Ethical Consumer, Issue 175, Nov/Dec 2018

www.ethicalconsumer.org EC175 Nov/Dec 2018 £4.25

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01608 434 040 Fairphone 2 with Android 7 coming soon Editorial ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

Tim Hunt Editor

It’s a time of new beginnings at Ethical Consumer. In over the last 10 years or so. This was certainly a step the last month we’ve launched a new campaign, a new forward in terms of engagement but did little to alleviate manifesto, a new website, and we’ve got our first ever any concerns one might have about the ethics of the response from Amazon to one of our product guide company. It still sits bottom of the table and scores a questionnaires! worst rating across our categories and so our boycott campaign continues. New website Dairy boycott Perhaps our biggest news is the launch of our new website. In a digital age it’s vital to have a website that As you’ll see on page 37, we’ve also launched a dairy responds to the latest technological developments. We boycott campaign alongside two other campaign believe this site will do that and give us some degree groups, Animal Aid and Viva!. The boycott is our of future proofing. Thanks to all those readers who latest intervention into the dairy milk market and is in answered our website questionnaires and came to our opposition to the badger cull. The cull is probably the focus groups way back in 2017, your input was vital and worst assault on UK wildlife this century and, despite helped us shape the how the new site works. evidence suggesting it is ineffective in stopping the spread of bovine TB, has now been expanded across The message from all those who responded was clear: the country. Although this campaign has proved they wanted a simpler site that was less cluttered, easier controversial for some of our readers (see Letters on to navigate and had better search functionality. We think page 46), we hope you’ll join us in boycotting dairy we’ve delivered on these things. The home page is a products at least for the duration of the cull. great example of where we’ve done this. The navigation to our product guides (which we know is what our readers are most interested in) is now front and centre, Manifesto we’ve slimmed down what appears on the home page Also, this issue we launch our new manifesto (see page so it’s easier to see the wood for trees, and the search 43) which updates our 2007 and 2001 versions. It is functionality is still there but much enhanced. designed to pressure politicians into making greater We’ve also made some innovations on the product commitments to ethical markets. This was another guides and company profile pages, switched to an open area of our work that was due an update and, over the source platform, added some new payment options, and coming months, we hope to persuade political parties to changed the way we serve ads. We hope you find the site consider addressing all our demands in some form. It’s easier to use and share. also been slimmed down to 10 aims that make it easier to communicate. A big thanks to all those who helped make it possible including Michael Wignall, developers Agile Collective, Heather Webb designer John Ossaway, Georgina and Elizabeth from Ethical Consumer, and many more. We’d also like to take this opportunity to say goodbye to co-op member and research director Heather Webb Read more at about this at: www.ethicalconsumer.org/ who is leaving us after nine years. Heather has written its-here-weve-launched-our-new-website many a product guide over the years as well as helping with subscriptions management. But perhaps her most Amazon valued work came in driving the screenings side of Away from the web, in this issue we’re revisiting our the business over the last two years, which has grown popular Amazon Alternative guides. It’s certainly not considerably over this time (we perform the first time we’ve updated them, but it is the first time ethical risk screenings for NGOs that Amazon have responded to one of our research looking to partner with commercial questionnaires. We send these to every company before companies). We wish her the very we rate them to make sure we get as accurate a picture best of luck with her new role as as possible about what the company is doing. Amazon Ethical Trade Associate for online had, until this issue, failed to respond to any of these clothing company ASOS.

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who’s who p22 Amazon Alternatives guides this Issue’s editors Tim Hunt 11 introduction proofing Ciara Maginness (littlebluepencil.co.uk) writers/researchers Jane Turner, Tim Hunt, Leonie book retailers Nimmo, Rob Harrison, Heather Webb, Anna Clayton, Joanna Long, Josie Wexler, Ruth Strange, Mackenzie 12 introduction Denyer, Clare Carlile, Francesca de la Torre regular contributors Simon Birch, Bryony Moore, 14 score table & Best Buys Shaun Fensom, Colin Birch 18 publishing houses design and layout Adele Armistead (Moonloft), Jane Turner ethical online retailers cover Adele Armistead (Moonloft), images © Elena Moiseeva and Odua | Dreamstime.com 19 introduction cartoons Marc Roberts, Andy Vine ad sales Simon Birch 20 score table & Best Buys subscriptions Elizabeth Chater, Francesca Thomas press enquiries Simon Birch, Tim Hunt p6 tablets & e-readers enquiries Francesca Thomas web editor Georgina Rawes 22 introduction thanks also to Eleanor Boyce, Merle Büter, 24 score table & Best Buys Jessica Aurie

All material correct one month before cover date and © streaming services Ethical Consumer Research Association Ltd. ISSN 28 introduction 0955 8608. 30 score table & Best Buys Printed with vegetable ink by RAP Spiderweb Ltd, c/o the Commercial Centre, Clowes Centre, Hollinwood, Oldham OL9 7LY. 0161 947 3700. news Paper: 100% post-consumer waste, chlorine-free and sourced from the only UK paper merchant supplying only recycled papers – Paperback 06 food & home (www.paperbackpaper.co.uk). Avaaz win, People’s Manifesto,

Retail distribution is handled by Central Books on feature plastic news 0845 458 9911. Ethical Consumer is a member of INK 08 clothes (independent news collective), an association of radical 40 online shopping plastic pollution from clothes, and alternative publishers - www.ink.uk.com. shopping online versus the high Nike ad, Burberry goes fur free street We are a Living Wage employer, a multi-stakeholder 33 amazon in germany co-op, and Fair Tax Mark accredited. anti-Amazon activities in p50 Germany 35 ethical novice the trials and tribulations of about the advertisers boycotting Amazon ECRA checks out advertisers before accepting their ads 36 boycotts and reserves the right to refuse any advert. dairy, Pepsico, Costa Coffee, Covered in previous Product Guides: Co-operative Church of England phone & broadband (145), Kingfisher Toothpaste (165), Plamil, Vegetarian Shoes (162). 38 beyond consumerism Other advertisers: Abundance, Animal Aid, Bhopal seed saving Campaign, Book Aid, Gebana Farmers’ Market, Green Building Store, Infinity Wholefoods, Investing Ethically, 39 lush spring prize New Internationalist, Railway Kids, Shared Interest. launch of 2019 prize regulars 42 interview Ethical Consumer Research SACOM, Hong Kong-based NGO Association Ltd 34 Christmas gift subscriptions 43 manifesto Unit 21, 41 Old Birley Street, Manchester, M15 5RF give a gift that lasts a year our new 2018 manifesto t: 0161 226 2929 (12 noon-6pm) e: [email protected] for general enquiries 46 letters 44 money [email protected] for subscriptions. a regular forum for readers’ views carbon divested funds, pension schemes, Energise Africa 50 inside view Follow us: @EC_magazine the war against plastic waste 45 tax justice tax justice in Nigeria Ethical Consumer Magazine

