WHO’S WHO AT EC THIS ISSUE’S EDITORS Alex Crumbie, Ruth Strange PROOFING Ciara Maginness (Little Blue Pencil) WRITERS/RESEARCHERS Jane Turner, Rob Harrison,
Anna Clayton, Ruth Strange, Francesca de la Torre, Alex Crumbie, Jasmine Owens, Shanta Bhavnani, Edward Lander, Sorcha Perris, Katalin Csatadi, Ruairidh Fraser, Louisa Gould REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Simon Birch DESIGN Tom Lynton LAYOUT Adele Armistead (Moonloft), Jane Turner COVER Tom Lynton CARTOONS Marc Roberts, Andy Vine AD SALES Simon Birch SUBSCRIPTIONS Francesca Thomas, Nadine Oliver,
Elizabeth Chater, Katy Bostock PRESS ENQUIRIES Simon Birch, Tim Hunt ENQUIRIES Francesca Thomas WEB EDITOR Alyson Tyler THANKS ALSO TO Grace Hull Boakye, Marlous Veldt,
Sarah Rae Nakama, Craig Redmond, Michael Wignall, Ruby Mucenieks All material correct one month before cover date and © Ethical Consumer Research Association Ltd. ISSN 0955 8608
PAPER 100% Revive Natural post-consumer waste
recycled paper. Printed by Deltor in Cornwall.
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on 0845 458 9911. Ethical Consumer is a member of INK (independent news collective), an association of radical and alternative publishers. www.ink.uk.com
We are a Living Wage employer, a multi-stakeholder co-op, and Fair Tax Mark accredited.
ABOUT THE ADVERTISERS ECRA checks out advertisers before accepting their ads and reserves the right to refuse any advert. COVERED IN PREVIOUS SHOPPING GUIDES
Ecotricity (201), Friendly Soap (206), Kingfisher Toothpaste (206), Vegetarian Shoes (185) 100Green (201). OTHER ADVERTISERS Animal Aid, Book Aid, Ethical
Property Company, Friends Of the Earth, Good Green Money, International Rescue Committee, Investing Ethically, Practical Action, RSPB, The Path, Womankind.
WHAT IS ETHICAL CONSUMER?
We are an independent, not-for-profit, multistakeholder co-operative founded in 1989 and based in Manchester. Our primary goal is making global businesses more sustainable through consumer pressure. Our mission is to:
1 Help consumers to challenge corporate power by using their economic vote every time they go shopping.
By the time this issue reaches you, festival fever will undoubtedly be in full swing! Maybe you’ll be perusing these pages while scoffing an ethically made mince pie (see last issue) and sipping your favourite tipple.
And maybe you’ll be wrapped in your favourite Christmas jumper. Though for anyone tempted to purchase another one, remember that 12 million of them are sold every year in the UK, 95% of which are made out of plastic and will probably only be worn a handful of times. As the old adage goes: a Christmas jumper is for life, not just for ... Christmas!
Cosmetics and toiletries This issue, we look at cosmetics and toiletries. The degree to which people depend on these products differs greatly, but most people will use at least some of them – you may not be a lover of lippy, but we hope you brush your teeth, at least before social occasions!
We examine some of the key issues in these sectors, including animal derived ingredients, animal testing, packaging, palm oil, and toxic chemicals. There are plenty of brands doing great work on these issues, so we’re sure you can find some ethical products that work for you. One or two may even make good stocking fillers, though think carefully before stuffing your old festive sock full of ‘naked’, unwrapped cosmetics products, or you may be left with something of a mess.
In support of Palestine The latest round of catastrophic violence in Palestine and Israel reminds us how necessary it is that the international community speaks up when UN-stipulated human rights are violated.
On p8 you’ll find an article about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Ethical
Editorial
Consumer has long been a proponent of BDS as a way of supporting the Palestinian people in their struggle against oppression, and now it feels more pressing than ever.
UN experts have said: “There is an ongoing campaign by Israel resulting in crimes against humanity in Gaza. Considering statements made by Israeli political leaders and their allies, accompanied by military action in Gaza and escalation of arrests and killing in the West Bank, there is also a risk of genocide against the Palestine people.”
Week after week, masses of people worldwide have marched in solidarity with Palestine and against the actions of Netanyahu’s government. In the UK, we’ve seen some government ministers stoking division by labelling pro-Palestine demonstrators as “hate marchers”, and even making the utterly absurd argument that the demonstrations on Remembrance Day were disrespectful. What better way to honour the memory of those killed in past wars than protesting for peace in the present?
EC Week & Conference In more uplifting news, Ethical Consumer Week 2023 was a great success! We hosted a range of online webinars in the second week of November, culminating with a sold-out event in Shoreditch, London. When the news is full of despair, it is so uplifting to come to together with individuals and organisations that are working towards positive change. Thanks to all that joined us – and do send us feedback if you attended: letters@ ethicalconsumer.org
New recruits We are also happy to announce that we
recently recruited three new people to our team. Here’s a warm welcome to Jenny and Richard who join us as researchers, and Katy who joins our subscriptions team.
See you in 2024!
ALEX CRUMBIE EDITOR
2Democratise the market by enabling consumers to assert their own ethical values by using our shopping guides.
3Have a fully transparent ranking system. All our data is available to subscribers.
4Engage with companies by telling them why we are buying or not buying their products. We also send them detailed questions about their policy and practice on ethical issues.
5Push for wider political action and legislative change. Ethical consumerism is not a replacement for other forms of political action. But it is an important additional way for people to exert their influence.
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