Ethical Consumer

Last updated
Ethical Consumer Magazine
FrequencyBi-monthly
FounderRob Harrison and Jane Turner
Founded1989
CompanyEthical Consumer Research Association
Country UK
Based in Manchester, England
LanguageEnglish
Website www.ethicalconsumer.org
ISSN 0955-8608

Ethical Consumer Research Association Ltd (ECRA) is a British not-for-profit publisher, research, political, and campaign organisation which publishes information on the social, ethical and environmental behaviour of companies and governments and issues around trade justice and ethical consumption. [1] It was founded in 1989 by Rob Harrison and Jane Turner [2] [3] [4] and has been publishing the bi-monthly Ethical Consumer Magazine since. [1] Its office is in Manchester. [1]

Contents

History

Ethical Consumer was formed in Hulme, Manchester, UK, in 1989. Between 1989 and 2009 it was a worker co-operative, [1] then in 2009 became a not-for-profit multi-stakeholder co-operative consisting of worker members and investor/subscriber members. [5] It is an industrial and provident society. [6]

Company research and ratings

Ethical Consumer researches the social, ethical and environmental records of companies, [1] using media reporting, NGO reports, corporate communications and primary research.

Consumer publishing

It publishes a bi-monthly print magazine, Ethical Consumer Magazine, sold via subscription, shops and newsstands, and a consumer website which is partly subscription based. This includes analysis of company and product ethics [1] [7] by sector including: Banking Sector, Energy Industry, Fashion, Food & drink, Home & Garden, Supermarkets, Technology and Transport. Some of the causes it supports are more contentious, such as the BDS movement. [8]

It produces reports on products and companies, and lists current boycotts. [1] It also produces the annual UK Ethical Consumer Markets Report [9] in conjunction (2019) with The Co-operative Bank.

Campaigning

Ethical Consumer runs consumer oriented campaigns, including a boycott against Amazon.com, Inc. for its use of tax avoidance. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Consultancy work

Ethical Consumer also undertakes consultancy, research and ethical company screenings, [14] primarily for NGOs and third sector clients.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H&M</span> Swedish multinational clothing retail company

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB, also known as H&M Group, is a multinational clothing company based in Sweden that focuses on fast-fashion clothing. As of 23 June 2022, H&M Group operated in 75 geographical markets with 4,801 stores under the various company brands, with 107,375 full-time equivalent positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corporate social responsibility</span> Form of corporate self-regulation aimed at contributing to social or charitable goals

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) or corporate social impact is a form of international private business self-regulation which aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature by engaging in, with, or supporting professional service volunteering through pro bono programs, community development, administering monetary grants to non-profit organizations for the public benefit, or to conduct ethically oriented business and investment practices. While once it was possible to describe CSR as an internal organizational policy or a corporate ethic strategy similar to what is now known today as Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG); that time has passed as various companies have pledged to go beyond that or have been mandated or incentivized by governments to have a better impact on the surrounding community. In addition national and international standards, laws, and business models have been developed to facilitate and incentivize this phenomenon. Various organizations have used their authority to push it beyond individual or even industry-wide initiatives. In contrast, it has been considered a form of corporate self-regulation for some time, over the last decade or so it has moved considerably from voluntary decisions at the level of individual organizations to mandatory schemes at regional, national, and international levels. Moreover, scholars and firms are using the term "creating shared value", an extension of corporate social responsibility, to explain ways of doing business in a socially responsible way while making profits.

Ethical consumerism is a type of consumer activism based on the concept of dollar voting. People practice it by buying ethically made products that support small-scale manufacturers or local artisans and protect animals and the environment, while boycotting products that exploit children as workers, are tested on animals, or damage the environment.

People & Planet is a network of student campaign groups in the UK. It is "the largest student campaigning organisation in the country campaigning to alleviate world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Co-operative Bank</span> Retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom

The Co-operative Bank plc is a retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom, with its headquarters in Balloon Street, Manchester. Established as a bank for co-operators and co-operatives following the principles of the Rochdale Pioneers the business evolved over the twentieth century into a mid sized British high street bank operating throughout the UK mainland. Transactions took place at cash desks in co-op stores until the 1960s, when the bank set up a small network of branches that grew from 6 to a high of 160. Branches for residents of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands were closed in the 2010s during a significant rescaling exercise. As of 2023 it has 50 branches in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War on Want</span> Anti-poverty charity

War on Want is an anti-poverty charity based in London. War on Want works to challenge the root causes of poverty, inequality and injustice through partnership with social movements in the global South and campaigns in the UK. War on Want's slogan is "poverty is political" and its stated focus is on the root causes of poverty rather than its effects.

<i>New Internationalist</i> British independent periodical

New Internationalist (NI) is an international publisher and left-wing magazine based in Oxford, England, owned by a multi-stakeholder co-operative and run day to day as a worker-run co-operative with a non-hierarchical structure. Known for its strong editorial and environmental policies, and its bi-monthly independent magazine, it describes itself as existing to "cover stories the mainstream media sidestep and provide alternative perspectives on today's global critical issues." It covers social and environmental issues through its magazine, books and digital platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Co-operative Group</span> British group of retail businesses

The Co-operative Group Limited, trading as Co-op and formerly known as the Co-operative Wholesale Society, is a British consumer co-operative with a group of retail businesses including grocery retail and wholesale, legal services, funerals and insurance retailing.