Food and home NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

Avaaz wins case against Monsanto On 6th September, global campaign network Avaaz achieved a huge victory over Monsanto when the company’s case was thrown out by a judge. Back in January 2018, Monsanto served a subpoena on Avaaz, the global network of online activists with over 46 million people. Monsanto wanted the names and e-mail addresses and all other records of the organization that refer to Monsanto or glyphosate. Avaaz has been active against the re-registration of glyphosate, which Monsanto sells as Roundup, in the EU. The The manifesto was launched at the rain-sodden People’s Walk for $50 billion mega-corporation is infamous for legal strong-arm Wildlife on 22 September in London. tactics like this. The judge said that the case, if upheld, would have a A People’s Manifesto to end the “tremendous chilling effect”, saying “no member would want to have their privacy and their activity known” and actually gave war on wildlife Monsanto a lecture on democracy and free speech. Nearly 200 inspiring ideas and hard-hitting measures to Meanwhile SumofUs are teaming up with the government of revive the UK’s wildlife, one of the most nature-depleted Brussels to sue the EU over its illegal relicensing of glyphosate. countries in the world, have been unveiled by Chris It’s illegal because EU policy says that our safety, not corporate Packham. profits, must be prioritised when licensing chemicals. Donate to The naturalist and broadcaster has teamed up with 17 help the court case at https://actions.sumofus.org/a/help-take- independent wildlife experts, scientists and campaigners to on-bayer-and-stop-glyphosate-for-good outline new ways to reverse the ongoing decline of Britain’s wildlife. Their recommendations are published in a freely New guides on the website available manifesto. Since the last magazine, a number of guides have gone straight “It’s time to wake up,” said Chris Packham in the introduction up onto our website: to the Manifesto. “We are presiding over an ecological apocalypse and precipitating a mass extinction in our own • Petrol & Diesel – a follow-up to last magazine’s guides to backyard. But – vitally – it is not too late. There is hope we can cars: www.ethicalconsumer.org/transport-travel/shopping- hold to, and there is action we can take.” guide/petrol-diesel In the manifesto, Packham calls for immediate government • Cargo Bikes – a follow-up to the Bikes guide in the last action to halt the destruction of wildlife. magazine: www.ethicalconsumer.org/transport-travel/ shopping-guide/cargo-bikes Among the proposals to revive the natural world for the benefit of all species – including humans – are: • Fast Food Chains – a sister guide to the Restaurants guide in the last magazine, this guide covers 10 fast food chains 1. Every primary school in Britain to be twinned long-term including the usual suspects plus Itsu and LEON: with a farm to help children understand farming and food www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/shopping-guide/fast- growing. food-chains 2. Rewild 10% of UK uplands. • Plus, our palm oil free list has just been updated on the 3. Make 30% of UK waters off-limits to commercial fishing. website and lists products that are free of palm oil including 4. Ban driven grouse shooting. biscuits, peanut butter, chocolate and pet food: 5. Call an immediate halt to the badger cull www.ethicalconsumer.org/palm-oil-free-list Download the manifesto from www.chrispackham.co.uk/a- Go to our new look website and take a look. peoples-manifesto-for-wildlife Restaurants guide correction In the Restaurants guide in issue 174 we suggested that consumers should avoid relying on the Sustainable Restaurants Association (SRA) ratings as a means to decide how to spend their money ethically. This was due to the differences between how brands performed in each rating system, as well as a perceived lack of transparency in the SRA rating system. After, engaging in dialogue with the SRA and receiving clarification on its rating, we retract this recommendation, Global Farmers’ Market is a new partnership between Ethical Shop and especially when considering smaller independent gebana to supply ethically grown organic produce, like these dates, direct from growers in Africa and Latin America to your doorstep. restaurants.

Food and home ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

Anti-plastic campaigns

Plastic news Supermarket packaging A new, regular update on what companies are doing to In September, Greenpeace volunteers and shoppers have been get rid of single use and non-recyclable plastic. Plus tips handing items of single-use plastic packaging back at tills in over for how to avoid plastic in your life. 60 supermarkets across the UK, with notes to store managers calling for action to reduce excessive throwaway packaging. How to avoid plastic waste Friends of the Earth have a really good website devoted to living without plastic – https://friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics/living- without-plastic One of their initiatives is Plastic Free Friday, a similar idea to Meat Free Mondays, where people are encouraged to give up plastic for one day a week, to ease them into a longer term plastic-free life. Join the campaign. Pledge to go plastic free on Fridays – https://friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics/plastic-free-friday See also Clothes news on page 8 for Friends of the Earth’s new campaign against plastic in clothing. Image – John Cobb/Greenpeace Plastic-free tips UK supermarkets generate more than 800,000 tonnes of Have you got any tips to share about how to live a plastic free plastic packaging waste every year. Shoppers were encouraged life? Let us know and we’ll publish them on this page. Email to remove unnecessary plastic packaging from items they had [email protected] or post on Facebook (Ethical purchased and leave it at the checkout, handing responsibility for Consumer Magazine) or Twitter (@EC_magazine). its disposal back to the company selling it. Here’s a few to start you off: Greenpeace UK’s most successful environmental petition • Avoid packaged vegetables by buying loose or getting a veg is asking supermarkets to reduce the volume of throwaway box; plastic packaging they produce. It has been signed by over • Carry a reusable cup, bottle and shopping bag; 700,000 people across the UK. Add your name – https://secure. greenpeace.org.uk/page/s/plastic-free-supermarkets • Get your milk delivered in glass bottles rather than buying plastics ones (www.findmeamilkman.net); Walkers crisps • Use tupperware boxes instead of clingfilm; 38 Degrees is campaigning to get Walkers crisps to act faster • Avoid coffee capsules which cannot be recycled. to ditch its non-recyclable, plastic crisp packets. The inside of Perhaps you could start off by sending us your tips about how to a crisp packet may look like metal foil but is in fact metallised have a plastic-free Christmas. plastic film. The packets are not recyclable – beach-cleaning volunteers in Cornwall have retrieved old Only 9% of all plastic waste Walkers packets believed to date from the Supermarket news 1980s and 1990s. has ever been recycled. In response to Waitrose announcing that Walkers have promised to plastic free they will remove all plastic bags from their by 2025 but by then they’ll have produced stores by March 2019 (but replace some with compostable 28 billion more plastic packets that will litter our beaches, our bags), Elena Polisano, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace UK streets, and pile up in landfills. said: “Removing all plastic bags is a sensible move by Waitrose, Other crisp brands, including KP Snacks (which owns but retailers must focus on moving beyond packaging that’s McCoy’s, Tyrrell’s and Hula Hoops), Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, designed to be used once then discarded, rather than swapping Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, have all matched one disposable item for another. Walkers’ pledge to make their crisp packets 100% recyclable, The Co-op’s pledge on plastic will see all its own-brand compostable or biodegradable by 2025 – in seven years time. packaging become easy to recycle by 2023. But that’s not a ban But, as the leading brand, Walkers alone make 11m crisp packets on single use packaging just a ban on non-recyclable packaging. a day so going plastic-free would have a big impact. It has also promised to use a minimum of 50% recycled Send your empty Walkers crisp packets to their head office plastic in bottles, pots, trays and punnets by 2021. All own- – https://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/4321 or sign the brand black and dark plastic packaging, including black ready petition – https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/recyclable-crisp- meal trays, will be eliminated by 2020. It will also roll out packets lightweight compostable carrier bags. Lidl removed black plastic from fruit and veg range in See also Inside View on page 50 for more on the war against September but that still leaves loads of other products like ready plastic. meals in black plastic.

Clothes NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

Tell clothes companies to stop plastic pollution On the opening day of London Fashion Week in September, Friends of the Earth (FoE) called on the fashion industry to do more to tackle plastic pollution as new figures highlighted that the sector is a ‘significant contribution’ to the problem. Research from FoE found that clothes washing in the UK is estimated to generate around 4,000 tonnes of plastic microfibre pollution every year, of which 1,600 tonnes could be ending up in our rivers and estuaries. One washing load of clothes could be shedding up to 17 million tiny plastic fibres. The call for the fashion industry to act on plastic pollution FoE is asking supporters to sign the petition to help them coincided with a new survey, showing that most people aren’t convince retailers to: aware that much of our clothing is plastic-based. A Friends of 1. Identify the worst-offending materials in their clothing. the Earth-commissioned YouGov poll found that only 45% of the public know that new clothing can often be made from, or 2. Find alternatives that don’t harm people and the contain, plastic. environment. As much as two-thirds of UK clothing could be made Sign the petition: https://act.friendsoftheearth.uk/act/micro- from synthetic plastic material, such as polyester, acrylic or fibres-petition polyamide. Friends of the Earth plastics campaigner Emma Priestland Nike ad splits opinion lamented: “The fashion industry is a major contributor to plastic Sportswear giant Nike sparked a twitter storm in pollution, shedding tonnes of tiny plastic microfibres into our September when their new ad campaign featured Colin oceans via our washing machines every year. Kaepernick, an American football (NFL) player, who “These fibres are so small that they pass through water protested against racial injustice and police brutality by treatment facilities and end up in the food chain when they are kneeling during the national anthem in 2016. swallowed by small creatures in our seas. The industry must help stop this tsunami of plastic pollution.” FoE is urging the public to embrace slow fashion by choosing fewer, more durable clothing items made from sustainable material, which can be kept longer. It is also urging the clothing industry to take steps to reduce its contribution to the plastic pollution entering our oceans. Priestland added: “For many materials, recycling is a useful way of preventing pollution – but not for plastic. It just delays the inevitable escape of pollutants into the environment. Ultimately, to end the plastic pollution crisis, we need government action to phase-out all but the most essential plastics.”

