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PRESS RELEASE: 30.11.09

New book reveals how to have an ethical Christmas and beat the credit-crunch at the same time

This year, with the effects of the credit crunch on everyone’s minds, there is a fundamental desire for Christmas to return to its traditional values, cutting out needless spending and appreciating the simpler things; family, food and spending time together. Now more than ever we are noticing the effects of mass consumerism on a personal and social level and we have begun to realise the effects this kind of behaviour has on our future. We all want to have a good Christmas – but how do we mix ethical shopping with saving money?

Which brands can we trust to deliver both ethics and value for money this Christmas?

The Good Shopping Guide has the answers - numbers are from the Ethical Company Index score, see book or website for more details:

For mobiles look for the following phones:

C Mobile (95)
Vodafone (80 - high score, popular phone)
Nokia (70 - there are plenty of low cost Nokia handsets)

And avoid these:

Panasonic (55 – low score on human rights, animal welfare & nuclear power)
Samsung (50 – involvement in armaments & low score on human rights)
Sony Ericsson (50) (high cost, low ECI score)

For digital cameras look for:

Casio (80) (low cost, good ECI score across most of the categories)
Benq (81) (collaboration saved Siemens from collapse)
Fuji (86) (top scores across most of the categories)

And avoid these big brand low scorers:

Hewlett Packard (45)
Kodak (48)
Sony (45)
Samsung (55)

For TV’s / DVD’s, the top electronic companies include the following value brands:

Sharp (81 – low cost, high score)
Akai (81)
Matsui (81)

And the bottom electronic companies include:

Panasonic (57 – again, poor scores in many sectors)
Toshiba (33 – very low score on human rights, nuclear power & armaments)
Mitsubishi (43)

For printer, copiers and technology all-in-ones, look out for leading ethical companies:

Brother (100 – please see attached table detailing all-in-ones)
Amstrad (90)

And avoid the following names:

HP (40)
Panasonic (40)
Samsung (55)

For ethically sourced clothes, the top three fashion brands are:

Monsoon & Accessorise (92 – top scoring company across most categories)
New Look (84 - low cost, well made organic clothing)
People Tree (96)

And the worst fashion brands include:

French Connection (40 – not the cheapest on the high street and not a great score)
George (36 – ASDA’s clothes line, so a low score)
Primark (52 – low scores for the environment and people)
River Island (60)

For the best in health & beauty, look for:

Natural by Nature Oils (100 – top scoring beauty brand)
Beauty Without Cruelty (82)
Boots No 7 (71 – low cost and high score)
Honesty Cosmetics (89)

And avoid brands such as:

Oil of Olay (29)
Johnson & Johnson (36)
Neutrogena (33)

The best for value and ethics in whisky brands are:

Famous Grouse (68)
Teachers (68)
Grants (64)

And the worst:

Bells (36)
Glenmornangie (56)

The best brands for chocolate include: (15% of chocolate sold in Britain is now fair-trade)

Traidcraft (88)
Divine (80 – available at most supermarkets)
Green & Blacks (68 – since Cadbury’s take-over of Green & Black’s, it has promised to maintain their ethical agenda)

And the worst:

Chocolate Orange (20)
Kitkat (40)
Mars (36)

For your ethical supermarket shop:

Sainsbury’s (77 – some low cost items and high score)
Waitrose (81)
Marks and Spencer (85 – good ethical scores across categories)

And avoid:

Tesco (38 – low ethical policies)
ASDA (42)
Iceland (54)

Ethical shopping is becoming a more important part of our lives and we are becoming more concerned about the origins and effects of our actions, both culturally and socially. For many, the idea of going green, or shopping ethically can imply spending more on exclusive, organic products, however ethical shopping can be as simple but crucial as choosing the right supermarket. At Christmas, when our habit is to spend much more on food, there’s no better time to consider where you shop. For gift ideas, try vintage and second-hand items, which are much more fashionable than mass produced high street copies. You’d be surprised what you can find in a charity shop in an affluent area.

The Good Shopping Guide enables ethical shoppers to channel their spending power in the most effective way possible. Compiled from researching public records, campaign and government information, The Good Shopping Guide lists those companies that have a progressive attitude towards the environment, human rights and animal welfare, and penalises those that disregard or fail to uphold their social responsibilities. The eighth edition rates over 700 consumer brands in seven product sectors: Home & Office, Energy, Travel, Money, Food & Drink, Health & Beauty, Fashion. Please click here for a sample PDF.

William Sankey - Director, The Ethical Company Organisation:

“As the world’s leading ethical shopping reference book, The Good Shopping Guide enables multitudes of consumers, trade buyers, NGOs, investors and government procurers to see clearly which companies and brands to support.”

Tony Juniper

“The biggest influence on companies comes from customers. The Good Shopping Guide provides everyone with the information they need to persuade powerful companies to behave more responsibly.”

Juliet Davenport - CEO, Good Energy Ltd

“The Good Shopping Guide provides the benchmark for consumers to be able to buy the best products from the best companies.”

Notes for Editors:

– About The Good Shopping Guide:

The Good Shopping Guide is the world’s leading ethical reference guide, listing the level of corporate social responsibility of the companies behind hundreds of everyday consumer brands. 15 different CSR criteria have been researched over a 5 year period and over 700 brands are reported on.

This 8th annual edition of The Good Shopping Guide is 368 pages and published November 21st 2009. Review copies and cover shots are available on request.

– About the Ethical Company Organisation (E.C.O):

Established nearly a decade ago, the E.C.O. aims to promote a universally responsible corporate attitude towards people, animal welfare and the environment.

It publishes the world’s best-selling ethical company reference book, The Good Shopping Guide.

The organisation is a member of the Social Enterprise Coalition and a shareholder in fair-trade company Cafédirect.

For exclusives on specific product sector tables and industry comment, please contact Lily Barker on press@ethical-company-organisation.org or call 07969 292 728. Please click here for an example showing leading ethical telecommunications company, Brother Industries, in comparison to low scoring big name brands HP and Panasonic. The Good Shopping Guide features over 50 such sector tables.

Click on the link below to download a PDF of ethical shopping related press releases. For media interviews with our Research and Editorial Director relating to corporate ethics, ethical shopping and ethical consumerism or for more information, pictures, or comment contact the Ethical Company Organisation press office below.

For the Ethical Company Organisation press office, call 0845 257 6818 or 07969 292728