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Finding environmentally friendly batteries. This guide rates nine main brands of rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries, with recommended buys and what to avoid.

Disposable batteries have a long-term impact on the environment, so in this guide we only recommend rechargeable batteries. 

The guide looks at the cost of rechargeable batteries and the problems of the minerals used in batteries. We also look at how to prolong battery life, chargers for reusable batteries, packaging of batteries, plus how to to recycle batteries environmentally. 

In a battle of the bunnies we compare Duracell and Energizer on their ethics. 

With several brands in the guide scoring no points, there's plenty of scope for an ethical switch. 

Last updated:

In this guide

About our guides

This is a shopping guide from Ethical Consumer, the UK's leading alternative consumer organisation. Since 1989 we've been researching and recording the social and environmental records of companies, and making the results available to you in a simple format.

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What to buy

What to look for when buying batteries:

  • Is it conflict-free? We expect companies that produce electrical goods to have robust conflict minerals policies so consumers can be sure they aren't sourcing materials that exacerbate conflict.

  • Does it use recycled minerals? The demand for battery materials - due to the growth of the electric car and solar battery markets - is increasing. The best companies use at least some recycled minerals to reduce their demand on raw minerals.

What not to buy

What to avoid when buying batteries?

  • Is it single use? Rechargeable batteries can be recharged up to 1000 times saving both energy and resources.

  • Is it packaged in plastic? Some battery companies have switched to cardboard, choose these brands over the ones that still use plastic packaging.

Best Buys

There are no Best Buys for batteries.

 

Recommended buys

We are only recommending rechargeable batteries because of the financial and environmental cost savings.

Philips, Panasonic and Varta all score twice as much as the other three brands in the guide and all scored relatively highly for conflict minerals.

Best is Varta’s Recharge Accu Recycled AA and AAA batteries which have the highest level of recycled content. Their Power One rechargeable hearing aid batteries are also a good choice.

Philips scored highest but only with 33 points. Its climate, workers and conflict mineral scores are highest on the table. But its batteries have no recycled content and it has a subsidiary in Israel.

Panasonic rechargeable and Eneloop rechargeable batteries didn’t score anything for workers’ rights or tax conduct and didn’t seem to have any recycled content but scored relatively highly in three other categories.

Companies to avoid

Amazon scored very low and we have been calling for a boycott of Amazon since 2012 for its tax avoidance. Read more about Amazon's aggressive tax campaign, poor treatment of workers and disregard for the environment on our Amazon campaign page.

  • Amazon

In-depth Analysis

Katalin Csatadi
By Katalin Csatadi

In-depth analysis


How to find environmentally friendly batteries

All the brands in this guide make both disposable and rechargeable batteries. 

This guide covers household batteries like AAs and AAAs, as well as button cells and hearing aid batteries. It does not cover lithium-ion (Li-on) battery packs for laptops and mobile phones, or solar batteries or  car batteries.

All the brands also make powerbanks and battery chargers for rechargeable batteries.

Battery brands included in this guide

Most of the companies specialise in making batteries but there are a couple of general electrical companies – Philips and Panasonic – and there is the retail behemoth Amazon, subject of our long-running boycott call for its tax avoidance strategies.

The two bestselling brands are Duracell and Energizer, with Duracell selling twice as many batteries as its rival. We compare these two brands further down in the guide.

We have not included any supermarket own brands. Only Morrisons sells rechargeable batteries and, when we last reviewed supermarkets, they were not a Recommended Brand. Co-op and Waitrose were, but they don’t sell own-brand batteries. See our guide to supermarkets to see how they compare.

What are rechargeable batteries?

Most batteries sold are single-use alkaline batteries. The global alkaline battery market size was $7.8 billion (£5.8bn) in 2025. But by the end of 2030, the EU Commission will assess whether to phase out the use of non-rechargeable batteries for general use.

Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are the most common type of household rechargeable battery on the market today

In many high-drain consumer applications, nickel metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries are replacing non-rechargeable alkaline batteries as they offer better performance and last much longer than the disposable batteries.

One downside of rechargeables is that they lose charge when not in use. On average a NiMH might lose 30% of its charge over 12 months. We look at how best to recharge different rechargeable batteries further down in the guide.

Are rechargeable batteries cheaper than disposable batteries?

