Ethical Consumer

Ethical Consumer is a not-for-profit UK magazine and website which publishes information on the social, ethical and environmental behaviour of companies and issues around trade justice and ethical consumerism. It was founded in 1989 by Rob Harrison and Jane Turner.

Mission

The mission of the Ethical Consumer is to promote "a society where the environment is respected, where human rights are properly protected and where animals are no longer cruelly exploited."The Ethical Consumer publishes reports and calls for boycotts of companies deemed unethical by its findings.

History

Ethical Consumer magazine and its associated websites are produced by the Ethical Consumer Research Association (ECRA). Between 1989 and 2009 ECRA was a worker co-operative, based in Manchester, UK. In 2009 ECRA became a not-for-profit multi-stakeholder co-operative consisting of worker members and investor/ subscriber members. It is an industrial and provident society.

Company ratings

Ethical Consumer publishes a company ratings tables which rate various products across 19 criteria. The data behind the ratings tables is produced by research into the social, ethical and environmental records of companies, using media reporting, NGO reports, corporate communications and primary research.