What can you do Friends of the Earth’s key tips: No club has employed him since then. The ad featured • Buy fewer fleeces, even those made out of recycled plastic the line “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing bottles, as polyester fleece is thought to be one of the biggest everything”. emitters of microfibres due to its construction. Buy woollen fleeces instead. The ad has gained much traction, both positive and negative, but some workers’ rights activists have criticised Kaepernick • Wash clothes at lower temperatures, typically under 30°C, as over his alignment with Nike; a company widely known for its a lower temperature wash is less aggressive, so therefore less poor working conditions and low wages in factories. likely to stimulate fibre release and also saves energy. Rosa Celemente, an activist, told The New York Times that • Reduce spin speeds – faster spin speeds risk more plastic “activists, organizers and leaders sometimes make mistakes, and fibres shedding. I think [Kaepernick} made a mistake by aligning himself with a • Fill the washing machine – A full washing machine reduces company that exploits workers and breaks unions. It’s not just a friction between items. capitalist company – it’s a hyper-capitalist company”. • Use a special ‘Guppy’ friend bag to collect fibres to help In the 1990s, the harsh reality of Nike’s success was exposed reduce fibre release from clothes. with reports of widespread labour exploitation at its factories. • Air dry rather than tumble dry. Ever since, Nike has tried to clean up its image. In 2015, its

Clothes ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

Sustainable Business Report included a Code of Conduct, it had burned around £28 million worth of stock in the last which has clauses on working hours, child labour and worker year alone. Burberry claimed that it incinerated products as a discrimination. Nike received an Ethical Consumer middle safeguard to prevent unwanted items being stolen or sold at a rating for supply chain management in response to these discount and therefore decreasing the value of the brand. growing commitments. In response to criticism, Burberry has announced that it will However, it continues to deny its garment workers a living cease burning unwanted stock immediately in an attempt to wage. A recent report by Clean Clothes Campaign claimed that salvage its reputation. Gobbetti claims that “now customers are factory workers today receive even less of Nike profits than they not happy if you don’t care about the environment they live did in the 1990s. The ‘Foul Play’ report claims that “the share of in”. Perhaps the designer brand is beginning to respond to the these costs that ends up in a worker’s pocket is now a staggering growing demand for sustainability in the sector. 30% less than in the early 1990s.” While the designer brands are finally ditching fur, they Others have been strongly supportive of the Nike campaign remain stuck in the past when it comes to workers’ rights and which came at a time of rising racism in the USA. Ethical toxics. See our guide to designer clothing, where the highest Consumer has been asking whether, in these times of score is only 7. increasingly polarised positions, we need big companies to www.ethicalconsumer.org/fashion-clothing/shopping-guide/ take positive stands on political issues like climate change. designer-clothing Interestingly, despite boycott calls against Nike by far-right commentators, Nike’s sales rose by 31% in the days after the advert was aired. Inside Know the Origin Burberry goes fur-free One brand leading the way on transparency is Know the Origin. The online ethical retailer is an Ethical Consumer Burberry’s collection at London Fashion Week this Best Buy and tops our ethical fashion brands guide. We September was fur-free. The CEO of Burberry, Marco spoke to KTO founder, Charlotte, in our latest video. Gobbetti, claims that it is now “making a firm We asked her about what makes a brand transparent, commitment on it”. her favourite Know the Origin item, greenwashing by “There’s a little bit [of fur] to phase out as there is still some mainstream fashion brands and advice for consumers on in stores and we will phase it out, but it was already not a part a budget. Check it out on our YouTube Channel http://bit. of our creative thinking,” he said at the Burberry LFW show. ly/EthicalConsumerChannel Burberry joins Gucci, Versace and Michael Kors which have all made ‘fur-free’ announcements in the last year. Humane Society International UK welcomed Burberry’s announcement. A spokesperson said, “We are delighted that this iconic British fashion giant is finally going fur-free. Most British consumers don’t want anything to do with the cruelty of fur. Burberry’s compassionate stance couldn’t have come at a better time, sending a strong message to designers like Prada still using fur who are looking more and more isolated and outdated by the day.” Burberry faced backlash in July when it was reported that

African Tunics with an Ethical Tale Where Does it Come From? has launched a new crowdfunder to raise money for a new transparent supply chain in Africa using organic, rain-fed cotton from Uganda and tailored by a social enterprise in Malawi. Each pledge includes a women’s tunic (choice of two different prints) and regular updates during production, including photos and video of the makers. The project is hoping to raise £20,000 by 19th of October to help set up production. Find out more and pledge here: https:// www.crowdfunder.co.uk/african-tunics

Climate NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

Frack free four imprisoned College of General Practitioners committed to divest from fossil fuels in 2018. The Royal College of General Practitioners, the As Cuadrilla prepares to start fracking in Lancashire this UK’s largest medical college, also committed to ending its autumn, unprecedented prison sentences were handed investments in all fossil fuel companies. down to Roscoe Blevins and Richard Roberts (each 16 months), and Richard Loizou (15 months). Manchester Science Festival’s Shell They were convicted of Public Nuisance for an incident in July 2017 when a convoy controversy of lorries delivering drilling equipment Three partners, including Carbon Co-op and Stitched to the Preston New Road fracking site Up, have withdrawn from the Manchester Science was spontaneously brought to a halt by Festival following news that Shell will be the major protesters. They took the opportunity sponsor of The Manchester-based Science and Industry to climb up on top of the cabs of the Museum (SIM)’s new exhibition – ‘Electricity: the spark lorries and, between the three of them of life’.1 This exhibition is due to launch alongside the and one other, stayed in occupation for Science Festival on the 18th October. 99.5 hours. A more than 57,000 strong petition was delivered to Greenpeace UK’s executive director John Sauven said the Manchester’s SIM,2 calling on it to drop its links with Shell demonstrators “deserve our gratitude, not a prison term. It’s a and follow the growing trend for cultural institutions to drop strange society that massively rewards those responsible for ties with fossil fuel sponsors. Over the past month three Dutch causing more climate change while putting those trying to stop museums - including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam it in jail.” – have announced an end to their sponsorship deals with Shell, In the same year that the government is celebrating the following creative protests by the group Fossil Free Culture NL.3 suffragettes, well known for their radical and law-breaking Among the petition’s signatories was naturalist Chris Packham tactics, these disproportionate sentences indicate a sense of who commented: “As the world swelters and wildlife struggles desperation from the fracking industry and the government. It in [the] unprecedented heatwave [this past summer], MSI seems to be a clear sign that the protesters are winning. Is this a has decided to partner with Shell, one of the corporations nail in the coffin for the fracking industry? responsible for fuelling climate change. A museum dedicated to Richard, Richard and Roscoe are science education should not be helping promote any company currently being held in Preston prison. that is actively exacerbating this planetary emergency until they Visit http://frackfreefoursupporters. show a serious proactive drive to switch to renewables. And org for details of how to write to the thus far this is not happening.” prisoners, donate, sign a petition or attend a vigil at the prison. Carbon divestment movement’s year of firsts 2018 has seen the global divestment movement continue to grow; having engaged a number of significant new actors over the past year including large cities, a whole nation (Ireland) and health professionals. To build on the momentum, the movement is now calling on investors to reach $10 trillion in divested assets by 2020 to align with the Paris Agreement. ‘The [2018] Global Fossil Fuel Divestment and Clean Energy The Science Museum Group – of which the Science and Investment Movement’ report,5 compiled by Arabella Advisors, Industry Museum is a member – is also under pressure to justify details key trends and successes. its partnerships with Shell, BP and Equinor after nearly 50 ‘Approximately 1000 institutional investors with $6.24 trillion leading scientists submitted a formal complaint in July 2018 in assets have committed to divest from fossil fuels, up from arguing that the museum group is ‘undermining its integrity $52 billion just four years ago’ is the key headline; with pledges as a scientific institution’ by partnering with major fossil fuel coming from 37 countries. companies, despite their continued contribution to climate Insurers, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds were change.4 reported to be the key drivers of growth, with the insurance sector divesting more than any other sector. The health sector was also found to show increasing interest in the public health References: 1 https://cultureunstained.org/shell-simmanchester 2 https:// impacts of climate change, resulting in key health bodies you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/shell-out-no-place-for-big-oil-in-public- science 3 https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/shell-sponsorship 4 https:// making divestment pledges. cultureunstained.org/2018/07/05/scientists-call-out-science-museum-over- For example, The American Medical Association (AMA), ties-to-big-oil 5 https://cultureunstained.org/2018/07/05/scientists-call-out- the Australian Medical Students’ Association, and the Royal science-museum-over-ties-to-big-oil 6 www.arabellaadvisors.com/wp-content/ uploads/2018/09/Global-Divestment-Report-2018.pdf

10 Shopping without Amazon Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE Shopping without Amazon

he guides that follow are all part other British protectorates, but the facts of our Amazon Alternatives series, speak for themselves. This year has again Tand form the backbone of our seen talk of new legislation to combat the Amazon boycott campaign. They are issue – with Chancellor Philip Hammond designed to provide consumers with some promising a new ‘Amazon tax’ – but, if ethical alternatives to the online retail past form is anything to go by, one can’t leviathan. imagine that this would be anything more We began our boycott campaign against than another empty promise. Amazon six years ago. The call was made Around the globe it is a similar story. In as part of our wider campaign to tackle the US, almost all states now collect sales tax avoidance, which also included work taxes from consumers despite Amazon’s on procurement and a fledgling version of best efforts to avoid them, and Germany what would become the Fair Tax Mark. is bringing in new laws on the same issue (see page 33). However, the task of strengthening corporation tax rules remains incomplete the world over.

