Before the big Christmas shop check out Ethical Consumer’s new report on supermarkets

The mother of all supermarket shopping trips is coming up. What’s the truth behind the green claims of the big chains? And with credit crunched shoppers turning to the hard discounters (Aldi, Lidl and Netto) what’s the true cost of bargain shopping?

Ethical Consumer has released a new report on the social and environmental records of 19 supermarket and convenience store chains.

The report contains a detailed breakdown of the chains’ environmental reporting – the best rating goes to Co-op, M&S, and, consumers will be surprised to learn, Budgens and Londis (both owned by the Musgrove Group).
Progressive policies on product sourcing are reviewed - from animal welfare to timber sourcing – with Waitrose, M&S, Sainsburies and the Co-op clear leaders.
Consumers’ concerned with animal testing policy will be surprised to learn Aldi shares the top spot with M&S and Co-op. Both Co-op and M&S are signed up to BUAV’s humane cosmetic standard - while all Aldi’s (own brand) household products meet campaigners’ demand for a “fixed cut off date” after which ingredients have not been tested on animals (1992). See our rating of the supermarkets' animal testing policies.

Much attention has recently gone to the 6.1% market share growth of the hard discounters.

Report author Bryony Moore comments: “Commentators have been surprised to discover the occasional organic or Fairtrade product on the discounters’ shelves and have mistaken this for evidence of ethical behaviour. However our research reveals a continued contempt for values beyond profit in the failure of the hard discounters to even discuss ethical values. In large international companies this type of behaviour is no longer excusable.”

Netto, Aldi and Lidl all received Ethical consumer’s worst rating for environmental reporting and workers’ rights in the supply chain.

Overall Best Buys

(‘ethiscore’ in brackets – see notes):
Super stores:

M&S (8)

Co-op (7)

Waitrose (5)

Convenience stores:

Co-op (7)

Londis (6)

Budgens (6)

Best of the regional chains: Booths in the north west (6.5)

Ethical Consumer issue 116 has in addition buyers’ guides to sat navs and butter & margarine.

NOTES TO JOURNALISTS

Ethical Consumer's unique ‘ethiscore’ system rates companies on their social, ethical and environmental performance. Companies are rated in 17 categories across four main headings - Environment, Human rights, Animals, Politics.

Click here for more detail on ratings

Free PDFs of all reports in Ethical Consumer issue 116 are available on request.

Press enquiries: Please contact Dan Welch (press officer) or Rob Harrison (editor) on 0161 226 2929 or email Dan or Rob

Ethical Consumer...

...is the UK's leading alternative consumer organization

...maintains one of the most comprehensive database of corporate ethics in the world - tracking over 30,000 companies, compiled over 20 years, updated daily by dedicated researchers

...employs a unique ethical scoring system - ethiscore - constantly informed by the leading edge of campaign groups

...is a not-for-profit worker's co-operative, independent of corporate interests