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Ethical Consumer

Join thousands of others and become an ethical consumer today.

Join thousands of others and become an ethical consumer today.

Learn how to use your spending power to help change the world for the better.

Why be an ethical consumer? How to be an ethical consumer

We are an independent, not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder co-operative with open membership.

At the heart of the ethical consumer movement, since 1989.

We are an independent, not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder co-operative with open membership, based in Manchester.

We provide all the tools and resources you need to make choices at the checkout simple, informed and effective.

Discover more about us

Includes guides to: Chocolate, Mince Pies, Ethical Online retailers, Bookshops

The latest magazine includes shopping guides rating:

  • Chocolate
  • Mince Pies
  • Alternatives to shopping at Amazon:
    • Ethical Online retailers
    • Bookshops

Plus:

  • score tables rating and comparing the brands
  • Best Buy recommendations
  • how to buy decolonised chocolate - the brands giving cocoa farmers the fairest deal
  • choosing the most ethical chocolate for your budget
  • the second trial of a new rating system - Mince Pies
  • why you shouldn't shop at Amazon
  • the most ethical alternative online retailers
  • where to buy your books from

Features on:

  • exploring a new rating for diversity, equity and inclusivity
  • what progress has been made towards sustainable consumer lifestyles in the UK?

Issue 205 (Nov/Dec 2023) now in print and online.

Read the latest issue 
  • Find ethical, sustainable and fair trade chocolate: ratings for 84 brands of bars of chocolate and chocolate snacks, with recommended brands and ones to avoid. Is all fair trade chocolate equally fair? What are chocolate brands doing about child labour? We look at the big ethical issues including colonialism in the cocoa sector, palm oil and deforestation, child labour, cocoa certification, as well as who makes vegan chocolate, and how to find ethical and responsibly-sourced chocolate to suit your budget.
    Read more
  • Guide to 34 leading UK bookshops, with best buys. Includes alternatives to Amazon and its various book-selling brands and how to find ethical online and local bookshops. We also look at the best options for ebooks and audio books, sustainability, buying secondhand books, and how to support independent authors, publishers and bookshops.
    Read more

More from Ethical Consumer

Finding an ethical pension: a guide with ethical and environmental ratings for 23 major pension providers, with recommended buys. We rate the major pension providers which offer some kind of ethical option for clients. We look at different types of pension, what makes a pension ethical, transparency, investments and carbon reporting, Sharia funds and ethical pension campaigns. We also shine a spotlight on Vanguard and Nest.

Read more about Ethical Pensions

Finding ethical and eco-friendly toilet paper: ratings for 19 toilet paper brands, with recommended buys and what to avoid. We rate the major toilet paper brands as well as smaller eco friendly brands, look at deforestation, bleach and toxic chemicals, recycled paper and FSC labelling, and ask is bamboo toilet paper really eco friendly? 

Read more about Ethical Toilet Paper

How to find an eco friendly heat pump company. We rate the ethical and environmental record of 18 heat pump brands. We look at the different types of heat pumps, their efficiency and performance, environmental impact, running costs and grants. Plus we give our Best Buys and recommended buys. We also shine the spotlight on MasterTherm.

Read more about Eco Heat Pumps

Finding an ethical bank account. Rating the ethical and environmental record of 31 UK current accounts, with recommended buys and who to avoid.  We also look at app-based banking, which banks own which brands, fossil fuel investments, tax avoidance, unequal pay, and how to switch accounts. 

Read more about Ethical Bank Accounts

Is vegan cheese better for the environment? What about dairy companies making vegan cheese, palm oil and other ingredients? Ethical & environmental rankings for 18 vegan cheese brands, with Best Buys and what to avoid.

Read more about Vegan cheese

Which are the real ethical clothing brands? Ethical ratings for 27 UK ethical clothes brands, with Best Buy recommendations. See how brands rate on key areas including use of sustainable fabrics, climate impact, fair wages and working conditions, animal rights, and supply chain transparency. We look at their range of clothing and at the innovators that are going beyond fairtrade and organic.

Read more about Ethical Clothing Brands

We have called a boycott of Amazon over its outrageous tax avoidance since 2012. The list of accusations against Amazon is long, from offering its services to fossil fuel giants to firing activist workers.

Read more about Boycott Amazon