Below, we have set out in detail the way in which we award marks in each category.
Go straight to category definitions
The Table
The table is intended to show, at-a-glance, which companies own which
brands and what sort of activities they are involved in.
Brand Names
Within the Buyers’ Guides we attempt to profile the brands
which together hold the majority of the market share. However,
due to space limitations, short buyers’ guides usually have
a maximum of around 12 brands, while longer buyers’ guides
are limited to around 25.
Marks
Large circles represent the worst level of involvement in that
category, smaller circles a lesser degree and a blank space indicates
that we have found no criticisms. If these marks appear shaded
this indicates they belong to related companies. For example,
if a pension company has an investment in an Arms company it will
receive a shaded mark in that category. Fully referenced abstracts
detailing exactly why each mark was awarded, appear in the ‘Research
Supplement’, a separate publication available from EC.
Company Group
In this column we list the ultimate holding company (UHC) ie the
top level of corporate ownership, which may often differ from
the brand owner. For instance, the Silver Spoon brand name is
owned by British Sugar, but British Sugar is owned by a holding
company called Wittington Investments. This is therefore the UHC
and appears in this column. It is important to note that the marks
on the table represent those of the company group as a whole,
so where Silver Spoon is listed on the table the marks refer not
just to Silver Spoon but to Wittington and/or other companies
owned by Wittington Investments. The exception to this is under
the "Environmental Reporting" category where marks can
refer to the specific subsidiary's environment report. When one
company buys another, the new company is deemed to have inherited
the past record of the other, unless there is clear evidence that
the take-over has seen a change in policy and practice.
Best Buys
The Best Buy advice is a summary of the report. Best Buy brands
have the lowest social and environmental impacts and are made
by the companies with the cleanest records. We recommend an overall
Best Buy, and a ‘best of the widely available brands’
in acknowledgement that the smaller brands are often harder to
obtain. Best Buy brands are highlighted on the table as well as
in their own box in the report.
Our Research
For over a decade EC has been creating a database of ethically-related
data on companies. We now have around 50,000 abstracts on nearly
20,000 companies. Our information sources are international. We
reference publications from campaign groups like Friends of the
Earth, commercial directories on the defence and nuclear industries
and public records on pollution prosecutions and emission levels.
We also request information directly from companies on issues
such as environmental reporting, animal testing policy and codes
of conduct. Individuals or groups can access a version of the
database online: go to www.ethicalconsumer.org to find out more.
Category
Definitions
Within the broad areas of the environment, animals and people
we have a number of categories into which we place criticisms
of companies.
Companies receive marks under the following categories:
Environment - Environmental
Reporting - Pollution - Nuclear
Power - Other
Animals - Animal
Testing - Factory Farming - Other
Animal Rights
People - Oppressive
Regimes - Workers' Rights - Irresponsible
Marketing - Armaments
Extras - Political
Activity - Boycott Call - Genetic
Engineering - Alert
Periodic Columns - Animal
Testing Policy - Code of Conduct
Abbreviations
Environmental Reporting
A large circle indicates that the company or parent company:
i) did not respond to a request by ECRA for a copy of its environmental
policy or report and did not display such a policy or report on its
website, OR
ii) supplied to ECRA or displayed on its website an environmental policy
or report which did not contain quantified future targets for impact
reduction.
A small circle indicates that the company or parent company supplied
to ECRA or displayed on its website an environmental policy or report
which contained quantified future targets but:
i) was not dated within the last two years, OR
ii) failed to demonstrate a reasonable understanding of the company's
main impacts,
OR
iii) was not independently verified.
A blank space indicates that the company or parent company:
i) supplied to ECRA or displayed on its website an environmental policy
or report which
(a) contained specific time and performance targets, and
(b) which demonstrated a reasonable understanding of the company's main
impacts, and
(c) was dated within the last two years, and
(d) was independently verified
OR
ii) is a small business specialising in the supply of products with
low environmental impacts or which are of environmental benefit or which
offer other social benefits.
Pollution & Toxics (only used from Ethical Consumer 101
onwards)
A negative rating in this category indicates that:
a company has been prosecuted or criticised by government or campaign
groups for emissions of toxic or damaging substances into the environment
a company is involved in the manufacture or sale of chemicals or products
containing chemicals which are a cause of concern because of their impacts
on human and animal health and the environment (eg toxic or bioaccumulative
chemicals, ozone depleting chemicals or pesticides and herbicides.)
Pollution (only used up to Ethical Consumer
101)
A large circle indicates that the company has been criticised for specific
instances of pollution of water, air or land. This would include, for
example, prosecutions for exceeding emission consents.
A small circle indicates a lesser degree of involvement relative to
other companies on the table.