Although rechargeables are more expensive initially, (around three or four times more), because they can be recharged 500-1,000 times or more, they are more cost effective. Rechargeables work out cheaper in the long run, but the lower initial cash outlay is one of the reasons that people buy disposables.

Rechargeables’ total lifespan is much longer than disposables thereby saving on resources and energy to manufacture.

Price comparison of AA batteries (rechargeable and single use)

A Duracell rechargeable battery costs £4.12 but can be recharged 400 times at a cost of just 0.08p per recharge making a total cost for the lifespan of the battery of £4.44.

To buy 400 Duracell single use alkaline batteries at £1.40 each would cost £560.

Even if you add on the cost of a Duracell charger at £16.50 and ascribe all of that cost to just that one rechargeable battery, a rechargeable is still nearly thirty times cheaper than disposables.

What capacity rechargeable battery do I need?

The capacity of rechargeable batteries is measured in mAh (milliampere/hour). In general, the higher the mAh, the less often the battery will need to be charged.

Different battery-driven devices will require different capacity batteries.

Low- to mid-capacity batteries are suitable for clocks, flashlights, garden lights and remote controls.

Devices which require high-capacity batteries include, for example, digital cameras and some electronic toys. If you find you are replacing batteries frequently, a higher-capacity battery will provide longer lasting power.

Typical low- to mid-range capacity batteries are AA size batteries (800-1300 mAh) and AAA size batteries (400-800 mAh).

Typical high-capacity batteries are AA size batteries (1950-2700 mAh) and AAA size batteries (950-1100 mAh).

Chargers for rechargeable batteries

You’re going to need a charger for your rechargeable batteries and all the brands make these. A ‘smart’ charger will tell you how much charge a battery has. When it is fully charged, it will stop charging and change to a trickle charge to keep the battery topped up.

All the brands make these.

You may also buy a battery tester to check the charge level of any battery.

Battery charger with batteries inside

Prolonging battery life

The following table provides a quick run-down on how not to run-down different types of batteries as well as some general information about how long you can expect them to last.

  Alkaline Lithium-metal NiMH Lithium-ion
Rechargeable? Non-rechargeable Non-rechargable Rechargeable: 700-1,000 life cycles Rechargable: 600-1,000 life cycles
Run-time (Devices vary so comparison based on number of photos taken on a digital camera with an AA battery) 100 690 600 Unknown (AA have not been available long enough)
How to charge N/A N/A

It is better to fast charge if possible.

Stop charging if battery becomes warm.

Always use the charger designed for your battery.

A partial charge is better than a full charge.

A partial discharge is actually also better than a full discharge (no 'memory effect' like old NiCad batteries which used to lose capacity if not used).

Turn off devices when charging the battery. Always use the charger designed for your battery.
Shelf-life 5-10 Years 10-12 Years 3-5 Years 2-4 Years
Self-discharge rate Should lose around 2-3% per year. Should lose around 10% of it's charge over 5 years if not in use. Should lose 10-15% in 24h, then 10-15% per month Should lose 5% in 24h, then 1-2% per month.
How to store for prolonged shelf-life and reduced self-discharge Remove from the device and store below 25 degrees celcius (but do not freeze). Remove from the device and store below 25 degrees celcius (do not freeze).

Remove from the device and store below 25°C (do not freeze).

Can be stored with any charge level but should be fully recharged once a year if storing long term.

Remove from the device and store below 25°C (do not freeze) with a charge of around 40-50%.

You may need to recharge to this level about once every 6 months.
Types of battery AA, AAA, C, D, N, 9 Volt and button/coin batteries. AA, AAA, 9 Volt, button/ coin batteries. AA, AAA, C, D & 9 Volt.

Mostly button batteries and power banks (as well as phone/laptop batteries).

Other sizes like AA/AAA are just coming onto the market.

Are disposable batteries bad for the environment?

There are different types of disposable batteries available, depending what they are made of.

Zinc carbon vs alkaline

The difference between these two is the type of electrolyte used in the battery – alkaline electrolyte for alkaline batteries, acidic for zinc carbon.

Alkalines pack in more energy than zinc carbons so can produce the same amount of energy but last twice as long. They are designed for appliances that use a lot of energy like cameras.

Zinc carbon batteries are cheaper than alkalines and designed for appliances that don’t use much energy like remote controls, clocks, smoke detectors and torches.

Lithium single-use batteries

Lithium batteries (not to be confused with lithium-ion or Li-on batteries which are rechargeable and are used in mobile phones and electric cars) possess higher-energy density, thereby offering better performance and lasting longer compared with alkaline batteries.

