Ethical Consumer Conference 2016

We welcomed a host of speakers, stall holders and consumers to our 2016 annual conference to discuss how we can work together to bring about real social and environmental change.

Find out how the day unfolded with audio recordings of each speaker and a video of our brexit debate.

Why we need Ethical Markets and how can we protect and build on what we have?

An introduction from Ethical Consumer editor and founder Rob Harrison

Collaborating on ethical purchasing by governments and local authorities:

The first panel of the day discussed how local authorities can exclude unethical consumption from their procurement and investment processes.

Paul Monaghan, Director of the Fair Tax Mark

Tax Avoidance and public sector procurement - the campaign to exclude tax avoiding companies from public sector contracts.

John Hilary, Executive Director of War on Want.

Banning local authority boycotts and the failure of government to safeguard the rights of Palestinians.

Dani Paffard, UK Divestment Organiser at 350.org.

Carbon divesting institutions and local government.

We had four different workshops on the following topics:

• Collaborating on controlling corporate power
• Collaborating on energy (incentives and campaigning)
• Collaborating on Setting Minimum Standards
• Collaborating on Business Supply Chains

Collaborating on transparency and disclosure

The second panel focused on supply chains in a number of different sectors.

Colleen Theron, Sustainability lawyer and consultant at CLT envirolaw

Modern Slavery Act - its potential impacts and limitations.

Nathaniel Dyer, Campaign Leader, Global Witness

Conflict Minerals - company transparency and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sarah Ditty, Head of Policy at Fashion Revolution

Transparency in the fashion industry.

Fiona Gooch, Senior Policy Adviser at Traidcraft

Transparency of, and improvements to, retailers’ sourcing practices.

Jenny Carlyle, member of the Suma food co-operative

Supply chains in food retail.

Key note Speaker - Marilyn Croser, Director of CORE

Holding companies to account

Debate: "Brexit - where next for Ethical Consumerism in the UK?"