Moving Home

Moving home can seem an overwhelming task. When kitting out a new place many people, cash-strapped and lacking time, end up picking companies with the best deals, but not always the best ethical records. 

We have put together a handy guide to help make your transition to a new home as smooth and ethical as possible. We have researched some of the biggest companies, and list ethical suggestions for everything from energy tariffs to mortgages. 

Mortgages

Mortgages are usually the biggest financial product most people will ever buy. That is why it is so important to choose a bank that invests in positive projects. Our clear best buy for mortgages is the Ecology Building Society. 

However, they only invest in lower-impact buildings and therefore are not widely accessible to everyone. For a more widely-available option we suggest Nationwide Building Society or a local mutual in your area. 

Gas & Electricity

The choice for gas & electricity often comes down to buying from one of the big six or choosing from one of the emerging smaller companies that offer dual fuel tariffs. 

If you are looking for dual fuel tariffs we recommend Good Energy or Ecotricity who offer some form of ‘green gas’. 

TV Packages

The four subscription packages that dominate the market are Virgin, Sky, TalkTalk and BT. They all receive poor ratings in a number of different categories from conflict minerals, supply chain to environmental reporting.

 

If you are set on buying a subscription package, the best out of a bad bunch is TalkTalk. 

However, if streaming services are more your thing, we also compared Netlix and Amazon Prime. They both dominate the market for video on demand services. While Netflix is definitely not ‘ethical’, we recommend it over Amazon for its shameful tax avoidance and poor workers’ rights. (see our Amazon boycott call here)  

Broadband

The likes of Sky and Virgin are popular choices because they offer cheap deals. However, both have dismal records on a number of issues from tax avoidance to political lobbying. 

Our best buys are all social or environmentally friendly providers such as Green Net or Green ISP. Our most widely available best buy is Co-operative broadband. 

Household Cleaners

Moving home involves a fair bit of cleaning. There are some great green companies selling household cleaners. Greenscents and Libby V-concentrate are the most ethical choices.

For the most widely available green brand, we pick Ecover.