You can buy AA and AAA lithium batteries (all the brands except Philips and Duracell) but you are most likely to see them as button or coin cells for things like watches. They are more expensive than alkaline batteries.


Hearing aid batteries

Disposable zinc air batteries are a popular choice. 

Power One ACCU plus rechargeable  batteries are voltage compatible with zinc-air batteries. Not every hearing aid is suited to the use of rechargeable batteries - some hearing aids have too high an energy consumption. As a rule of thumb, if your hearing aid can supply current for more than 10 days without the zinc-air battery needing to be changed, it is worth considering rechargeable batteries as an alternative power source. Power One also sells a portable 'Pocketcharger' to recharge them.

You can also buy hearing aids with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that are recharged using a charging station or a micro-USB cable, like a mobile phone.

Mining for battery minerals

Household batteries contain a mix of minerals, including those listed below. The mining sector has long been criticised for its violations of the environment, human rights, and Indigenous populations. But there has been an increasing tension between human and environmental justice and the mining of minerals which are key to ending our reliance on fossil fuels, such as lithium-ion batteries in electric cars to replace petrol vehicles. Whilst the move away from fossil fuels is essential, it should not be done in a way that reproduces or creates new injustices.

Recommendations and demands have been made by the Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsman and Amnesty International to include and strengthen human rights requirements alongside environmental assessments of mining projects from extraction to end-of-life, which have been widely supported by civil society groups from across the world.

As battery technology becomes even more important and mining increases, companies need to feel the pressure. See our latest guides to carsand solar panels for more information on their relationship with mining minerals for batteries.

Mining for Lithium in Cornwall, England
Cornish Lithium’s exploration site at Trelavour Downs (c) Cornish Lithium

Minerals used in batteries

The world’s largest producer of cobalt is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Although cobalt isn’t classified as a conflict mineral (tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold) it is still associated with multiple human rights violations. Much of the cobalt from the DRC comes from unregulated artisanal mines, with a recent investigation highlighting the severe social and environmental damage caused by such mines. An estimated 200,000 people work informally as miners in the country.

Hazardous working conditions and workers’ rights violations in the mines include digging tunnels by hand, having no protective equipment against hazardous substances and pollution, long working hours with no pay for overtime, and child labour. Research has also highlighted violence against women and girls in artisanal mines and their surrounding areas in the DRC. Landscapes have changed dramatically as the mines are eating away local neighbourhoods.

Campaigners are urging companies to try and improve working conditions rather than avoiding purchasing from these mines, in order to protect those whose livelihoods depend on mining and whose choices are often limited. Initiatives include the Fair Cobalt Alliance and Responsible Minerals Initiative, which added cobalt to its remit in 2017.

Graphite is used as a cathode (the positive end) in many batteries, including alkaline and lithium ones. Graphite can be produced naturally through mining or synthetically. Natural graphite production can cause dust emissions and the purification for its use in batteries requires high quantities of reagents such as sodium hydroxide and hydrofluoric acid which can harm both human health and the environment.

Synthetic graphite production is much more energy intensive and often leads to operators seeking out cheaper power sources that tend to be coal dominant.

In 2021, one report stated that “the true climate change impact of producing battery grade graphite can be as much as ten times higher than published values”.

Lithium demand is increasing, with one report forecasting a 12.3% annual growth rate in the global market from 2023 to 2030. In 2022 it was worth just under £7 billion. According to one estimate, the global annual demand for lithium is predicted to reach 1.5 million tonnes by 2025. A lot of this demand is due to the increased interest in electric vehicles, which use lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Although we aren’t covering lithium-ion batteries in this guide, the processes of extraction for lithium are the same.

The list of damaging effects that lithium mining has on the environment and surrounding communities is long. Lithium is mostly extracted from brine under salt flats, where water is evaporated off. This method of processing uses a lot of water and, because it comes from some of the driest places on earth, local and Indigenous communities are often left with very little water. Processing also causes pollution, waste, and disruption to ecosystems.

Researchers have suggested that the atomic signature of lithium could be used to determine where it was mined, making it traceable, to know whether it was mined ethically. Currently this isn’t possible because reference samples on a database are needed first, but it should be possible in future.