Breaking up tech and given over to democratic ownership. monopolies From here it looks like a lofty ambition, but there are lessons from history with While its flagrant tax avoidance is, in part, US oil companies at the turn of the last responsible for its seemingly inexorable century, and it is also grounded in recent rise, one can’t help but feel that our discussions around democratic ownership collective lack of digital literacy is also generally. to blame. Alarm bells would have been ringing much earlier than 2012 if 50% of the shops on our high streets carried the Web services black and orange Amazon branding, or Amazon’s dominance is not just in At that time, the issue of tax avoidance if half the stores in your local shopping consumer product sales. It has also seen was only just starting to filter into the centre were owned by Amazon. Its strong growth in Amazon Web Services, its public consciousness. But work from gathering power and influence would cloud computing services, which are used Richard Murphy, MP Margaret Hodge, the have been altogether more obvious if it by organisations as varied as Netflix and Tax Justice Network, Action Aid, Ethical dominated our physical geography rather the Guardian. Consumer and others helped propel the than just the first page of our google A second demand from our 2018 issue up the media agenda and into the searches. manifesto asks that government and local mainstream. Now, tax avoidance has So, as well as our boycott, we have councils take tax avoidance into account become the public’s number one corporate now added a clause to our new 2018 when awarding contracts and making responsibility concern, consistently polling manifesto that is asking governments to purchasing decisions. This could affect above issues traditionally provoking the tackle the problem in a far more direct Amazon Web Services, which are currently public’s ire, like fat cat pay and equality. way (see page 43). We are asking that used by some government agencies like Sadly, despite the public backlash, little technology monopolies be broken up Companies House. The Amazon Business has changed at Amazon over this period. Account is also used by some large public In 2017, Amazon paid less tax in the institutions to make everyday office UK than it did the previous year despite purchases. bumper profits. This comes just one year With the Amazon boycott campaign after promises to stop routing UK sales entering its 7th year, it’s vital that we through their European holding company try and use as many levers as possible in Luxembourg. Either this hasn’t in our efforts to tackle Amazon’s tax happened, or their accountants have found avoidance, and we hope that you’ll share new ways to avoid tax. It seems HMRC our alternatives guides to help friends will not be getting a bean more than and family avoid the behemoth over the Amazon wish to pay them anytime soon. coming Christmas period. There have been various government- backed conferences on tax and some minor changes to legislation, notably around beneficial ownership and the way sales tax is collected in regard to Jersey and

11 Product Book retailers GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org Shelf awareness Book retailers are on the frontline of the battle with Amazon. Joanna Long looks at how their ethics stack up.

n this guide, we look at company over half of people buying them doing so Follow @booksaremybag on Twitter for ethics in each of the key publishing through the retail giant. news and updates. Imarkets (print, eBook and audiobooks), highlight the brands seeking Bookshops on the Buy or borrow? to consolidate and survive, and make the case for including authors in our ethics. brink Buying second hand books is good for the environment because you’re reusing a Waterstones on the high street and thing that has already been made, rather Print revival? Blackwell’s on university campuses are than chopping down trees to create a new After years of fluctuations, the market the only remaining nationwide, dedicated, thing. If you’re buying used books from for books seems to have found a new bricks and mortar bookshops in the UK, a charity shop, then you’re also doing equilibrium. The book trade is managing although Foyles may be added to this something philanthropic. to (just about) hold on in the face of list for those living in London, Bristol, The downside to buying used books Amazon, eBooks are losing their shine and Birmingham and Chelmsford. WHSmith is that the authors receive no royalty or the demise of independent bookshops may and The Works also have a high street other payment from these sales. This is less have been halted. presence but are not dedicated book of a problem if the book you’re buying is Print still dominates the books market retailers. something by Homer, but it is an issue for (over 80% share) but its growth from The decline of independent bookshops living authors who don’t have salaries and, year to year isn’t steady. After booming was arrested in 2017, with the total instead, rely on royalties to buy things like in 2015 and 2016, sales of print books number actually growing, if only by one. toilet paper and oat milk. flattened out in 2017, growing by only The tally now stands at 868, which is over Borrowing from libraries is an 0.1%. Despite appearances this could one thousand fewer than it was back in excellent middle ground. Not only are you actually be positive news. In 2017, there 1995. There are more hen harriers in the supporting another endangered species, were no smash hits (‘Go Set A Watchman’, UK than independent bookshops! but authors do receive payment when their ‘The Girl on the Train’, yet another ‘Fifty You can find local bookshops at www. works are loaned through a library. This Shades’ instalment ...) as there had been indiebookshopweek.org.uk. Once you’ve applies to print, eBook and audiobooks. in the previous two years. Nevertheless, gone in and purchased your 2019 diary, (For more about how authors get paid, see print books still managed to register you should block out Independent Authors’ royalties, page 15). growth, which market researchers Mintel Bookshop week, which is happening 15- Free download sites and eBook interpret as a sign that the print revival is 22 June. This is run by the Bookseller’s swapping sites should be approached 1 a long-term trend. Amazon continues to Association and is part of their ‘Books Are with caution. Some are illegal in the dominate the market in print books, with My Bag’ campaign: booksaremybag.com. UK and may not be supporting authors

12 Book retailers Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE ID 56228108 © Tuja66 | Dreamstime.com Tuja66 ID 56228108 ©

or publishers. An exception is Project (www.abovethetreeline.com) and and publishers and self-publishing authors Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org), which NetGalley (www.netgalley.co.uk) give are under pressure from retailers like is run by the not-for-profit Project ‘readers of influence’ access to free copies Amazon to reduce their prices in return Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation of new releases in exchange for feedback for more promotion and prominence. The and provides free access to e-versions of and reviews. heads of both the Society of Authors and books no longer under copyright. Another the Publisher’s Association find this trend not-for-profit initiative is LibriVox eBooks alarming: (librivox.org), which crowdsources “The routine discounting and implied audiobook narrations of books in the eBooks account for just under a fifth of devaluing of printed books – often at the public domain and makes them available all book sales in the UK and the sector authors’ expense – is already a big problem. for free. is growing faster than print – eBooks The last thing we need is to encourage even There are also sites touting themselves grew by 2.9% in 2017, compared to more discounting on digital platforms.” as platforms for sharing new books 0.1% for print. There has been some – Nicola Solomon, Society of Authors. to book industry professionals and debate in recent months about the “Amazon have a vested interest in enthusiasts. Above the Treeline future of eBooks after the CEO of global lowering prices as much as they possibly publisher, Hachette Group, described can because it helps them maintain their eBooks as stupid’: “It is exactly the same market share. Effectively, they’re saying, ‘In as print, except it’s electronic. There is no order to promote your book, we’re going creativity, no enhancement, no real digital to dictate the price’ ... [Our members] experience.”5 invest a lot of money in authors and feel eBook defenders rallied, citing the that they price their books appropriately. accessibility of eBooks in remote locations We are not seeking to sell very low and their usefulness to people with visual [priced] commodities.” – Stephen Lotinga, impairments. Others pointed out that Publisher’s Association.7 imaginative users have adapted certain In short, normalising low prices devalues eBook features, such as highlighting the market and squeezes author incomes and public notes, for social networking, even further. Factor in the 20% VAT charged demonstrating that innovation isn’t only on eBooks (but not on print books) and it’s ‘top down’.6 barely worth putting finger-tip to keyboard. Price is queen in the world of eBooks. If you are an eBook reader, check out our BAMBassador Benjamin Zephaniah. Mintel found that many eBook consumers guide to Tablets and eReaders on page 22. Books are his bag. immediately look for the cheapest offer

13 Product Book retailers GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

Environment Animals People Politics +ve USING THE TABLES USING THE TABLES Ethiscore: the higher Positive ratings (+ve): the score, the better the • Company Ethos: company across the criticism = full mark, categories. e = half mark. H = worst rating, E h = middle rating, • Product Sustainability: empty = best rating Maximum of five positive (no criticisms). marks.

