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Ethical Consumer Week and Conference 2023

Ethical consumer conference week 2023

Ethical Consumer Week 2023 and our conference will ask: What role can consumer activism play in creating thriving communities?

Come along to connect with people, ethical businesses, and campaign groups to explore our collective power and the change we can ignite in our communities.

UPDATE 7th Nov: Our conference website is currently broken. We are working hard to fix it but have put essential information on this page. 

You can register for Ethical Consumer Week events via the links below.  

If you have any queries, do get in touch. 

What role can consumer activism play in creating thriving communities?

Ethical Consumer Week provides a space to explore how we can empower ourselves and our communities.

Connect with activists, ethical businesses, campaign groups and others to explore our collective power and the change we can ignite in our communities.

Over 5 days we'll spotlight inspiring organisations and innovative regenerative approaches that are responding to the challenges that we are facing.

The week culminates in a vibrant in-person event in the heart of London on November 9th.

Sign up now for a week of inspiring discussions, informative talks and exciting workshops, exploring practical ethics in a broken world.

Topics we’ll be exploring include:

  • Global and local supply chains and community activism around them
  • Community energy
  • Ethical finance and how communities can raise capital for projects
  • Sustainable food
  • Regenerative enterprise and economies
  • Challenging corporate power
  • Researching corporate ethics and more…

 

Ethical Consumer Conference 

Thursday 9th November 2023, at Rich Mix, Shoreditch, London. 

Tickets are sold out, but you can sign up for our waiting list on Eventbrite. 

See the full agenda.

Ethical Consumer Week Online Events (with one or two in person!)

There are online events on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. 

The details are below: expand on the event by clicking the downward arrow in each title to see more information and the ticket link.

Most events are free, but you need to register in advance. 

Tuesday 7th November

Come and learn how small UK manufacturers are creating ethical supply chains for their businesses. Hear on-the-ground stories from pioneering businesses and charities pushing the boundaries of good ethical practice through their training, recruitment and sourcing. 

Case studies include: 

  • Just-Ice Ethical ice manufacturers training and recruiting survivors of human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
  • So Good Kombucha award-winning UK drinks manufacturer successfully recruiting refugees. 

Tickets are pre-booked only. £15pp which includes complimentary ethically made ice cream and kombucha. The event will be live-streamed. The venue is Derbyshire sustainable sportswear factory De Ronde Creative Hub, The College Business Centre, Derby, DE22 3WZ. 

Booking link for ethical supply chains  

In a world where conscious consumerism is on the right, it's important that couples make changes in their daily lives as well as large life events. Given the number of guests and spend weddings can have, they have the ability to positively impact the couple, the businesses they choose to work with and the guests that attend the wedding.

Join Michelle Miles from Sustainable Wedding Alliance to find out more.

Booking link for sustainable weddings.

Wednesday 8th November

Hosted by Dr Talia Hussain from Loughborough University London.

The session will is introduced by looking at how specific retail practices produce unsustainable outcomes.

This is supported by research on the garment industry, but applicable to other areas of the consumer marketplace.

The session will move on to interactive idea-generation exercises exploring how shops, high streets and the consumer marketplace might change in future to produce a sustainable, resilient economy.

The session has two goals. First to inform participants about the role that established retail practices play in actively producing unsustainable outcomes.

Secondly, it explores ideas for creating thriving, pluralistic retail centres and high streets that boost and regenerate local economies, rather than the sterile line of chain stores that extract wealth from communities. Aiming to inspire activists with ideas for policy action and asks that would create direct impacts on the high street.

Booking link for regenerating retail session

Hosted by Rob Harrison of Ethical Consumer, and the Climate Gap report.

This session will introduce Ethical Consumer's third annual Climate Gap report, just released in October. The report provides visuals on UK progress in decarbonising four key impact areas: food, heating, transport, consumer goods. Change is happening, but not enough. What's more, many say the UK climate targets, and its contributions to financing decarbonisation around the world, are not ambitious enough either.

This year we were inspired by work from the Centre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), as well as CREDS and the Climate Action Tracker, to discuss the need for a fairer carbon budget. We want to think about what a coherent alternative plan with deeper cuts would look like.

Come and listen to the discussion and bring your questions for a Q&A. Speakers include:

  • Angela Druckman, Emerita Professor of Sustainable Consumption and Production at the University of Surrey, and Co-Investigator for CUSP.
  • CREDS speaker to be confirmed.
  • Ruth Strange from Ethical Consumer to introduce the Climate Gap report.

