
A Modular Definition of Proper Transparency
Proper transparency is deliberately designed as a modular system. Each dimension can be independently verified, compared, and implemented. A product may achieve some dimensions of Proper while working toward others—creating multiple pathways toward full transparency. This modularity allows communities to emphasize dimensions most relevant to their values while maintaining the shared foundation of visibility.
A product is fully Right and Proper only when it meets all of these transparency standards (as well as readily provides additional information when transparency gaps are identified):
Supply Chain Proper – Every entity that touched the product is named, from raw material producers to final delivery, with specific locations and processes disclosed.
Labor Proper – Wages, working hours, safety practices, and worker representation are documented for all stages of production.
Ecologically Proper – Energy sources, water usage, chemical inputs, waste streams, carbon footprint, and biodiversity impacts are quantified and contextualized relative to regional ecosystems.
Ownership Proper – The full ownership structure is revealed, including investors, governance mechanisms, and decision-making processes.
Financially Proper – The distribution of profit across the value chain is disclosed, showing what percentage goes to each contributor.
Verification Proper – All claims are verifiable by independent third parties, with raw data made available for scrutiny.
Visibly & Understandably Proper – All information is easily accessed at the moment of decision-making and presented in a way that makes sense. No buried PDFs. No vague dashboards. Impacts are framed in real ecological and social context—not abstract figures, but stories we can act on.
These eight dimensions represent a foundational framework, not an exhaustive list. As communities identify new areas where transparency matters—perhaps such as Temporal Proper (long-term impact disclosure), or Digital Proper (algorithmic transparency)—the framework evolves. The Proper Standard grows through collective practice and emerging needs.
This modular approach allows producers to achieve "Proper" status in stages—perhaps beginning with Supply Chain Proper and Labor Proper before developing full Ecologically Proper transparency, ultimately reaching complete Right and Proper status. It also allows consumers to prioritize dimensions most important to their values and circumstances via a dynamic definition. The framework acknowledges progress while maintaining the ultimate goal of complete visibility across all dimensions.
Isn't this too much information?
Proper doesn’t mean everyone has to read every document—it means the information exists, is accessible, and can be interpreted by trusted communities. Just like kosher or halal, the real power comes from shared standards and trust networks, not solo scrutiny.
In Practice
To discuss this, one might ask, "is the food at the restaurant Proper?" to which one might respond, "Well, it's not Right and Proper, but it's Financially, Ownership, and Labor Proper." "I'm ok with that, but I would rather go to a Right and Proper restaurant."
or,
"I love your shirt! Is it Proper?" "Yep, Right and Proper!" "Where did you get it?"
As more producers adopt Proper standards, this information becomes increasingly accessible—eventually through apps and databases that make transparency checking as simple as scanning a barcode. But the real power isn't in the technology; it's in the cultural shift toward expecting visibility as the default.
Why Simplicity is Power
Most ethical certifications say, "Trust us. This meets our standards."
Proper says: "Here's everything. Decide for yourself."
This flips the power dynamic. Instead of passive trust in abstract labels, consumers reclaim moral agency. Producers can no longer hide behind seals. They must choose: transparency or concealment.
When enough people start asking, "Is it Proper?" the market listens.
Unlike other ethical standards, Proper doesn't compete with existing certifications—it creates the foundation they all require but none deliver. It makes transparency itself the moral baseline rather than a technical achievement. While initiatives like Provenance offer technology to verify claims and the Transparency Pledge requires disclosing factory locations, Proper establishes transparency itself as the moral baseline for all consumption. This shifts from "better information" to a new cultural protocol. No experts decide what's "good enough.” No complex ratings or partial qualifications. Either something is visible or it's hidden. This binary clarity gives it cultural force that convoluted systems lack.
The modular design allows communities to emphasize what matters most to them while maintaining the shared foundation of visibility. Like kosher or halal traditions, it's enforced through community practice rather than centralized verification.
Proper fundamentally challenges the system by making concealment itself the moral problem.
When we say something is "Proper," we're not just making a claim about its ethics. We're affirming our right to see clearly, to know fully, and to choose integrity.
When transparency becomes the cultural default, concealment becomes a competitive disadvantage.