Oxfam [P] 12.5 H h h h e Oxfam WHSmith [P,E,A] 11 h h h H h WHSmith Plc

Better World Books [P,A] 10.5 H h H h H E Qumpus Inc Guardian Bookshop [P,A] 10.5 H h H H h E Monwell/Aurelius/Scott Trust Blackwells [P,E,A] 10 H h H h H Blackwell Ltd Books Etc [P,A] 10 H h H h H Books Etc Foyles [P] 10 H h H h H W&G Foyle Ltd Hive [P,E] 10 H h H h H The Little Group The Works [P,A] 10 H h H h H Theworks.co.uk Plc Alibris.co.uk [P,A] 9.5 H h H h h H Oak Hill Capital Partners The Book People [P,E,A] 9.5 H h h H h H Endless LLP Waterstones [P,E] 9.5 H h H h H h Lynwood/Alpha Global/Elliott Wordery [P,A] 9 H h H h H H Aurelius Group Audiobooks.com [A] 8 HH h h h h HH KKR Apple iBooks [E] 7 H h h H h h H H H Apple Inc Rakuten Kobo [E,A] 6.5 H h H H h H H h H Rakuten Inc/Crimson Group Google [E] 6 H h H H h H H H H Alphabet Inc, Google Inc AbeBooks, Amazon [P] 0 HHHH HHHHHHhhhHHH Amazon.com/Jeff Bezos Book Depository [P] 0 HHHH HHHHHHhhhHHH Amazon.com/Jeff Bezos Audible [A] 0 HHHH HHHHHHhhhHHH Amazon.com/Jeff Bezos

P = Print books E = ebooks A = audiobooks See all the research behind these ratings on www.ethicalconsumer.org. For definitions of all the categories go to www.ethicalconsumer.org/our-ethical-ratings

Hear ye! Hear ye! habits since the smartphone.” These Table highlights speakers have arguably recentred audio The big new market is audiobooks. in modern households and, when linked Attempting to capitalise on the with audiobooks, could lead to a revival Tax avoidance popularity of podcasts and in an effort of collective listening. Those who are There was no middle ground when it came to take on Amazon’s Audible service, nostalgic for the days of gathering around to Ethical Consumer’s tax avoidance rating several publishers (Kobo, Google) have the wireless could be in for a treat. of book retailers. Seven parent companies introduced audiobooks, while Spotify received a worst rating: Amazon has done a deal with Bloomsbury for (AbeBooks, Audible, Book Depository), audiobooks, and the US company Apple, Google, KKR (audiobooks.com), audiobooks.com recently launched in the Aurelis Group (Wordery), Lynwood UK. Hachette and HarperAudio have gone (Waterstones), Rakuten. The remaining 14 as far as creating a series of audiobooks companies received a best rating. pressed to Vinyl.8,9 The orange elephant in the room here Speakers with voice-controlled is, of course, Amazon. Hardly a week ‘smart assistants’, such as Apple’s Siri, goes by without a news headline on how Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa, are The audiobook narration market has been little tax Amazon pays in , despite ever-growing profits. The most impactful new device on listening downloaded through Audible in 2017. latest story came in early August, when

14 Book retailers Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE it was announced that Amazon’s UK got its half mark for being one-third m services arm had a turnover of £1.98 owned by the Scott Trust, Oxfam nsu er o .o c r billion in 2017, a 36% increase on the for its charitable status and Better l g Ethical Consumer’s a

year before, and posted pre-tax profits of World Books for being a B-Corp. c best buy is your i

10 h £72.4 million. The tax bill? £1.7 million. That said, few companies in this t local, independent

Incorporated in Delaware, Amazon has guide were involved in political e Y bookshop. However, BE BU ten high-risk subsidiaries in jurisdictions activities or were likely to be engaged S T we recognise that this on Ethical Consumer’s tax haven list, in tax avoidance, which makes a nice isn’t always the most including Luxembourg-based Amazon change. viable option, in which case the EU S.à r.l., which owns Book Depository. brands with a middle rating or best A 2015 report by Citizens for Tax Justice Authors’ royalties for supply chain management (and estimated that the company had $2.5 therefore eligible for Best Buy status) 11 A typical royalty is 10% of the billion hidden offshore. The company were: has been repeatedly named in the UK recommended retail price on hardbacks 12,13,14 and 7.5% on paperbacks. So, for a £16.99 press and parliament as a tax dodger Print: Oxfam, World of Books, hardback the author would receive around and has been investigated by HMRC and NearSt the EU over its taxes.15,16 £1.70 for each copy sold and for an £8.99 paperback they would receive 67p. 14 Ethical policies This royalty usually drops when retailers demand discounts. So, if a major Very few companies in this guide retailer offers a 52-55% retail discount (a undertook policy reporting of any kind, common occurrence) the author gets four- environmental or supply chain. There fifths the full royalties, with a further drop were exemptions on offer for companies on sales at even higher discounts. that only dealt in digital products (NearSt, Royalties for self-publishers are a ebooks.com, audiobooks.com) or only proportion of any wholesale or retail 12.5 sold second-hand items (World of Books, receipts and are set by the wholesalers and Oxfam). Of those that were expected to retailers. For eBooks, the author receives have a supply chain policy, WHSmith 25% of the monies paid by the retailer to (best) and Apple (middle) were the only the publisher. ones not to get a worst rating. eBooks: ebooks.com Subscription services for eBooks Ethical Consumer expected companies and audiobooks are relatively new and involved in the physical book trade to the situation regarding royalties here is have policies on timber sourcing and 13 complex, contract-dependent and, in commitments to minimise the amount general terms, unclear. of paper sold from virgin sources. The string of orange dots in the Habitats and Sunk costs Resources column indicates how the companies fared against this expectation: Before royalties can be used to pay bills, audiobooks: WHSmith only WHSmith had a policy and World of they are first used to pay off the advance 11 Books only retailed used books. The others given to the author by their publisher in were clearly leaving this issue to the book anticipation of the profits to come. publishers themselves, which are making Self-published authors support somewhat underwhelming progress (see themselves while writing and must pay Jess Aurie’s article on page 18). to have their book published, so royalties need to cover these outlays and subsidise Leather and vinyl their next book. RECOMMENDED Lots of companies lost half marks under Public Lending Right Animal Rights for selling new or used PLR is a modest payment (around 8p) books bound in leather, and/or other Better World Books, Guardian received by authors each time their work products made from leather. We also Bookshop and Hive (see Companies (written, eBook, audio) is lent through a docked half a mark under Pollution and behind the brands). Toxics from companies selling new vinyl public library. records and/or other products made from Introduced in 1979 and recently PVC due to its negative environmental expanded to include e-lending, it balances impact in production, use and disposal. the social need for free public access to BRANDS TO AVOID Companies that were not marked down books against an author’s right to be for either of these were: NearSt, World of remunerated for the use of their work. Amazon, AbeBooks, Audible, Book Books, Ebooks.com, Audiobooks.com. Although no substitute for royalties Depository on purchased books, PLR is a valued part Company Ethos of many authors’ incomes. Over 22,000 writers, illustrators, photographers, Companies with a positive ethos are thin translators and editors receive PLR For more information visit on ground. The Guardian Bookshop payments of up to £6,600 each year. www.societyofauthors.org

15 Product Book retailers GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

Crowd-funding authors meaning publishers are motivated more and more by profit, and take far less Funding by the crowd offers aspiring risks with new authors, or controversial authors the option to pre-sell a book or subjects. But even without that influence, a book idea whilst gathering support and the world of publishing can itself be publicity in the process. A number of extremely elitist and fickle, with its crowdfunding sites have developed that gatekeepers essentially playing a game of specifically target authors and include ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ when claiming 3 4 Unbound and Authr. All have slightly to know what might or might not be a different focuses and crowdfunding successful title. models, but authors can realise a greater “Crowdfunding is a superb way to bypass financial return per book than typical these barriers, if you have good reason royalties. Kickstarter and Indiegogo to believe there’s an audience out there, also have publishing categories on their and feel confident you have the means to crowdfunding platforms. reach them ... though our experience is Polyp, one of Ethical Consumer’s that it’s fatal to assume crowdfunding is a cartoonists (and a self-published, sort of magic money tree – it requires real crowdfunded author) commented: concentration, outreach and hard work to “The book industry has been subjected succeed.” to increasing corporate centralisation,

