Our Best Buy Label

"We signed up to the Ethical Consumer Best Buy Label scheme because we value its independence. As our ethical credentials are a cornerstone of our brand and mission, the Best Buy Label is an important testimonial to make current and future members of the Society aware of when considering our products."
Jon Lee, Product Development Manager, Ecology Building Society

"The Ethical Consumer Best Buy Label is fantastic as it provides a reliable, independent and rigorous standard ensuring only the greenest, ethical and most environmentally friendly products are recognised. Our industry is riddled with consumer confusion so having a scheme that identifies which products are genuinely ethical is tremendously important as it provides customers with peace of mind, allowing them to make an assured purchase. "
Martin Saunders, Head of Marketing, Good Energy

"We like to communicate the values that we work hard to maintain and which are so important to us. We don't always have, and can't always afford, a lot of space to describe what we do and how we go about it. The Ethical Consumer Best Buy Label which we put on our boxes and tubes helps us to tell our customers that we genuinely care."
Richard Austin, Managing Director, Kingfisher Natural Toothpaste

"Suma are proud to have a very strong ethical policy relating to products, people and trading methods. As a trusted mark within the ethical market place the Ethical Consumer Best Buy Label is ideal for us to use to market our business and products with honesty and openness to consumers who wish to be ethically certain in an increasingly competitive market."
Rob Sherwell, Suma

The Best Buy brands

The following companies have been awarded the Best Buy Label for supplying genuinely ethical products:

Clothing & Shoes

Brothers We Stand

Online retailer selling ethical and sustainable menswear.

Shopping guides: Ethical Clothing Brands

www.brotherswestand.com

Earthmonk

Online retailer for organic and ethically produced clothing. 

Shopping guides: Ethical Clothing Brands, Ethical T-shirts

earthmonk.guru

Ethical Wares

Cruelty-free footware and clothing mail order company.

Shopping guides: Shoes

www.ethicalwares.com

THTC

The Hemp Trading Company is an award winning, ethically driven clothing label, specialising in eco-friendly, politically-conscious street-wear.

Shopping guides: Ethical Clothing Brands, Ethical T-shirts

shop.thtc.co.uk

Energy

100 Green

An independent sustainable energy company, 100Green sells 100% Ofgem-certified green and renewable electricity and gas to homes, businesses and organisations in the UK.

Shopping guides: Gas & Electricity

www.greenenergyuk.com

Ecotricity

Launched in 1995, Ecotricity has built the most renewable capacity of any renewable energy company, mostly in wind.

Shopping guides: Gas & Electricity

www.ecotricity.co.uk

Good Energy

Advocating green energy by enabling homes and businesses to be part of a sustainable solution to climate change.

Shopping guides: Gas Suppliers, Gas & Electricity

www.goodenergy.co.uk

Heat Pumps

Kensa

Scoring well across all Ethical Consumer's ratings including carbon management and reporting, Kensa also made the first ground source heat pump small and quiet enough to be installed in flats.

Shopping guides: Heat Pumps

www.kensaheatpumps.com

Retailers

Bookshops

xigxag

A small independent business providing audio books without subscription, xigxag take on the global domination of Amazon from their Cornwall base.

Shopping guides: Bookshops

xigxag.co.uk

General shops

Ethical Shop

New Internationalist's shopping site which helps charities and campaign groups raise money by selling ethical gifts and household goods.

Shopping guides: Ethical Online Retailers

www.ethicalshop.org

Green Stationery Company

One of the UK's first suppliers of recycled paper and green office supplies. Also sells some refreshments like tea, coffee, sugar (some fair trade and organic), and cruelty-free cleaning supplies.

Shopping guides: Ethical Online Retailers

www.greenstat.co.uk/

Veo World

A marketplace for consumers who care about the origins of the products they purchase, and a home for unique independent brands who create high-quality sustainable products.

