This is a buyers' guide from Ethical Consumer, the UK's leading alternative consumer organisation. Since 1989 we've been researching and recording the social and environmental records of companies, and making the results available to you in a simple format.
This mini-report includes:
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Score Ratings
Our ratings are live updated scores from our primary research database. They are based on primary and secondary research across 19 categories. Find out more about our ethical ratings.
Score table
The score table shows simple numerical ratings for each product.
Move the sliders to customise these scores.
Click on a product name to see the stories behind the score (subscribers only).
Full Scorecard
The Full Scorecard shows the 'black marks' for each product, by each of the 19 categories. The bigger the mark, the worse the score. So for example a big black circle under 'Worker Rights' shows that the company making this product has been severely criticised for worker abuses.
The Full Scorecard is only available to subscribers. Click on the More Detail link at the top of the score table to access it.
Customising Rating Scores
Move the sliders to change the weighting given to each category. You can open up each of the 5 main categories by clicking on the + sign. This way you can compare products according to what's ethically important to YOU.
Saving Your Customised Weightings
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Stories and Data behind the scores
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The Tra'fo Organic, Pipers and Yorkshire Crisps brands come out best.
Of the more widely available brands, Seabrook comes out best. All its crisps are vegetarian.
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The UK crisps market is mainly divided into large companies, often with poor ethical records and low Ethiscores, and small independent producers making 'gourmet' crisps.
Unfortunately, although many of these smaller brands show some awareness of currently high-profile issues such as local sourcing, and sometimes issues such as vegetarianism and GM, engagement with wider impacts and transparency about environmental measures is poor.
In particular, no company seemed to be seriously considering the issue of packaging.
The best scoring brands come from local producers like Pipers and Yorkshire Crisps and organic company Faan Zuidhorn (Tra'fo brand).