Ethical Consumer Conference

2025 Ethical Consumer conference

In early 2025 we saw the growing tech oligarchy stand shoulder to shoulder with US President Trump at the start of his second term. Since then there has been a global ground swell of resistance against corporations, with boycotts reaching a popularity which hasn’t been seen since the movement against Apartheid South Africa.

In the UK, corporations continue to pollute our water and our air, while our bills continue to rise. There is a growing hunger for something different, here and globally.

For our 2025 conference, we will be bringing together ethical organisations pioneering alternative business models, alongside engaged individuals, campaign groups and activists pushing for a fundamental change in how we think about companies.

Theme for 2025: How can we move beyond corporate power?

We will explore if re-inventing corporations can help us build a fairer and more sustainable future.

Come together and join us for another day of insightful discussions and workshops, connecting with like minded people.

We will be taking a look at some of Ethical Consumer’s own work on challenging corporate power over the years, as well as issues surrounding tech that is being manipulated by some of the richest and most powerful on the planet.

Some of the programme highlights:

• Talking about Corporate Power and Palestine, with Business Leaders for Peace and Boycott Bloody Insurance
• How finance can benefit society, rather than increase corporate power, with Positive Money
• Refocusing business models to be better, with We Own It, Social Enterprise UK and B Lab
• Challenging land grabs by new tech and AI, with MediaJustice and others

The day includes:

• Workshops and open discussions
• Networking sessions
• Stalls from ethical organisations and Best Buy companies
• Opportunities to meet like-minded people
• PLUS: a fantastic vegan lunch by Veggies

All this for just £30 for individuals.

Plus, we have a Pay it Forward solidarity ticket option if you wish to buy a ticket for someone who is unable to afford it. To donate a ticket or to join the list for a free ticket, go to the Eventbrite page.

Pre-conference week: online sessions

We know that many people can't join us in London on the day, so we are working with like minded people and organisations to deliver some online sessions from 3rd-6th Nov.

• Building Local, Circular Economies to Challenge Corporate Consumerism, with Spend Green
• Finance With A Human Face, with Shared Interest
• How a Universal Basic Income can help to liberate citizens, producers and consumers from the corporate stranglehold’, with UBI Lab Network
• Changing the Financial System with Community Saving, with Kin Coop (workshop)

For more details about these events and how to register, check out the week's programme on the conference website.

2024 Ethical Consumer Conference

We asked: 

Can economic degrowth lead to a sustainable future?

The conference explored the concept of degrowth and examined its implications for consumers and producers in various sectors, from fashion to finance. We posed questions like:

• As the consequences of infinite economic growth continue to take their toll on species and habitats worldwide, what is the practical path to a less destructive system?
• What does a society that thrives on economic degrowth look like?
• What might the impacts be for jobs and livelihoods? What role do government and businesses need to play?

Brief review of 2024 Conference

Ideas of degrowth, though less well known outside academic circles in the UK, are big in Europe. It is a contested subject embracing (amongst other things) ideas of “doughnut economics”, the circular economy, and post-capitalism. National conferences on the subject have been held in Austria, France, Italy, Denmark, and Ireland this year, a direct consequence of the three-day “Beyond Growth” event in the European Parliament in 2023.
At the conference we heard about how some cities, including Barcelona and Amsterdam, were beginning to use degrowth-linked ideas in their planning. We also heard from Jack Ainsworth about a new group “Degrowth London” formed last year in the capital.

We held several parallel panel sessions covering economics, learning from other movements, and community capacity. We also heard examples from groups currently engaged in building a post-growth world including Radical Routes, Landworkers Alliance, the Or Foundation and Permaqueer. There were also workshops on degrowth for businesses, ad-free cities, and our own Climate Gap Action Group. 

We also discussed the term 'degrowth' and whether post-growth or regrowth are more appropriate terms. As well as signalling the necessary regrowth of the natural world, regrowth could also stand for the regrowth of communities or community groups which have been marginalised for decades under a system focused on individualism and personal consumption.

Ethical Consumer 2024 Conference was possible thanks to our wonderful sponsors and partners: Ecotricity (sponsor), and Ecology, EQ Investors, Path Financial, Shared Interest (partners).

Sign up to our newsletter to be kept informed of future conference plans.