Nuclear Power
A large circle indicates that the company is involved in:
i) design, construction, decommissioning, ownership or operation of
nuclear power stations, and/or
ii) nuclear fuel and related equipment - the mining, processing or reprocessing
of uranium; nuclear fuel fabrication; fuel rods etc, and/or
iii) nuclear reactor products and services - such as nuclear reactors,
reactor cores, neutron detectors, control rods, steam generator, and/or
iv) the transport of waste from the nuclear industry, and/or
v) membership of a nuclear power industry association such as British
Nuclear Industry Forum and World Nuclear Association
A small circle indicates that the company is involved in:
i) production of other nuclear related equipment for example monitoring
and testing equipment; electricity and communications cabling, insulation,
seals; temperature and pressure measurement devices; gas and water analysers;
air coolers, compressors, pumps, valves and IT products, and/or
ii) the supply of radioactive waste services such as treatment, handling
and storage.
Climate Change (only used from Ethical Consumer 101 onwards)
Negative ratings in this category indicate that the company has been
criticised for involvement in sectors considered by Ethical Consumer
to contribute significantly to climate change, such as fossil fuels,
aviation, automotives or cement, or that it has been criticised for
having high levels of contribution to climate change emissions, by direct
emissions, through its products or by making misleading claims about
climate change.
Habitats & Resources (only used from Ethical Consumer 101
onwards)
A negative rating in this category indicates that a company has been
criticised for activities which:
destroy or damage the environment, through for example detrimental land
use, destruction of specific habitats or unsustainable resources extraction
and mining, or
deplete biodiversity and natural resources, reducing the ability of
ecosystems to renew themselves and reducing future generations’
access to such resources, for example unsustainable fishing and forestry
or impacting severely on the habitats and lives of endangered species.
Environment Other (only used up
to Ethical Consumer 101)
A large circle indicates that the company has been criticised for other
activities which damage the environment and which are not covered under
Pollution such as:
i) manufacturing products that have been highlighted as being particularly
damaging to the environment such as pesticides, PVC and ozone depleting
chemicals
ii) lobbying against campaigns or measures intended to reduce environmental
impact
iii) involvement in unsustainable forestry practices
iv) involvement in habitat destruction,
v) involvement in the following sectors criticised for their high impact
on climate change: fossil fuels, automobile production, airlines, and
cement production.
A small circle indicates a lesser degree of involvement relative to
other companies on the table.
Animal Testing
A large circle indicates that the company:
i) conducts or commissions tests on animals for non-medical products
or ingredients, OR
ii) sells animal-tested cosmetics, toiletries or household products.
A small circle indicates that the company conducts or commissions tests
on animals for medical products or sells medical products required by
law to have been tested on animals.
Factory Farming
A large circle indicates that the company:
i) is a factory farmer of meat, poultry (broilers and eggs), fish or
fur, OR
ii) manufactures or supplies intensive farming equipment such as battery
cages, beak trimmers, pig crates, OR
iii) supplies breeding stock, OR
iv) sells or processes meat, poultry (broilers and eggs) or fur that
is not labelled as free range or organic
A small circle represents a lesser degree of involvement relative to
the other companies on the table.
Other Animal Rights
A large circle indicates that the company is: i) a farmer of non-intensive
or free range meat, poultry or fish
ii) a slaughterhouse owner or user of slaughterhouse by-products
such as leather and gelatine
iii) involved in the supply of other products requiring the killing
of animals such as fur, skin, and ambergris.
A small circle indicates that the company is:
i) a supplier of animal feedstuffs, OR
ii) is a dairy farmer or egg producer, OR
iii) in involved in the sale or processing of free range meat,
poultry or fish, OR
iv) is involved other activities which lead to the suffering of
animals such as zoos and circuses and the production of musk and
civet.
Oppressive Regimes
A company will receive a small circle if it scores up to five points,
and a large circle if it scores six or more.
Operations in any of the following regimes score one point: Afghanistan,
Algeria, Belarus, Brazil, Burma, Burundi, Central African Republic,
Chad, China, Congo(DRC), Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan,
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Malaysia,
Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Quatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saudi
Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo,
Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.
A company will not receive a mark in this column if all its products
sourced from these regimes are marketed as fair trade.
Workers’ Rights
A large circle or small circle represents criticism of the company or
its suppliers for infringement of workers’ rights, which includes:
intimidation of workers by management; use of forced or slave labour;
payment of wages below a level which is adequate to live on; a working
week of over 48 hours; forced and/or excessive overtime; exploitative
use of child labour; denial of the right to associate, form unions or
bargain collectively; discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, sexuality
or creed; the provision of inadequate or dangerous working conditions.
Irresponsible Marketing
A large circle indicates marketing of products in a way that has been
criticised for causing severe physical harm.
A small circle indicates marketing of products in a way that has been
criticised as being detrimental to health.
Armaments
A large circle represents involvement in the manufacture or supply of
nuclear or conventional weapons including: ships, tanks, armoured vehicles
and aircraft; weapons systems components; systems aiding the launch,
guidance, delivery or deployment of missiles; fuel; computing; communications
services.