Shopping guides: Ethical Online Retailers

Features: Q&A: Veo World

www.veo.world

Supermarkets

Christine's Sustainable Supermarket

Wiltshire-based Christine's Sustainable Supermarket sells a wide range of ethical, Fairtrade and organic produce. It scores Ethical Consumer's best rating for environmental reporting and supply chain management.

Shopping guides: Supermarkets

Christine's Supermarket

Food & Drink

Bird & Wild 

Fairtrade and organic coffee whose production benefits birds and other wildlife.

Shopping guides: Coffee

https://birdandwild.co.uk

Chocolat Madagascar

Organic, single origin, traceable Raisetrade chocolate, grown in Madagascar which ensures that much greater share of the value & profit is created in the country of origin.

Shopping guides: Chocolate

http://www.chocolatmadagascar.com

Essential Trading

Organic and Fairtrade wholesaler who distribute sustainable, ecological and cruelty free products. 

Shopping guides: Cooking Oil, Toilet Paper, Rice, Baked Beans

www.essential-trading.coop

True Origin (was Kilombero) rice from Just Trading Scotland

Fair Trade rice produced by the Kaporo Smallholder Farmer Association in Malawi.

Shopping guides: Rice

https://shop.jts.co.uk/

Lucy Bee

Supplier of ethically-sourced organic and Fairtrade coconut oil.

Shopping guides: Coconut Oil,

www.lucybee.com

Pacari Chocolates 

Made using organic ingredients, Pacari chocolates are also vegan and fair trade. Plus they're made in Ecuador meaning that unlike most other chocolates, more of the profit stays in the country. 

Shopping guides: Chocolate

www.home.pacarichocolates.uk

Suma Wholefoods

Uk's largest workers' cooperative and wholesalers of Organic, Vegan, Vegetarian and specialist foods.

Shopping guides: Beer, Ground Coffee, Dog Food, Fruit Juice, Household Cleaners, Laundry Detergent, Washing Powder, Rice, Shampoo, Spreads, Soap, Toilet Cleaner, Toilet Paper, Cooking Oil\

www.suma.coop

Source Climate Change Coffee

Every bag of Source Climate Change organic coffee has a unique tracking number allowing shoppers to find out how communities and forests benefit from every purchase.

Shopping guides: Coffee

sourceclimatechange.com

Zaytoun

By promoting their fair trade and organically produced food, Zaytoun supports farming communities in Palestine. 

Shopping guides: Olive Oil

www.zaytoun.org

Health & Beauty

Conscious Skincare

A skincare range which makes natural and organic skincare.

Shopping guides: Skincare, Shower Gel, Soap, Shampoo

www.conscious-skincare.com

Flaya

Family run business producing organic and vegan perfumes.

Shopping guides: Perfume & aftershave

https://flaya.co.uk

Friendly Soap

Handmade soap that's vegan and animal-friendly and because it doesn't use any palm oil it's also good news for orangutans. 

Shopping guides: Soap Bars

www.friendlysoap.co.uk

Kingfisher Toothpaste

Produces natural toothpaste which contains no artificial sweetners, flavourings, colourings or preservatives. 

Shopping guides: Toothpaste

www.kingfishertoothpaste.co.uk

Lucy Bee

One of the most ethical companies that Ethical Consumer rates, all Lucy Bee's coconut oil is are organic and Fairtrade. All their health and beauty products are organic, vegan, cruelty free and fair trade.

Shopping guides: Deodorants, Skincare, Soap,

www.lucybee.com

Queenie Organics

One of the first cosmetic companies not to use palm oil in any of its products, Queenie Organics is also 100% organic and vegan.

Shopping guides: Skincare

www.queenieorganics.com

Home & Garden

Bio-D

Bio-D produces eco-friendly household cleaning products. All products are from sustainable, naturally-derived raw materials and are free from synthetic chemicals, preservatives, enzymes and synthetic perfumes. 