Companies behind the brands Hive was set up in 2011 by the book wholesalers, Gardners, as a way for consumers to support local bookshops even when buying online. Independent bookstores sign up for free to the Hive network and, when a buyer nominates that bookstore at the checkout, they receive a proportion of the value of the sale. The exact amount varies depending on the contents of order itself and whether it is shipped directly to the customer or collected at a local store. Hive said the cut ranges from “a minimum of 5% to 15% of the net value of the order – the average is around 10%.”17 Ethical Consumer spoke to a bookshop that was not part of the network, Chorlton Bookshop, to ask why they hadn’t joined. They replied that the minimum kickback of 5% was too low to be an incentive. There was also an issue with the pricing of books: if Gardners chose to discount a particular book online then Chorlton Bookshop would have felt obliged to do the same, even if it was not in their financial interests. The alternative – not discounting the book instore – would have created a two-tier pricing system, which the manager felt would have been unfair to her customers. Not a book retailer itself, NearSt is an app that helps people find and buy things from real shops, including independent bookshops. It only covers London at the moment, but they have plans to expand. Recognising that many people shop online because they can find the thing they want rather than ‘chancing it’ in a physical store, NearSt allows you to search for an item, find local shops selling it, buy it and immediately collect it. They also offer a one-hour delivery service with an (unnamed) courier company. Waterstones is the last nationwide high-street store dedicated to books. Until July this year, its ultimate owner was the son of Russian oligarch, Alexander Mamut, who then sold his stake to Elliott Advisors, the UK arm of the American hedge fund Elliott Management Corporation. The fund was founded by Paul Singer, who is also the President, co-CEO and co-Chief Investment Officer. He has been nicknamed the ‘doomsday investor’ because of his track record of investing in companies where he detects weakness, pressuring the company to make changes to improve the share price and then selling his stake to the highest bidder. Politely referred to as ‘activist’ investing or ‘vulture capitalism’ to the rest of us, Elliott’s approach has even been linked to the downfall of the South Korean President, Park Geun-hye, after Singer’s opponents allegedly bribed government officials in an effort to fend off his attack on a merger within Samsung.18 Foyles are due to get embroiled in this story once the deal to sell the company to Waterstones goes through later this year.19 Better World Books is a B Corporation that sells new and used books and uses its profits to fund literacy projects. For every book sold on their website, the company donates a book to someone in need via non-profit organisations, such as Action Child Mobilization in Ghana or a mobile library in Ecuador.

References: 1 Mintel, Books and e-books – UK – June 2018 2 Ethical Consumer Markets Report 2017 3 https://unbound.com/ September 2018 4 https://authr.com/ September 2018 5 https://scroll.in/article/868871/the-ebook-is-a-stupid-product-no-creativity-no-enhancement-says-the-hachette-group-ceo, viewed 6 Sept 2018 6 http://theconversation.com/publishings-ratner-moment-why-ebooks-are-not-stupid-92524, viewed 6 Sept 2018 7 https://www.thebookseller.com/news/naggar-tells- publishers-slash-e-book-prices-631071, viewed 14 Sept 2018 8 https://pitchfork.com/news/vinyl-audiobook-series-launches-with-david-foster-wallace-and-more/, viewed 6 Sept 2018 9 https://www.harpercollins.com/corporate/press-releases/harperaudio-announces-vinyl-audiobook-publishing-program/, viewed 6 Sept 2018 10 https:// www.thebookseller.com/news/turnover-soars-corporation-tax-halves-amazon-uk-services-843651, viewed 14 September 2018 11 Offshore Shell Games, Citizens for Tax Justice, 2015 12 UK boycott urged after retailer pays just £4.2m in tax, The Guardian, 9 May 2014 13 Amazon’s UK business paid just £11.9 million in tax last year, The Guardian, 24 June 2015 14 Six firms including Google and Facebook made £14BILLION last year but paid just 0.3% UK tax, The Sunday Mirror, 31 January 2015 15 The Guardian, 30 December 2015 16 EU parliament to grill US tech giant, www.cbronline.com, November 2015 17 Email communication with Hive.co.uk, received 5 September 2018 18 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/27/paul-singer-doomsday-investor, viewed 11 September 2018 19 https://www.thebookseller. com/news/waterstones-buys-foyles-858311, viewed 11 September 2018

16 Book retailers Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE Stranded in the Amazon

According to market analysis from research company Mintel, women and people from higher income households are most likely to buy print books from Amazon.1 Ethical Consumer was puzzled by this: women are more likely to shop ethically than men and Amazon is regularly in the national news for its unethical business practices, from tax avoidance to workers’ rights. These women must know Amazon is unethical, but they continue to shop there. We asked our followers on Facebook to tell us why they continued shopping on Amazon. Here are some of their responses:

it is also frequently much cheaper I order books from [local which is a massive deal when you I boycott them but my sister bookshop] and, if they can’t get put everyone in your family first buys loads from them. For her she it, I do sometimes use Amazon for and have little left over for things for says it is time. Full-time job and convenience. I had to use Amazon yourself.” children = shops at night online.” to order books on domestic abuse Rhian Lant. Sarah Burrows. recently because my local bookshop could not get them via their I don’t live in major cities and wholesaler, and the large Waterstones Went for silent, has-its- the kind of books I buy are mostly in the city did not stock any. I think own-light-to-read-by kindle over semi-academic and rare publications it is therefore convenience and paperbacks during the long newborn- in non-fiction. I have no other also because of the huge range that feeding nights and subsequent choice.” Amazon offers. I don’t think though, months of lugging baby-kit round Maryam Nabavinejad. that women need more convenient with me this year while on maternity access to books than men. Maybe leave. So, my amazon purchases have women are more likely to shop definitely increased over bookshop There’s no puzzle. You’re ethically when they can but, frankly, ones.” comparing women in general with if it’s too hard, we aren’t not going to Rachel Laurence. men in general. Being more likely buy the books we need ...” than men to shop ethically and being Louise. I almost exclusively borrow more likely to shop conveniently books from libraries but it can be are not mutually exclusive. You use flawed logic to imagine that the Whilst knowing Amazon’s track a really long time for them to be women you speak of are behaving record – my job requires strange ordered in if your request goes inconsistently. These are samples, items at very short notice sometimes through or waiting for titles to likely different ones at that.” – due to this, I have their prime become available for reservation.” Josie Jo. account. By shopping with them for Madeleine Gallagher. some items – sometimes specialist books, sometimes specific tea bags that I can’t buy locally – the saving on postage that comes with prime has allowed me more money to spend on the goods we always buy ethically for the household. While I know they are bad, their speed and convenience are a temptation. I try to limit my purchases from them to work items or items which aren’t available locally, same as my use of the high street. When working within very tight budgets I am sometimes forced to buy clothes from high-street retailers. However, I choose in my personal life to only shop second hand or via ethical brands. It’s a balancing act.” Carys Hobbs-Sargeant.

Time! It’s because we do our bloody best, but we are time poor

and Amazon is fast and convenient. ID 84620795 © Ifeelstock | Dreamstime.com

17 Product Book retailers GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org Environmental printing errors Jessica Aurie investigates the attitude of major publishing houses to their environmental responsibilities.

egardless of the investments Stewardship Council and help to create its be 100% PEFC (another independent made into digital publishing, standards.7 accreditation label) accredited or the Rbooks printed on paper remain a paper must be 100% recycled.8 Although major element of the business. Each year, Transparency these are positive standards, it leaves one approximately 30 million trees are used questioning why all members of The Book to make books sold in the United States While many of the trees used to produce Chain Project can’t simply hold an FSC alone.1 books are sourced from sustainable forests, certification. The five major publishers are there is still not complete transparency Furthermore, some publishers (such considered to be Penguin Random House, regarding environmental reporting and as Usborne) wear their Book Chain HarperCollins, Hachette, Pan Macmillan timber sourcing in the industry. Where membership like a badge of honour while and Bloomsbury.2 These companies have trusted certification schemes aren’t filling providing no further information about a combined market share of over 70%. in the gaps, internal standardised systems paper purchasing or about the company’s The environmental impact that these five are. results within any of the companies have is vital in maintaining Timber project’s categories. Several Environmental environmental standards. Sourcing discuss their Book Chain Reporting There are some promising signs as Policy ‘star rating’ – but no figures on FSC paper usage suggest: Penguin Random House Worst Best information about what • In 2017, HarperCollins purchased this means could be found Hachette UK Worst Best 27,615 tonnes of book paper, 97% of it on the Book Chain Project was FSC certified.3 Harper Collins Worst Best website. • Over 90% of the paper used to make Pan Macmillan Worst Middle Finally, The Book Chain Penguin Random House’s books Bloomsbury Best Middle Project doesn’t include all are FSC certified and, by 2020, the Oxford University Press Worst Worst risks associated with timber company aims to increase this to supply chains (such as, land Simon & Schuster Worst Worst 100%.4 rights). • Nearly all (99%) of Hachette’s office SAGE Publications Worst Worst On the left is a table paper is FSC certified, while, in 2016, Little, Brown Book Group Worst Best comparing the Ethical 77% of Hachette UK’s total output was Usborne Publishing Worst Worst Consumer ratings for printed on FSC paper.5 Environmental Reporting Pluto Books Best Worst The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and timber sourcing policy. is one of the larger non-governmental Lawrence & Wishart Best Worst You can see that 9 out organisations dedicated to responsible of the 12 companies we forest management. Its tree silhouette is ranked scored a worst rating one of the most recognisable logos for The Book Chain Project is an for Environmental Reporting with only environmental sustainability. So, the next industry initiative, run by the Corporate Lawrence & Wishart, Bloomsbury, and time you’re in a bricks-and-mortar shop Responsibility adviser Carstone and Pluto scoring a best. – after you’ve read the blurb involving 28 publishers, that draws on a It was more mixed for Timber Sourcing of your next buy – scan a range of sources to better understand book with four companies scoring a best, two little further down. If the supply chains. It uses a database called a middle rating and six a worst rating. In publisher is using a scheme PREPS for responsible environmental our Timber Sourcing rating we look for a to source its paper ethically, paper sourcing, PIPS which screens commitment to use FSC sources, the use you’ll find a logo near the bar code. chemical substances against internal safety of native forests and recycled materials. To be able to put this logo on the back legislation and PRELIMS which is related From this research, it looks like the of a book, the publishing house (and every to the project’s code of conduct. book industry, which may be built on the company in its supply chain) must hold The big five are all members of the noble foundations of shared knowledge, FSC Chain of Custody certification. This initiative, but its scope and transparency could have a serious long-term negative ensures that products have been checked remain questionable. For example, to impact on the environment if it fails to at every stage of processing.6 A compliance gain the highest rating on PREPS, the improve its reporting standards. with national legislation, respect for paper needs to be certified by FSC or