A small circle represents the manufacture or supply of non-strategic
parts for the military, not including food and drink.
Political Activity
A large circle indicates that the company has made a donation of £50,000
or more to a political party, either direct or indirect or in ‘soft
money,’ in the last five years, or has membership of 3 or more
lobby groups, or has directly lobbied governments or supranational institutions
on trade liberalisation issues.
A small circle indicates membership of 2 or less lobby groups, or a
donation of less than £50,000 to political parties in the last
5 years, or secondment of staff to political parties, governments or
supranational institutions.
A lobby group is defined as a corporate lobby group which lobbies for
free trade at the expense of the environment, animal welfare, human
rights or health protection. A current list of such groups includes:
l American Chamber of Commerce/AMCHAM-EU l Bilderberg Group
l Business Action for Sustainable Development l Business Round Table
l European Round Table of Industrialists l European Services Forum l
International Chamber of Commerce l Transatlantic Business Dialogue
l Trilateral Commission l US Coalition of Service Industries l World
Business Council for Sustainable Development
l World Economic Forum
Boycott Call
A large circle indicates that a boycott of the brand name featured in
the report has been called somewhere in the world or a boycott of the
entire company group has been called.
A small circle indicates that a boycott of one of the parent company’s
subsidiaries or brands has been called somewhere in the world.
Genetic Engineering
A large circle indicates involvement in:
i) the non-medical genetic modification of plants or animals, and/or
ii) gene patenting, and/or
iii) xenotransplantation.
A small circle indicates:
i) the manufacture or sale of non-medical products involving or containing
genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and/or
ii) the manufacture or sale of non-medical products likely to contain
GMOs and the lack of a clear company group-wide GMO free policy, and/or
iii) public statements in favour of the use of GMOs in non-medical products.
iv) the development or marketing of medical procedures or products involving
genetic modification, which have been criticised on ethical grounds.
Anti-social Finance
Negative ratings in this category indicate that a company has been criticised
for activities likely to impact negatively on economic well-being and
sustainability, especially that of the poorest countries or sectors
of society. Such criticisms include:
This column contains extra information which is not usually applicable to enough companies for it to warrant its own column. A mark in this column will always be explained in the company profiles section of the product report.
A large circle will indicate involvement in one or more of the following:
i) human rights abuses, through any of the following:
a) the use of its equipment, staff or facilities in perpetrating human rights abuses
b) human rights abuses perpetrated by security forces associated with a company’s operations
c) involvement in projects that have proven links with human rights abuses
d) collaboration with a government and/or military in perpetrating human rights abuses
e) allegations of human rights abuses by company staff
ii) land rights abuses; specific instances where indigenous peoples have been or may be removed from their land, or whose livelihoods may be threatened, to facilitate corporate operations (either extant or planned)
iii) involvement in pornography: where companies produce, print, publish or distribute material classed as pornographic, including ‘adult entertainment’ TV stations.
Pornography is defined as material that combines sex and/or nudity with abuse or degradation in a manner that appears to endorse, condone or encourage such behaviour. This is contrasted with erotica, defined as sexually suggestive or arousing material that is free of sexism, racism and homophobia and is respectful of all human beings portrayed. It also excludes sex education and sexual health information materials of an explicit nature.
iv) involvement in Third World debt
A small circle will indicate involvement in one or more of the following:
a) excessive directors’ remuneration (where any director is paid more than £1m in any one year)
b) subsidiaries in tax havens
Initially these columns will appear only in reviews of those industries
where they are likely to provide meaningful comparative data for consumers
e.g. cosmetics, toiletries and clothing.
Animal testing policy
A large circle indicates that the company or parent company has no written
animal testing policy statement, or did not reply to our request for
a copy of one, or sent us a policy with standards less stringent than
those required for a half mark.
A small circle indicates that the company or parent company has a policy
of not testing products or ingredients on animals, and of not commissioning
such tests but does not have a fixed cut-off date (i.e. a specific date
set by the company after which it will not use any new ingredients tested
on animals).
A blank space indicates that the company or parent company has a ‘no
animal testing policy’ for products and ingredients with a fixed
cut-off date.
Code of Conduct
A large circle indicates that the company or parent company has
no code of conduct for workers’ rights at its supplier companies
or did not reply to our request for a copy of one.
A small circle indicates that the company or parent company has
demonstrated to ECRA or other campaign groups a Code of Conduct
for protection of workers’ rights.
A blank space indicates that the company or parent company has
demonstrated to ECRA or other campaign groups a Code of Conduct
for workers’ rights AND effective procedures for independent
monitoring of that code. A company will also receive a clear rating
if all its products are labelled and certified as fair trade,
or if it is a smaller company which can show an effective if not
necessarily explicit policy addressing workers rights at supplier
companies.