Shopping guides: Household Cleaners, Dishwasher Detergent, Washing-up Liquid, Laundry Detergent, Toilet Cleaner

Features: Company Q&A

www.biodegradable.biz

Friendly Chemical Co.

The Friendly Chemical Co. reduces waste by using refillable bottles and also scores best Ethical Consumer rating for carbon and environmental management and palm oil sourcing. The Miniml brand is in our shopping guides.

Shopping guides: Dishwasher Detergent, Laundry Detergent, Shower Gel, Toilet Cleaners, Washing-up Liquid

www.thefriendlychemicalco.com/

Greenscents

Organic and vegan household cleaning products. 

Shopping guides: Household Cleaners, Laundry Detergent, Washing Powder, Toilet Cleaner

www.greenscents.co.uk

Honest Supplies

All of Honest Supplies toilet paper is made from 100% post consumer recycled material sourced from the UK.

Shopping guides: Toilet paper

honestsupplies.co.uk

SESI

SESI makes sustainable cleaning products that helps shoppers ditch single-use plastic bottles in favour of refills. The company scores Ethical Consumer's best rating for animal testing and carbon management.

Shopping guides: Dishwasher Detergents, Household Cleaners, Laundry Detergents, Shower Gel, Skin Care, Toilet Cleaners, Washing-up Liquid

sesi.org.uk

Money

Big Exchange

Co-founded by The Big Issue, The Big Exchange is one of the UK's leading ethical investment companies and provides a genuinely ethical Stocks & Shares ISA.

Shopping guides: Stocks & Shares ISA

www.bigexchange.com

Ecology Building Society

Building a greener society through sustainable mortgages, ethical savings, affordable housing and mutuals. 

Shopping guides: Ethical Mortgages, Savings Accounts, Cash ISAs

www.ecology.co.uk

Triodos Bank UK

Triodos Bank is one of the world's leading sustainable banks and one of the most ethical companies that Ethical Consumer ranks and rates in its product guides. Its mission is “to make money work for positive social, environmental and cultural change.”

Shopping guides: Carbon Divestment, Ethical Investment Funds, Current Accounts, Current Accounts for Small Businesses and Charities, Cash ISAs, Savings Accounts, Innovative Finance ISAs

www.triodos.co.uk

WHEB

Ethical investment fund focused on the opportunities created by the transition to a low-carbon and sustainable economy.

Shopping guides: Ethical Investment Funds

www.whebgroup.com/

Phone, Broadband and Email

Ecotalk

Ecotalk is a Best Buy for mobile phone networks because it’s owned by renewable electricity company Ecotricity, another one of our Best Buy companies. Ecotalk also gets our best rating for tax avoidance, a practice widespread in this industry.

Shopping guides: Mobile Networks

www.ecotalk.co.uk/

Fairphone

Made from Fairtrade and recycled materials, Fairphone 4 allows you to upgrade parts yourself so you can keep it for longer making it the most ethical mobile phone you can buy.

Fairphone is our only best buy in the mobile phones guide.

Shopping guides: Mobile phones

The Fairphone and contracts are available in the UK from YourCoop.

Green ISP

Not-for-profit Internet Services Provider (IPS) with sustainability at the heart of their business model. 

Shopping guides: Broadband

www.greenisp.net

GreenNet

An ethical Internet Service Provider that has been in business since 1986. 

Shopping guides: Email Providers, Broadband

www.gn.apc.org

Runbox

With a strong commitment to privacy, Runbox is a Norwegian-based e-mail provider which runs on 100 per cent renewable energy.

Shopping guides: Email Providers,

www.runbox.com

Travel

Independent Hostels UK

One of the largest network of hostels and bunkhouses in England, Scotland and Wales, Independent Hostels UK scored our best rating for carbon management and work with their accommodation providers to cut their emissions too.

Shopping guides: Travel booking companies

https://independenthostels.co.uk/