local use rights, and maintenance of the References: 1 www.greenpressinitiative.org/about/bookSector 2 www.thebalancecareers.com/the-big- ecological functions of the forest and its five-trade-book-publishers-2800047 3 www.harpercollins.co.uk/corporate/about-us/environment 4 www. biodiversity are some examples of what penguinrandomhouse.co.uk/creative-responsibility/sustainability 5 www.hachette.co.uk/Information/environm the FSC logo demands. Both Greenpeace ental+and+ethical+policies.page 6 www.fsc-uk.org/preview.fsc-and-publishers-factsheet.a-888.pdf 7 www.fsc- uk.org/en-uk 8 www.penguinrandomhouse.co.uk/content/dam/prh-corporate/penguin-random-house/corporate/ and WWF are members of The Forest corporate-responsibility/sustainability/Penguin%20Random%20House%20UK%20Paper%20Policy.pdf

18 Ethical online retailers Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE Ethical online retailers

Heather Webb examines the ethics behind online retailers.

his guide is part of our Amazon alternative series, which helps Tconsumers avoid Amazon and its tax-avoiding ways. We have rated 24 alternative websites which offer a variety of products marketed as ethical. We’ve found that not all of the companies included have as stringent supply chain policies as you might expect. Nevertheless, the brands listed in this report score very highly compared to

other retailers. Many pick up additional ID 86480961 © Huang Quanrong | Dreamstime.com marks under Company Ethos by only selling products made under fair trade for example, both sell electricals such as brands in our guide to alternative clothing conditions, or that are suitable for vegans. TVs and refrigerators. on the Fashion & Clothing section of our In addition, many companies in this website. report use their profits to fund their Ethical market growth charitable activities. The Ethical Consumer Market Report, Difficult market which tracks the sales of ethical goods and Since we last looked at ethical online Who’s in this guide? services, continues to show that the market retailers in 2014, several of the companies The brand list for this guide was based on for ethical goods is growing. In 2016, the we covered have stopped trading: Cebra, feedback from our readers about which ethical market was valued at £81.3 billion. Ecotopia, Nigel’s’ Eco Store, Made Closer, ethical stores they regularly used online. One area that saw the largest growth Evolution and Fairtrade Warehouse. We couldn’t cover all the companies (9%) is the ‘Ethical Personal Products’ Global Seesaw, told Ethical Consumer it mentioned by those who completed the market. In this market ethical clothing would be shutting down its website at the survey, but we have tried to include the was found to have grown by 22.4%, while end of September 2018. most popular. ethical cosmetics saw a 3.2% increase. It is unclear why so many of the The top three in the survey were Both clothing and cosmetics are areas businesses have become unviable. Ethical Superstore, Natural Collection and which ethical online retailers are focusing However, an educated guess would point Traidcraft which are all included in this on. to these two things: guide. Only Acala focuses exclusively on Firstly, many of the products and Other popular ethical online retailers selling cosmetics, while many of the other brands on offer are very similar, making included People Tree, which can be found companies in the report such as Animal this market very homogeneous. Several in our guide to Alternative Clothing, and Aid and Viva! offer vegan and cruelty-free of the websites are run by the same Hive, which can be found in our Book beauty and cosmetic products as well as companies. Amnesty and Ethical Shop Retailers guide. other items. are both run by the New Internationalist, The companies listed in this guide vary Clothing is also a large part of the while Ethical Superstore owner Spark greatly in the type of products that they offering from many of the companies Commerce also runs Natural Collection, stock. Some sell food, others cosmetics, in this report. Amnesty, Animal Aid, Frank & Faith and Spirit of Nature. The others clothing or a combination of the Traidcraft, Viva! and WWF all sell websites therefore offer the same products three. Lots of them provide products clothing made from organic or fair by the same suppliers at the same price. under the label ‘gifts’ making them a trade cotton. Ethical Wares sells clothing Secondly, ethical online retailers perfect place to pick up presents for family produced under fair trade conditions or often offer a limited range of products and friends. manufactured in the UK or USA. in comparison to other mainstream We have also included John Lewis and Amberoot, Mamoq, and Frank & marketplaces. For instance, Acala only the Co-op Electrical Shop for consumers Faith focus solely on retailing sustainable has nine shampoos listed on its website, looking for more ethical mainstream clothing brands. whereas Superdrug has over 300 products brands and a wider selection of products, We also cover more ethical fashion listed under shampoo.

19 Product Ethical online retailers GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

Animal Aid 14.5 h e Animal Aid Veopolis 14.5 h e Veopolis Viva! 14.5 h e Viva! Amberoot 14 Gintare Business Solutions Acala 13.5 h Acala Online Ltd

Shared Earth 13.5 h h h e Shared Earth Ltd Amnesty 13 H h h e Amnesty/New Internationalist Ethical Shop 13 h H E New Internationalist Trust Mamoq 13 h h h E The Conscious Consumer Nkuku 13 h h Nkuku Wearth 13 h h Wearth London Limited

Ethical Wares 12.5 h h h h h e Ethical Wares Oxfam 12.5 H h h h e Oxfam Ethical Superstore 11.5 H h h h Spark Ecommerce Group Ltd Frank & Faith 11.5 H h h h Spark Ecommerce Group Ltd Natural Collection 11.5 H h h h Spark Ecommerce Group Ltd Spirit of Nature 11.5 H h h h Spark Ecommerce Group Ltd

Traidcraft 11.5 H h h h H e Traidcraft Plc RSPB 11 H h h h h h h e RSPB Ethical Market 10.5 H h h h h h The Lost Lanes Ltd Green Tulip 10.5 H h H h h Green Tulip

WWF 10.5 H h h h h h H e WWF International The Co-operative Electrical 5 hhhhhHHHH H h Hh E Co-operative Group Ltd John Lewis 4 hhHH HHHHH H h H E John Lewis Partnership

See all the research behind these ratings on www.ethicalconsumer.org. For definitions of all the categories go to www.ethicalconsumer.org/our-ethical-ratings

New entrants Charity online retailers Amnesty’s shop also offers products which support and promote fair trade. Despite several companies exiting the Charities have long sought to raise funds It states: “Many of our suppliers are market, we have also seen several new for their activities through retailing – for registered with one of these organisations exciting ethical companies launching. example, second-hand shops – yet there [Fairtrade Labelling Organisation or Many of these newer companies are are a growing number recognising that World Fair Trade Organisation] but we focusing exclusively on specific product they’re in a unique position to also source don’t insist; some can’t afford it, some are ranges or ethical qualities. their own-brand products which support just starting out, some are too small, and Acala, for example, is an online store the aims of the charity. some just don’t want to.” offering natural, organic and vegan health Oxfam, for example, offers consumers Animal rights charities Animal Aid and beauty products. It also ensures that a chance to buy products which support and Viva! are among our highest scoring all products are responsibly packaged and projects that help people trade their way companies in this report due to the fact are plastic free. out of poverty. It states that its suppliers they only retail vegan products. Both sell a Another new entrant is Wearth, who practice fair trade principles. It also sells wide variety. only launched in 2017. It offers consumers products which have been handcrafted or RSPB sells a range of products mostly products such as handmade jewellery made by projects which specifically benefit related – unsurprisingly – to birds, and furniture made by independent UK women. 100% of its profits raised from e.g., bird feed and nesting boxes. Many brands. sales of ‘sourced by Oxfam’ are reinvested of its products carry environmental into the charity’s projects. accreditation logos and it excludes

