Ethical Consumer

Ethical Consumer is the consumer-facing publishing and campaigning brand of Ethical Consumer Research Association Ltd (ECRA), a British not-for-profit organisation based in Manchester. Established in Hulme in 1989 by Rob Harrison and Jane Turner, it was created to give consumers practical information about the social, environmental and political consequences of their purchasing decisions. Its work sits at the intersection of consumer journalism, corporate research, trade justice, business ethics and environmental campaigning. The organisation is best known for Ethical Consumer Magazine, a print publication issued every two months. The magazine evaluates products, companies and sectors using information drawn from media coverage, non-governmental organisations, corporate disclosures and original research. Its assessments cover issues such as workers' rights, human rights, animal testing, environmental impacts, political conduct, supply-chain transparency, tax behaviour and corporate ownership. Companies considered to demonstrate comparatively strong ethical credentials may receive a Best Buy designation. Ethical Consumer has expanded beyond the magazine into a subscription-supported website. The digital service contains shopping guides, company profiles, ethical ratings and articles covering sectors including energy, fashion and clothing, food and drink, home and garden, health and beauty, money, retail, technology and transport. Its database includes thousands of company profiles and information on ownership structures, brands and ethical performance. The organisation also publishes the annual UK Ethical Consumer Markets Report, which tracks the development of ethical purchasing and market activity in the United Kingdom. The brand combines research with consumer-oriented activism. Its campaigns have included criticism of Amazon over alleged tax-avoidance practices and support for improved employment conditions for migrant agricultural workers in Spain. It also maintains information on consumer boycotts and contentious political campaigns, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. These activities reflect its broader view that consumer choices, corporate accountability and public campaigning are connected. ECRA operated as a worker co-operative from 1989 until 2009. In 2009 it adopted a multi-stakeholder co-operative structure involving worker members and investor or subscriber members, operating as an industrial and provident society. In 2012 it began collaborating with Lush on the Lush Prize, a biennial award and fund intended to support work seeking alternatives to animal testing. The organisation remains active as an independent ethical-consumption information and campaigning platform, with its magazine, website, research, ratings and reports forming the core of its offering.

Ethical Consumer emerged in Hulme, Manchester, in 1989, at a time when interest in fair trade, corporate responsibility, environmental protection and alternative forms of economic organisation was growing. Rob Harrison and Jane Turner founded the organisation to provide information that conventional consumer magazines generally did not offer: not only whether a product worked or represented value, but also how the producer treated workers, affected the environment, structured its ownership and responded to political and social issues. From its beginning, the organisation combined publishing with research and campaigning. Its principal publication, Ethical Consumer Magazine, developed as a bi-monthly source of product comparisons, company investigations and explanations of ethical issues. Research has drawn on press reports, NGO material, corporate communications and primary investigation. The resulting assessments have been used to compare companies and products across multiple criteria, with stronger performers sometimes identified through a Best Buy label. During its first two decades, Ethical Consumer operated as a worker co-operative. This structure reflected its interest in democratic ownership and alternative business models, while allowing editorial, research and campaign work to be organised collectively. In 2009 the organisation moved to a multi-stakeholder co-operative model. The new structure included worker members as well as investor or subscriber members and operated as a not-for-profit industrial and provident society. The change broadened formal participation in the organisation while retaining its co-operative identity. The brand later extended its reach through digital publishing. Its website provides subscription-supported access to shopping guides, company profiles, ethical ratings and sector-based articles. The online material covers areas such as energy, fashion, food and drink, household goods, health and beauty, money, retail, technology and transport. Profiles may examine company ownership, brand relationships and overall ethical scores, while guides help readers compare products according to concerns including environmental impact, labour standards, animal welfare, tax conduct and political behaviour. The organisation also maintains information on consumer boycotts and publishes material on specific issues such as palm oil. Ethical Consumer's campaigning has remained closely linked to its research. It has promoted a consumer boycott of Amazon in response to criticism of the company's tax practices and has supported efforts to improve working conditions for migrant agricultural workers in Spain. Its campaign and boycott material can include politically contentious causes, including support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. These activities distinguish the organisation from a conventional product-rating publisher: it presents consumption as one part of a wider relationship between citizens, companies, governments and social movements. In 2012, Ethical Consumer began collaborating with Lush on the Lush Prize, a biennial initiative described as a £250,000 fund and award for innovators seeking solutions to animal testing. The collaboration connected Ethical Consumer's research and campaigning interests with a programme supporting alternatives in scientific research and testing. The organisation also produces the annual UK Ethical Consumer Markets Report, adding market-level analysis to its magazine and consumer guides. Across print, digital research, ratings, reports and campaigns, Ethical Consumer has maintained a distinctive position as an independent British information organisation concerned with the ethical consequences of economic activity. It remains active under the Ethical Consumer brand, with its Manchester base and co-operative, not-for-profit orientation central to its identity.