My Green Proper Standard (California Pilot)
To demonstrate Proper in action, I'm piloting Green Proper for California-made clothing:
- Carbon Neutral or Negative
- Zero Pollution (no toxins, microplastics, or persistent chemicals)
- Fair Labor (living wages, dignity, and safety throughout the supply chain)
- Bioregional Alignment (practices that match California's ecosystems)
- Regenerative Impact (restorative, not just sustainable)
I’ll document my evaluations transparently—using existing methods like HowGood (carbon), Fair Trade (labor), and Land to Market (ecological).
But unlike abstract certifications, my full process will be visible: field visits, spreadsheets, doubts, debates. This isn't a verdict. It's an experiment in shared clarity.
For example, I'm currently evaluating modular clothing systems that can adapt as my body changes over time—garments made from durable materials that can be worn in different configurations depending on weather and occasion. Rather than owning dozens of seasonal pieces, I'm seeking a capsule wardrobe of perhaps 10-15 highly versatile items that demonstrate what minimum viable luxury looks like. I imagine a wardrobe where every piece carries the memory of its making—garments stitched not just from thread, but from sunlight, hands, and place. Twelve pieces of clothing that carry the story of soil, labor, and design—woven not just with wool, but with visibility.
This means tracking everything from the merino wool source farms in Northern California through the milling process, to the final assembly of pieces that feel premium while being completely sustainable. I'll document not just the supply chain transparency, but whether it's actually possible to maintain style and comfort with radical simplicity - can 12 beautiful, well-made pieces provide more satisfaction than a closet full of fast fashion? By living this experiment publicly, I'm creating a template for conscious luxury: fewer items, perfect transparency, maximum elegance. This isn't just about finding sustainable clothing; it's about proving that Proper transparency enables a lifestyle that's both sustainable and genuinely luxurious.
While this pilot begins in California, Proper is not American. It is human. Every culture has roots in visible relationships. Proper simply brings that memory to the surface.
From Individual Choice to Community Practice
Ethical apps fail because they isolate us. Proper is meant to be practiced together.
Many of us feel guilt, confusion, or despair at the impossibility of making truly ethical choices. The information just isn't there. We are forced to choose convenience over conscience.
Proper offers release from that despair. It doesn't require perfection. It requires clarity. And that clarity makes space for integrity—even amid imperfection.
Like religious food laws, it thrives through:
- Shared shopping rituals
- Public commitment
- Trust networks
- Community dinners
- Neighborhood "Proper Markets"
Imagine a dinner table where every dish carries a lineage. Every ingredient traceable. Every bite a testament—not to perfection, but to presence. To knowing. To honoring the chain of life behind the plate.
We don't consume what we can't see. That's the rule. And it's enforced not through guilt, but through celebration.
Roadmap for Launch (California Focus)
Use Existing Tech – Sourcemap for supply chain mapping.
Partner with Transparency Leaders – Brands like Dr. Bronner's and Sowly.
Leverage Regional Networks – Regenerative Organic Certified and HowGood.
Create Eco-Specific Standards – Tailored to California's unique water and biodiversity issues.
Gamify It – Rankings for most transparent producers.
Build the Culture – Host markets, dinners, and Proper-only events.
Create APIs – Allow people to track their own transparency impact.
Call to Action
This isn't just a concept or manifesto—it's a prototype for how we might actually live.
I'm starting with clothing in California because it's tangible, local, and I can document every step. But the real question is: what would Proper look like in your community, with your values, around the products that matter most to you?
Maybe it's food in Vermont. Maybe it's furniture in North Carolina. Maybe it's electronics in Austin. The framework adapts, but the principle remains: making visibility the cultural default rather than the exception.
The Proper Standard will only work if diverse communities make it their own. Your network, your region, your specific concerns about consumption—these aren't peripheral details. They're the actual substrate through which transparency becomes culture.
I'll be documenting my California experiment openly, failures included. But the real success will be seeing how this framework evolves in contexts I can't imagine, serving values I don't share, solving transparency problems I haven't encountered.
Proper isn't about perfect products. It's about perfect clarity—the kind we build together, one visible choice at a time.
Are you ready to make the visible choice with me?
An extraordinary goal you have set for yourself. I look forward to watching all this play out.