The big producers of lithium are China, the USA, Australia and South America (Argentina, Bolivia and Chile) but lithium has more recently been attracting increasing corporate interest in the UK. British Lithium and Cornish Lithium have been causing mixed feelings in the Cornish community, with plans to extract thousands of tonnes of lithium each year. Local climate activist Nichola Andersen, speaking to the BBC, said, "It's just another example of people extracting value out of Cornwall. The money goes out of Cornwall and never comes back."

Similar sentiments have been made across communities all over the world, where the story of extraction mostly stays the same.

Nickel is essential for NiMH batteries but its extraction has been linked to high environmental and social costs including habitat destruction, high levels of toxic air and water pollution, the release of carcinogenic dust, and birth defects.

There are also numerous reports of the devastating impacts nickel mining has had on Indigenous and local communities globally. In 2020, a Nornickel (the largest producer of Nickel in the world) power plant failed, releasing 21,000 tons of diesel oil into local rivers. In 2016, a suspected broken Nornickel pipe caused a Russian river to turn red. Nornickel operates on Indigenous lands and both disasters resulted in environmental and social devastation for the local communities. In 2016, the New Internationalist reported on the effects nickel mining was having on local communities in Columbia, including increases in birth defects, miscarriages, and cancer. Dayro Romero, governor of the Indigenous community of Pueblo Flecha told the publication: “we feel environmentally massacred”.

With the demand for nickel projected to grow up to 40 fold by 2040, it is even more crucial environmental and social regulations are enforced.

Zinc is found in the Earth’s crust, often alongside copper and lead, so mining typically takes place through extraction underground. In metric tonnes, China is by far the world’s leading zinc producer, followed by Peru and Australia.

A study in China that looked at the environmental and human health effects of zinc and lead mining (often mined together) found significant water pollution from waste water, soil pollution affecting plants and crops, and an association with long-term health effects including kidney damage and cancer.

Cartoon of Duracell bunny underneath Energizer bunny
Battle of the battery bunnies (c) Cartoon by Andy Vine for ECRA

Battle of the bunnies: Duracell or Energizer?

You might find that in a lot of shops there are only a couple of choices, usually between the two brand leaders Duracell and Energizer.

Both companies use a rabbit as their mascot, but which bunny is the most ethical?

There is not a big points difference between the two.

Duracell score better for conflict minerals, while Energizer scores slightly higher for climate. However, Energizer rechargeables have 22% recycled content, whereas Duracell rechargeables appear to have none. Energizer also has plastic-free packaging while Duracell in ‘on a mission’ to be plastic free.

So where you have a choice between these two, go for Energizer.

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Reduce, reuse and recycle batteries

When it comes to batteries, even rechargeable ones, ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ is a good approach:

  • It is always useful to question which battery-powered devices are actually necessary at all.
  • Buying rechargeable batteries means you can reuse them multiple times.
  • All batteries, rechargeable and nonrechargeable, should be recycled at the end of their useful life.

Reduce – use mains electricity and wired devices

Batteries are always more expensive than mains electricity, especially disposable ones.

It therefore makes sense to use mains-powered devices rather than battery-powered ones, wherever possible, not only for the financial savings but also to save on the unnecessary use of minerals and resources.

So choose: wired devices over wireless ones, corded over cordless: for example, traditional vacuum over cordless, wired computer mouse rather than wireless; wired headphones over wireless; mains-run clocks, smoke alarms and doorbells.

Reduce – use mechanical devices

Mains electricity is not suitable for things that need to be mobile but there are mechanical alternatives available that don’t need batteries:

  • There are loads of battery-free toys, and games consoles can have wired controllers rather than wireless ones.
  • Mechanical hand-wound watches or automatic watches powered by wrist movement.
  • Dynamos, for example, for bike lights.
  • Some wind-up torches have a spring you charge rather than a battery.

Recycling batteries at the end of their life

Each year in the UK, we throw away around 600 million batteries. Laid end-to-end these batteries would reach from the UK to Australia and back again.

In the UK, around 47,000 tonnes of batteries were sold in 2025, with only around 20,000 tonnes being recycled. That leaves 25,000 tonnes ending up in landfill via rubbish bins or hidden in houses – it’s worth looking around to see if you have any old batteries that could be recycled.

According to the National Packaging Waste Database, our battery recycling rate is 45.11% which is low for Europe, where the average is 49%. The leader in this area is Poland with 65%, followed by Belgium, Romania and Luxembourg.

