Ethical Consumer Manifesto for Change

Buying ethically is just one part of the movement towards a more just and sustainable society.

Ethical consumerism is about more than life-style choices - it is also about challenging corporate power and improving government regulation.

It's about being an activist at the checkout but also in the home, the work place and the community.

In 2001, we drew up a detailed manifesto showing what we thought were the most urgent issues we as a society need to address. It covers a broad range of topics from tax avoidance to animal welfare. It reflects the broad research that we carry out everyday and the issues that we feel most passionately about.

This manifesto is not the limit of our aspirations, just the start of a much wider process to put power in the hands of individuals and communities.

Ten key demands:

• A Responsible Purchasing Act requiring all public sector institutions to take stated ethical issues into account when making procurement decisions.

• Compulsory annual social and environmental reporting by all businesses.

• Socially responsible consumption, and its history and diversity, should be required learning as part of the core curriculum.

• A 'Tobin Tax' on international currency speculation.

• A Europe-wide toxics release inventory accessible from an open access website on the US model.

• Mandatory carbon-footprint labelling and A-E energy consumption labelling on all products.

• Any company group with subsidiary companies located in specified tax havens should be refused permission to trade.

• Higher minimum standards for farm animal welfare for both home-produced and imported animal products.

• Companies should be required to report annually on the ratio between their highest and lowest paid workers.