Booking link for climate event

Ethical Consumer week 2023 is throwing a sharp focus on the role of consumer activism in creating thriving communities.

As part of EC Week, Path Financial are hosting an hour long webinar, which aims to help you to harness the power locked up in your money to secure your own future at the same time as making the world a better place for everyone.

Join Path founder, David MacDonald, as he explains his own journey from being part of the problem to part of the solution; and Path Financial Planner, Rowan Harding, who will delve deeper into the world of 'Positive Impact' investing and the companies out there who are making a real difference to our communities.

The session will be filled with practical takeaways to help you on your own journey and David and Rowan will be taking questions; so sign up and get ready to ask the experts why the notion of 'greed is good' should turn into 'green is great!'

Booking link for Be the Change event

Hosted By Etikord and Ganddee.

This in-person group discussion aims to connect ethical fashion consumption enthusiasts and provide a platform for sharing and discussing experiences, viewpoints, challenges, and ideas related to ethical fashion consumerism.

We will discuss various aspects such as fashion consumer trends, regulatory frameworks, innovation trends, dilemmas, as well as opportunities and challenges for ethical fashion consumers.

Note this is being held at Bermondsey Bar and Kitchen, 40 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3UD.

Booking link for fashion event

Friday 10th November

Hosted by Practical Action

The global climate crisis threatens years of progress against poverty, and it’s the world’s poorest people who are paying the highest price. But at Practical Action, we believe where there’s action, there’s hope.

Find out from a farmer how you can support circular economies in the UK and the future of our food systems. After that we'll take you into Africa and Asia where you can hear about how your money can help cut food miles. You'll hear how farmers are using similar, regenerative farming approaches like making black soldier flies into animal feed, vermiculture, hydroponics, and improved composting to create thriving rural economies.

We'll be hearing from a range of people from Practical Action, including:

  • Sarah Roberts, CEO, Panel discussion host
  • Chris Henderson, Head of Agriculture
  • Menila Kharel, Thematic Lead-Sustainable Agriculture and Markets
  • Naman Ondego, Senior Project Officer(Agroecology) in Kenya

Booking link for Hope Needs Action event

Note this has moved from Monday due to illness

From protesting in the street and at events, to lobbying and boycotts – what methodology really gets the attention of large corporates and makes them genuinely change their ways? 

Does making noise really achieve any more than a few headlines? What are the real points of influence, the real points of pressure? What really motivates a corporate to change their ways?

Dr Chris Arnold, author of ETHICAL MARKETING & THE NEW CONSUMER and long time Brand Republic blogger on ethical marketing, will explore smart strategies and explain why dumb ones don’t work. He’ll also explain why sometimes there is a will by corporates, but not a way.

Live on Zoom (auto entry)

 

Hosted by Ethex

Join us for an interactive discussion on the power of personal finance to take action against climate change. This panel discussion will cover the current need for greener finance options, ways people can make a change to their banking and investing, and examples of the positive impact they can create.

Climate activism isn’t new. People who care about our planet and the damage being caused to it want their voices to be heard in the face of apathy and lack of action. But aside from joining an activist group, what can we do? In this session, we will explore how people’s finances can actually be their biggest weapon against climate change. And we’re not talking about millionaires. Everyday people can make greener choices with their money, just as they would their cars and shopping, Every day and by collectively moving our money, we can make people sit up and take notice, creating tangible change.

This 1-hour event will cover topics including:

  • How the current financial system fuels climate change
  • Ways people can understand what their money is funding
  • Understanding and assessing the impact of your money
  • Basic greener options for your money (current accounts/savings / pensions)
  • Opportunities to invest to do good and sustainable sectors you can support
  • How accessible is impact investing
  • Examples of investment success

We’ll also have a live Q&A session.

Booking link for the Ethical Finance event

Hosted by Sparks Bristol

Sparks has a unique opportunity to bring together organisations and individuals from across the city to pilot new ways to better serve our community and address the climate, ecological and cost of living crisis. 

We want to explore how the heart of Bristol could change to help create a greener, fairer future. What makes it unique is the mixture of ethical traders (over 100 represented), artists and educators. We will introduce users to Sparks and share our learning from the sessions.

This will be an in-person session, as Sparks, 78 Broadmead, Bristol, BS1 3DS. 

Booking link for the 21st century department store alternative event

conference week sponsors and partners: ecotricity, cooperative bank, Path financial, practical action, ecology building society

Sponsors, partners and stallholders

Ethical Consumer Week is possible thanks to our wonderful sponsors and partners:

Sponsor

Partners

Stallholders at the London Conference

All of the above, plus:

Also of interest

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