25th February 2004
15 YEARS OF ETHICAL CONSUMERISM
The "Alternative Which?" comes of age
At a time when many big-budget titles are struggling to overcome the recession that has beset the publishing industry in recent years, it seems that the UK’s alternative press is thriving. Last Spring, the veteran current affairs magazine New Internationalist celebrated its 30th anniversary. And on 7th March this year, the caring consumers’ alternative to Which?, Ethical Consumer, will be 15 years old.
Ethical Consumer has carved out a niche by providing an ethical audit of popular consumer products - from baked beans to cars - to reveal the sordid secrets behind well-known household names. A recent report on mobile phones focused on several popular brands’ links to the arms trade – one company, Sagem, had boasted about its profits from “the global war on terrorism” in its annual report.1 Other articles have rated high street clothing retailers on their workers’ rights records and looked at corporate sponsorship in schools. Like the Consumers’ Association’s Which? magazine, Ethical Consumer features comparative product tables, which provide a handy reference source to shoppers wanting to discern the recommended ‘best buys’ at a glance. But rather than rating products on their design and durability, it advises shoppers who don’t want their money to fund unsavoury activities such as environmental destruction or animal cruelty. The magazine’s editor and co-founder, Rob Harrison, thinks its success highlights the lack of information available to consumers who want to avoid buying from socially irresponsible companies. “Ethical Consumer grew out of the anti-apartheid boycotts of the late 1980s. When I went shopping, I wanted to know which brands were being made by companies with interests in South Africa, but I couldn’t find the information anywhere.”
Much has changed since Ethical Consumer was first launched in 1989 from a Manchester council flat. At that time, issues such as global warming and the testing of cosmetics on animals were beginning to prick the public conscience. Today, supermarket aisles are awash with organic produce and stores have responded positively to the public’s rejection of GM foods. Most shoppers are now aware of the existence of Fairtrade coffee and chocolate. However, consumers still lack information when looking for ethical products. New research from the Social Market Foundation (SMF)2 think tank shows that 82% of consumers prefer to purchase goods and services from companies that are socially and environmentally responsible, including 23% who would choose to do so even if the ethical option is more expensive. However, the vast majority are unable to put that principle into practice due to a lack of clear and credible information about the ethical practices of companies. Only 2% of shoppers say they mostly have enough information to judge the ethical position of companies whilst 73% say they lack such information most of the time. Beth Breeze, deputy director of SMF, says, “Most people want to reward responsible companies with their custom but are largely unable to act on that wish because they lack the information to make ethical judgements.”
Several other magazines promoting sustainable consumerism have recently appeared; these include New Consumer, a project of the Big Issue Scotland, and Ergo, which was recently taken into the hands of John Brown Citrus Publishing. These titles play on the ‘feelgood’ factor of purchasing fairly-traded products, telling you where to find a Fairtrade fruitbowl or ethnic duvet cover, but offer less constructive advice to the would-be ethical shopper who is unaware that their favourite brand of veggie burgers is owned by Nestlé.3 Ethical Consumer’s approach differs in that it roots out the uneasy ethical dilemmas lurking behind even the most innocuous-sounding products. In times when multinationals hire PR agencies to confuse shoppers with sophisticated “greenwash,” it seems that magazines such as Ethical Consumer are needed if consumer interest in the impact of the products they buy is to translate into action. Beth Breeze adds, “Consumers don’t have the time or the resources to research the social and environmental impacts of every company whose products catch their eye… We are now a nation of willing but unable ethical consumers.”
References:
1. Sagem annual report 2002.
2. Tobias Webb, Ethical Corporation Magazine, 20 August 2003
3. ‘Vegging out’, Lauren Steadman, Ethical Consumer magazine, issue 85, October/November 2003
Ethical Consumer...
is the UK's leading alternative consumer organization
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maintains the most comprehensive database of corporate ethics in the world - tracking over 30,000 companies, compiled over 20 years, updated daily by dedicated researchers
Ethical Consumer's unique ethiscore system rates companies on their social, ethical and environmental performance. Companies are rated in over twenty categories across four main headings - Environment, Human rights, Animal rights, Politics. Products are then rated for their positive ethical and sustainability features.
For more information on the ethiscore rating system click here.