New EU battery regulations will set a target recycling rate of 63% by 2027, and 73% by 2030 but it’s not clear whether post-Brexit UK will adopt this target.

Why recycle batteries?

When batteries begin to decompose in landfill sites chemicals like lead, cadmium, zinc, lithium and even mercury may leak into the ground, which can cause soil and water pollution.

Batteries are made from non-renewable, finite materials and the mining of these materials has an environmental and human rights impact.

Recycling means the materials will be used again, although not usually to make more batteries. More likely the recovered materials will be used in the steel industry.

How and where can I recycle batteries?

Since battery recycling laws came into force in February 2010, most shops and supermarkets that sell batteries have collection bins in-store for used batteries. In addition, some town halls, libraries, and schools may have also set up collection schemes.

You can also recycle batteries at many Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs). Type your postcode into the recycle-more website recycling locator to find where you can recycle your batteries.

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Do batteries come in sustainable packaging?

Some manufacturers are getting rid of plastic in their packaging (except for coin batteries for child-safety reasons) and are using recycled material in their cardboard packs.

In the table below we compare who's doing what about reducing plastic in their packaging and use of alternatives.

Batteries and packaging
Brand Plastic-free packaging? Cardboard used
Duracell 88% in Western Europe, 80% across all Europe and Africa “Made from recycled material”
Eneloop All plastic-free FSC Mix (virgin and recycled paper)
Energizer
In Europe 100% plastic-free		 53% recycled content
Varta Some packs are plastic-free Products with packaging labelled with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel contain at least 80 % recycled materials.
Philips No information found No information found
Panasonic No information found No information found
Amazon No information found No information found


 

Four AA batteries

Battery brands rated on ethical issues 

We research a number of ethical issues to assess how battery companies are performing and what policies they have in place.

Recycled battery content

Due to the severe environmental and human rights impacts of mining, using recycled minerals increases the sustainability of batteries. However, only two brands in this guide used recycled materials in their batteries.

  • Energizer: 22% recycled content in AA and AAA Extreme and Power Plus rechargeable batteries and 7% in C, D, and 9-volt rechargeable ones.
  • Varta: 25% recycled content in Recharge Accu Recycled AAA and AAs.

These content levels should go up, and other companies may join the list, by 2030, when new EU regulations come into force requiring a set percentage of recycled materials in all batteries.


Carbon emissions of battery brands

No companies scored higher than 50 points for climate change. In this category, Panasonic and Philips scored highest..

They both had concrete targets and discussed steps made towards reducing emissions, such as the installation of renewable energy systems and designing products for energy efficiency. Carbon reporting was transparent and disclosed in full, enabling them to be held to account for targets and progress made.


Tax conduct of battery brands

All the companies, apart from Philips, scored 0 in our tax rating. All of the companies had subsidiaries in tax havens for the likely use of tax avoidance. Outstanding of them all, is Amazon.

We calculated that in 2024, just like in preceding years, the UK public purse more than half a billion pounds due to Amazon’s tax avoidance. The Fair Tax Mark and The New York Times have others been critical of Amazon’s tax avoidance in Luxembourg, where its European headquarters are based and it pays no corporation tax.


Battery companies' policies on conflict minerals 

Companies performed better than when we rated them previously and no companies scored 0. Panasonic, Philips and Varta scored highest of the rated companies. They all support conflict-free mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo and have a documented due diligence process. Still, none of them published a full list of its smelters and refiners, which are a key pinch point in the global supply of minerals as they can more easily be audited. Equally, none of the companies have evidenced that they’d increased the use of recycled conflict minerals.


Workers' rights

Apart from Philips, all the companies scored very poorly in this category. Philips scored slightly better because, uniquely amongst the rated companies, it has a commitment to achieve living wages across its supply chain.


Are battery companies involved in Israel? 

All companies lost points in this category.

Amazon is a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) National Committee target for significantly aiding the Israeli state. It is targeted for its involvement in Project Nimbus, the joint $1.22 billion contract between Google and Amazon. According to BDS, it “provides cloud computing infrastructure, artificial intelligence and other technology services to the Israeli government and the Israeli military. Nimbus offers the platform for the Israeli military to run deadly AI programs such as Lavender and Gospel– crucial to the Gaza genocide."

Berkshire Hathaway (Duracell), Energizer and Philips all had subsidiaries in Israel which financially supported the Israeli government in tax contributions.

