Ethical Consumer
Site : www.ethicalconsumer.org
Unit 21, 41 Old Birley Street, Manchester M15 5RF United Kingdom
telephone : 00 44 (0) 161 226 2929 - fax : 00 44 (0) 161 226 6277
email: mail@ethicalconsumer.org

“The UK’s only alternative consumer organisation looking at the social and environmental records of the companies behind the brand names”

ECRA (The Ethical Consumer Research Association) was founded in June 1987 and is a not-for-profit, organisation owned and managed by its staff as a workers’ co-operative. Proud to have maintained our independence, ECRA is funded almost entirely by readers’ subscriptions and by adverts from ethically vetted companies.

ECRA produces a magazine - Ethical Consumer, maintains a publicly accessible database of ethically-related corporate information - Corporate Critic, and conducts research for campaign groups and ethically minded organisations.

ECRA’s purpose is to promote:
 universal human rights
 environmental sustainability
 animal welfare...
...by providing information on consumer issues which empowers individuals and organisations to act ethically in the market place.

What is Ethical Consumer magazine ?
Ethical Consumer was launched in March 1989 and is the UK’s leading alternative consumer magazine. Each issue contains practical guides to a range of products, from baked beans to banks.
We tell you everything you need to know, from the social and environmental impacts of a product to the ethical records of the companies that make it. Complex issues are simplified with easy-to-use tables that show important facts at-a-glance.
You’ll find the latest news on human rights, environmental and animal welfare campaigns and also a range of in-depth features on ethical talking points and dilemmas.
We provide the information you need to make a difference, to help you not to harm animals, humans or the environment through the things you buy.

What sort of products does the magazine cover ?
Anything and everything, from everyday purchases such as household cleaners and tea and coffee to one-off buys like cars and fridges. In addition to mainstream goods we offer a comprehensive guide to the ’alternative’ market. If it’s organic, free range, ’green’, recycled, vegan, vegetarian, fair trade or ethical you should find details in Ethical Consumer. A full index of past reports is available free of charge.

Why look at companies as well as products ?
Some publications concentrate on products but Ethical Consumer is the only guide around that looks at the companies behind the brands. After all, isn’t it better to buy a cruelty-free product from a company that doesn’t test other products on animals, or recycled paper from a firm that isn’t dumping chemicals into the sea? A corporate-based approach allows customers to influence decisions company-wide. It also highlights those firms that try to promote an ethical image while being involved in operations which would concern many customers.

Where does ECRA’s information come from ?
Almost all the information we use comes from previously published sources. These include publications from campaign groups like Friends of the Earth, commercial directories on the defence and nuclear industries and public records on pollution prosecutions and emission levels. We also request information directly from companies on issues such as environmental reporting, animal testing policy and codes of conduct.

Buying ’right-on’ goods is only going to ease my conscience, it won’t make a real difference will it ?
Not true. Every penny of every pound you spend funds some activity. Too often it is the exploitation of workers, the needless testing of caged animals or the dumping of toxins into our environment. When you buy from a progressive, ethical company, money instead goes towards activities with minimal social or environment impacts. As in a democracy, individuals acting together can make a real difference; things can and have been changed for the better.

What gives you the right to take the moral high ground ?
We feel our responsibility is not to preach or make judgements on behalf of our readers. Instead we aim to provide information in a way which enables people to make their own decisions based on their own priorities