• 2012

  Lush Prize collaboration begins

  [1]Ethical Consumeren.wikipedia.org

  Ethical Consumer began collaborating with Lush on a biennial prize and fund supporting alternatives to animal testing.

• 2009

  Transition to a multi-stakeholder co-operative

  [1]Ethical Consumeren.wikipedia.org

  Ethical Consumer changed from a worker co-operative to a not-for-profit multi-stakeholder co-operative with worker and investor or subscriber members.

• 1989

  Organisation founded in Manchester

  [1]Ethical Consumeren.wikipedia.org

  Rob Harrison and Jane Turner established Ethical Consumer in Hulme, Manchester, as a worker-oriented publishing and research organisation.

• 1989

  Ethical Consumer Magazine begins publication

  [1]Ethical Consumeren.wikipedia.org

  The organisation began publishing its bi-monthly Ethical Consumer Magazine, covering corporate conduct, product ethics and consumer campaigns.

An independent, research-led ethical-consumption publisher and campaign organisation that helps consumers compare companies and products through social, environmental, political and supply-chain criteria.

• Magazine · 1989

  Ethical Consumer Magazine

  A bi-monthly print magazine and the organisation's principal publishing product. It combines product comparisons, company research, investigations and explanatory features on social, environmental and political issues. Coverage may address labour rights, environmental damage, animal testing, corporate ownership, tax conduct, human rights and supply-chain practices. The magazine is distributed through subscriptions, shops and newsstands.

• Digital research service

  Ethical Consumer online database

  A partly subscription-based website containing shopping guides, ethical ratings and several thousand company profiles. The profiles can include ownership structures, brand relationships and comparative ethical scores, while the guides help consumers assess products across sectors such as food, fashion, energy, technology, transport and household goods.

• Market research report

  UK Ethical Consumer Markets Report

  An annual report examining ethical consumption and the development of ethical markets in the United Kingdom. It complements the organisation's consumer-facing guides by offering a broader view of purchasing patterns and market activity.

• Product and company recommendation

  Best Buy recommendations

  A designation used for products or companies judged to have comparatively strong ethical credentials under Ethical Consumer's research criteria. The label is intended to make multi-factor ethical research more usable in everyday purchasing decisions.

• Amazon tax-avoidance boycott

  United Kingdom

  Ethical Consumer has promoted a consumer boycott of Amazon in opposition to practices it characterises as tax avoidance. The campaign uses consumer purchasing choices to pressure a large retailer over corporate tax conduct.

  Source
• Migrant agricultural workers campaign

  Spain · United Kingdom

  The organisation has campaigned for better working conditions for migrant agricultural workers in Spain, linking consumer demand and food supply chains with labour rights.

  Source
• Lush Prize

  International

  In collaboration with Lush, Ethical Consumer supports a biennial prize and fund for innovators developing approaches intended to end animal testing.

  Source
• Consumer boycott information and BDS-related campaigning

  United Kingdom · International

  Ethical Consumer publishes information on consumer boycotts and supports some politically contentious campaigns, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

  Source

• 2012

  Collaborated with Lush on an animal-testing alternatives prizeStrategy

  Background

  Ethical Consumer's interest in animal welfare and corporate responsibility led to collaboration with Lush.

  Action taken

  The parties created the Lush Prize, described as a biennial £250,000 fund and award supporting work to find alternatives to animal testing.

  Aftermath

  The initiative extended Ethical Consumer's activity beyond publishing into grant-making and recognition of research and campaigning aimed at ending animal testing.

  Prize fund. £250,000 (Biennial initiative established in 2012)

  Source

• 2009

  Adopted a multi-stakeholder co-operative modelStrategy

  Background

  After operating as a worker co-operative since its foundation, Ethical Consumer reassessed its organisational structure.

  Action taken

  The organisation became a not-for-profit multi-stakeholder co-operative involving worker members and investor or subscriber members.

  Aftermath

  The revised structure retained the organisation's co-operative and not-for-profit character while broadening formal stakeholder participation.

  Source

• Unconfirmed

  Reported2022.02.01

  Acorn Dairy butter ranked best dairy butter in the UK[3]Acorn Dairy 黄油获评英国最佳乳制黄油thenorthernecho.co.uk

  Ethical Consumer Magazine named Acorn Dairy’s own-brand butter the UK’s “Best Dairy Butter” option. The article also reports that it ranked fourth among 50 butters, plant spreads and margarines.

Read more

1. 1Ethical Consumeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ethical Consumer official websiteethicalconsumer.org
3. 3Acorn Dairy 黄油获评英国最佳乳制黄油thenorthernecho.co.uk