The United Kingdom is home to a widespread and diverse co-operative movement, with over 7,000 registered co-operatives owned by 17 million individual members and which contribute £34bn a year to the British economy. Modern co-operation started with the Rochdale Pioneers' shop in the northern English town of Rochdale in 1844, though the history of co-operation in Britain can be traced back to before 1800. The British co-operative movement is most commonly associated with The Co-operative brand which has been adopted by several large consumers' co-operative societies; however, there are many thousands of registered co-operative businesses operating in the UK. Alongside these consumers' co-operatives, there exist many prominent agricultural co-operatives (621), co-operative housing providers (619), health and social care cooperatives (111), cooperative schools (834), retail co-operatives, co-operatively run community energy projects, football supporters' trusts, credit unions, and worker-owned businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lush (company)</span> British cosmetics company

Lush Retail Ltd. is a British cosmetics retailer which is headquartered in Poole, Dorset, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1995 by trichologist Mark Constantine, his wife Mo Constantine and five other founders.

A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict some economic loss on the target, or to indicate a moral outrage, usually to try to compel the target to alter an objectionable behavior.

Equal Exchange Trading is a UK-based alternative trading organization. Equal Exchange is a worker's cooperative distributing food and beverage products in the independent natural food sector. The organization's origins stretch back to 1979 "when three voluntary workers returned to Edinburgh after working on aid projects in various parts of Africa."

Integrity management consulting is an emerging sector of consultancy that advises individuals and corporations on how to apply the highest ethical standards to every aspect of their business. Integrity within a corporate set-up is a holistic approach that makes prudent and ethical decisions in finance and other areas, including operations, marketing, human resources and manufacturing. At the core of integrity management is the belief that companies have a strong interest and responsibility to act with integrity at all times.

Tourism Concern was a British NGO, advocating ethical tourism through campaigning and educating the tourism industry and travelling public. It closed in September 2018. Its members and staff worked to highlight global tourism's negative impacts and potential solutions, believing that host communities should truly benefit, not suffer, from tourism development. Its web and print archives held by Warwick University document the scope of its work over thirty years. Stated aims were 'to increase understanding of the impact of tourism on environments and host communities among governments, industry, civil society and tourists; and to promote tourism development that is sustainable, just and participatory, and which is founded on a respect for human rights.'

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions</span> Palestinian-led movement demanding international sanctions against Israel

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations under international law, defined as withdrawal from the occupied territories, removal of the separation barrier in the West Bank, full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and "respecting, protecting, and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties". The movement is organized and coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee.

Social accounting is the process of communicating the social and environmental effects of organizations' economic actions to particular interest groups within society and to society at large. Social Accounting is different from public interest accounting as well as from critical accounting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boycotts of Israel</span> Aspect of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Boycotts of Israel are the refusal and calls to refusal of having commercial or social dealings with Israel in order to influence Israel's practices and policies by means of using economic pressure. The specific objective of Israel boycotts varies; the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement calls for boycotts of Israel "until it meets its obligations under international law", and the purpose of the Arab League's boycott of Israel was to prevent Arab states and others to contribute to Israel's economy. Israel believes that boycotts against it are antisemitic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Fundraising Consultancy</span>

The International Fundraising Consultancy. is a global management, communication and fundraising consultancy for civil society, with offices in London, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Kiev, Singapore, Lima and New York.

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is a UK-based independent body founded on 9 June 1998, which brings together companies, trade unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure compliance with international labour standards in the global supply chains of member companies. Minimum ethical standards are set out in the ETI Base Code.

The Customer Union for Ethical Banking is a United Kingdom consumer organisation campaigning for The Co-operative Bank to maintain and strengthen its ethical standards and return to co-operative ownership in the future. It has also played a part in pressuring the leadership of the bank to implement external auditors for its annual values and ethics report. It has over 10,000 registered supporters among the bank's customers, as well as 1,200 paying members.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Toynbee, Polly (18 December 1996). "Why the green shopper is not being properly served". The Independent . Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  2. "How can you shop with a conscience?". BBC News . 5 October 1999. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  3. Shanta Barley (14 September 2010). "Vote for your unsung green hero". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  4. Tim Hunt (June 2010). "Workers of the world, co-operate!". RedPepper.org. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  5. Boyle, Dave (2 March 2012). "Fresh Ideas 2 – Good News: A co-operative solution to the media crisis" (PDF). Co-operatives UK . p. 38. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  6. "Annual Review July 2023" (PDF). Ethical Consumer. 26 July 2023. p. 6. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  7. "From loo rolls to fashion: how to spend your cash more ethically". The Guardian. August 15, 2020.
  8. Halbfinger, David M.; Wines, Michael; Erlanger, Steven (July 27, 2019). "Is B.D.S. Anti-Semitic? A Closer Look at the Boycott Israel Campaign" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2019-07-27. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  9. "The rise and rise of ethical shopping". New Internationalist. December 13, 2017.
  10. Thomas, Daniel (October 13, 2020). "Amazon accused of Covid failings as Prime Day begins". BBC News .
  11. Jones, Rupert (November 30, 2013). "Alternatives to Amazon: MPs spread seasonal boycott message". The Guardian . Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  12. Brignall, Miles (October 13, 2020). "UK shoppers urged to shun Amazon Prime Day to support small businesses". The Guardian .
  13. Allen, Katie (December 19, 2012). "'Boycott Amazon' campaign launched". The Bookseller . Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  14. "Consultancy & Research". eldis.org.