Montana Tech Components (Varta) and Panasonic only had distributors in the country and therefore scored highest of the six companies in this category.
 

Company ethos

None of the companies scored any points in this category.

All of the companies are involved in one or more controversial sectors:

  • Amazon: military supply and nuclear power
  • Berkshire Hathaway (Duracell): military supply and fossil fuels
  • Energizer: military supply
  • Montana (Varta): military supply
  • Panasonic: military supply
  • Philips: military supply

Furthermore, all of the companies paid excessive amounts to their CEOs and lost points in this category. Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway led the way with £25 million and £16 million respectively. The lowest paid director was Panasonic’s who only took home £1.3 million in 2024.

None of the companies had a policy to limit pay ratios between the highest and lowest paid employees.

Nordic Swan ecolabel logo

What is the Nordic Swan Ecolabel?

Companies can apply for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel for batteries.

This is an independent assessment of the environmental impact of batteries over their life cycle, from raw material to disposal and recycling, and includes third-party certification. To be eligible batteries must:

  • Have a low content of mercury, cadmium, and lead, lower than is required by the EU Battery Directive.
  • Not contain PVC.
  • Meet the Nordic Swan Ecolabel CSR policy to ensure responsible use and sourcing of limited raw materials and conflict-free minerals and have a code of conduct for workers’ rights at suppliers.
  • Meet stringent requirements for both battery operation time, shelf life, safety, and quality.
  • Be fully charged [applies to Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries and cells] when leaving the production site.

Most of the batteries with this Ecolabel are disposables. Only two brands of rechargeable batteries are included in the scheme:

  • Energizer Multiple AA & AAA rechargeable batteries
  • Varta Recharge ACCU Recycled AA & AAA batteries.

Search the Nordic Swan Ecolabel website for a full list of all Nordic Swan batteries.

Child safety warning

Increasing numbers of children have been admitted to hospital having swallowed button batteries. The consequences can be very serious and sometimes fatal. If a lithium battery becomes lodged in the oesophagus it can create an electric circuit, due to its higher voltage, which can cause serious burns.

Visit Button Battery Ingestion website for advice on ensuring batteries are kept out of harm’s way and what to do if you suspect a child has swallowed one.

What’s next for batteries?

Battery technology is the focus of intense research, due to the urgent need to transition to renewable energy and the rising demand for portable electronics.

Most research is being done into replacing lithium-ion battery technology, especially with the surge in demand for electric cars and storage for renewable energy. More abundant materials like sodium and sand are being looked at which can be sourced locally and less destructively.

Other technologies such as metal-air batteries, solid-state batteries and the use of silicon are all vying to try and increase capacity, and also safety, while reducing production costs.

For household batteries, the future is rechargeable batteries rather than single use disposables. Even the EU thinks so.

The fact that rising demands for batteries are, in part, fuelled by a desire to reduce environmental impact, could mean that ethical considerations are given more scrutiny in the battery industry than in others.

However, we may not be buying separate batteries for that much longer, as more and more products are switching to inbuilt rechargeable batteries. This does mean that people are forced to use rechargeables, but all batteries are perishable, and it can make the whole product die with the battery.

Perhaps there will be a renaissance of wind-up and mechanical things where batteries or any sort of electric power is not needed. Until then, we can all do our bit to make that a reality sooner rather than later.

Company behind the brand

Berkshire Hathaway, owner of Duracell.

With over 6,000 companies in its corporate portfolio, Berkshire Hathaway is a giant private equity firm. As well as Duracell, some of the companies it owns shares in include Apple Inc., American Express, Bank of America, Chevron, Coca-Cola, HP Inc., Kraft Heinz and Moody’s. On 1 June 2026, it announced to buy $10 billion (£7.5bn) in shares from Alphabet (Google).

This corporate empire was headed by Warren Buffet for six decades before he stepped down from his role as CEO at the end of 2025. Over 90 years old, he is currently the 10th richest person on Earth.

In July 2026, Berkshire Hathaway stopped giving donations to Bill Gates’ charity for the first time in 20 years over the Microsoft co-founder's links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.


Want to know more?

If you want to find out detailed information about a company and more about its ethical rating, then click on a brand name in the Score table. 

This information is reserved for subscribers only. Don't miss out, become a subscriber today.

This guide appeared in EC magazine 203. The [R] in the score table after a brand name means the product has been awarded a sustainability point for using recycled materials in rechargeable batteries..

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