20 Ethical online retailers Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE products which contain PVC and peat. It rights it expected its suppliers to adhere m also only sells FSC-certified timber and to, although it was noted that its nsu er o .o c r paper products. clothing lines used organic cotton. l g Eligable for the a

c Best Buy label are

t companies which Ethical supply chains Cosmetics and e Y B U received a best Most of the companies in this guide have a Animal Testing ES T B Ethical Consumer turnover of less than £10.2 million, which, rating for supply as companies providing an environmental Within our system, the Animal Testing rating expects that all companies retailing chain management: Acala, or social alternative, makes them exempt Amberoot, Amnesty, Ethical Shop, from Ethical Consumer’s supply chain cosmetics must have an animal testing policy which includes a fixed cut-off date Oxfam, Nkuku, Shared Earth, rating. Traidcraft, Veopolis, and Viva! However, while they promote for animal-tested ingredients. As the themselves as ethical, not all had the animal testing certifying organisation rigorous standards one might expect Cruelty Free International explains: “A when it came to workers’ rights. company’s fixed cut-off date is a date We considered many of the supply chain after which none of the substances in the policies written by companies in this products have been tested on animals. A market to be quite vague about what fixed cut-off date enables a company to guarantees were sought from suppliers enforce their animal testing policy and 14.5 in terms of workers’ rights. Many failed gives suppliers a practical way to move to publicly state how they monitored away from animal testing.” workers’ rights throughout their supply While many of the companies in this chain. This was of concern especially if report sold cosmetics labelled as being cruelty free there was a lack of definition they envision growing. 14 Only a few companies in this product over what was meant by this and whether guide received Ethical Consumer’s best brands had to meet a fixed cut-off date for rating for Supply Chain Management. animal-tested ingredients. Those who did Those that did demonstrated a not have a detailed policy lost half a mark commitment to workers’ rights under Ethical Consumer’s animal testing throughout their supply chain. Companies category. The following companies stated their such as Traidcraft, Oxfam, Shared Earth RECOMMENDED and Amnesty did this through only products were cruelty free, however they sourcing ethically certified produced e.g. did not provide information on how they fair trade. Others showed commitment ensured this: Acala, Ethical Market, Ethical For retailers which offer a wider to monitoring their suppliers against Superstore, Green Tulip, RSPB, Traidcraft, selection of products, including workers’ rights provisions. Nkuku Wearth and Veopolis. electrical appliances, we would went further, stating that it carried out An example of best practise in this recommend using John Lewis or “unscheduled checks to ensure the area was animal rights charity Animal Aid the Co-operative Electrical Shop fairtrade principles are maintained”. which stated on its due to the fact they received Ethical Ethical Shop by New Internationalist website “Our own Consumer’s best rating for supply had the clearest ethical buying policy brand products, chain management. which included clear definitions of made for us by workers’ rights that suppliers had Honesty Cosmetics, to meet. Its policy also stated that it are approved BRANDS TO AVOID required suppliers to report progress on under the Humane implementing the code annually either by Cosmetics Standard and registered with This guide is designed to help you describing actions taken or completing a the Vegan Society, with a 1976 fixed cut- avoid online shopping with Amazon. questionnaire. off date (FCOD).” During the research, Ethical Consumer found that some of the brands did not publicly set minimum workers’ rights Companies behind the brands requirements for categories listed on their website. For example, Green Tulip Spark Ecommerce Group states in its Annual Report that its principal activity is sold products in its ‘Fairtrade’ category, the trading of fair trade, organic and ethically sourced products to customers via with no clear definition of what fair trade ecommerce under its four brands – EthicalSuperstore.com, Natural Collection, Spirit principles suppliers needed to meet. of Nature and Frank & Faith. The group reported a turnover of £12.6 million in 2016 and is one of the largest companies operating in this market. Only WWF scored worst for its supply chain management policy as it did not Nkuku retails handmade products sourced from producers around the world. It has have a publicly available ethical buying been trading for over ten years and its name is borrowed from a hut in Zambia. policy which explained what workers’

21 Product Tablets and e-readers GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org We need a Fairtablet Without an obvious Best Buy tablet, Mackenzie Denyer tries to find the most ethical option.

he first smartphone, IBM’s ‘Simon’, was launched in 1994 and it took T18 years before the Fairphone gave ethical consumers an ethical option. Will consumers have to wait as long before an ethically conscious tablet is produced? If you count Apple’s iPad as the first tablet, launched in 2010, we’d be waiting until 2028! For now, consumers are stuck trying to distinguish between a number of ethically compromised brands, a task that this guide will help you with. It covers 15 of the largest tablet companies in the UK, focusing on the traditional ‘slate’ tablets that are sold without a detachable keyboard. After which we look at three e-reader brands in the UK. The ethical dilemmas in the tablets market mirror those of mobile phones and laptops, with supply chains often riddled with conflict minerals, dangerous toxic chemicals and poor labour standards. As well as ethical issues arising from manufacture, this article will also consider

the impact that tablets have on children’s Wikimedia Commons Image source: development and discuss the shifting Electronics factory in Shenzhen, China. landscape of the tablet market. favour of forcing EU companies to welcomed by Amnesty International.5 The ethical issues take responsibility for the origin of the These positive changes are reflected in minerals they import. “Companies will our table, with more companies receiving be required to check their supply chain in our best rating for conflict minerals; and Conflict minerals order to respect human rights and prevent both Samsung and Asus improving their All tablets contain the 3TGs (tin, tantalum, them from contributing to conflicts from score from a worst last time around to a tungsten and gold), minerals that are 1st January 2021.”2 Importers will be best this time. largely found in the Democratic Republic required to publicly disclose their due of Congo (DRC) and surrounding diligence practices and policies on an Student forced labour countries. Profits from the sale of these annual basis. Headlines about workers’ rights abuses in minerals are the most significant financier This piece of legislation was inspired tech factories are depressingly frequent. of the armed conflicts that have plagued by the Dodd-Frank Act which has been in So much so that it is easy to forget the the country since the 1990s. This has made place in the US since 2010. Promisingly, individuals trapped in these abusive control of the mines that produce them an a recent report on company compliance systems. important military objective in itself. the Dodd-Frank Act found that over half A recent investigative report by Hong According to research by the of US companies reported whether their Kong-based Students and Scholars Against International Peace Information Service, minerals came from the DRC or adjoining Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM) gave 56% of mines have an armed presence countries in 2017, up from under a third voice to Chinese students who’d been 3 from either the army or independent in 2014. forced into workplace ‘internships’ on the armed groups.1 This puts companies in a Moreover, in 2017, Apple pledged production lines of major tech company position of responsibility to ensure that that it would treat cobalt as a conflict suppliers. 4 their money is not finding its way into this mineral. Cobalt is also mined in the DRC SACOM found that student interns conflict. On this front, there have been region and has often been linked to child worked as much as 12 hours a day, some signs of positive change. labour and other human rights abuses. sometimes overnight, without the In March 2017, MEPs voted in Apple’s action on cobalt mining has been standard labour protections afforded to

22 Tablets and e-readers Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE

regular workers. Shockingly, around half Supply chain Supply chain management of the workforce at Quanta Computer’s ratings Chongping factory were student interns.6 Our supply chain management category is designed to weed out those companies The report named Apple, Acer, HP and 2016 2018 who are yet to develop these processes. In Sony as clients of Quanta. Acer One 18-year-old student said: “We our research eight companies received a were forced to come ... Every semester, worst rating, six scored middle, and one Alba our school recruits new students but scored best (this was HP). This represents Amazon our campus is small. When they don’t a significant improvement from the last Apple time we looked at this market in 2016, have enough space in the classrooms or Archos dormitories, they force current students with five companies improving their ASUS out to do internships and then let the new score from worst to middle. students stay in our dorms.”6 This was largely owing to improved Dell Another 16-year-old intern said: “If auditing and reporting, as well as Fujitsu proactive approaches to difficult issues we refused [to go on an internship], we HP would not be able to get our graduation such as ongoing training for staff around Huawei certificates. Also, our dining and policy and procedures, and employees’ accommodation subsidies would be complaints hotlines that were free to use. Lenovo cancelled.”6 HP was the only company to score Samsung best for its supply chain management. Tech companies are regularly exposed Kurio for workers’ rights abuses such as this in The company demonstrated exemplary RCA their supply chains. Perhaps instances stakeholder engagement through its would be reduced if companies had clear membership of Social Accountability Xiaomi and robust supply chain management International, a multi-stakeholder group processes which were transparently focusing on workers’ rights, as well as with NGOs such as the Migrant Workers’ Ratings key: managed and regularly audited. But this is Best Middle Worst rarely the case. Rights Network. HP has also taken a lead on tackling student workers in China by issuing management guidance to all its The Responsible Business suppliers. Alliance Many of the companies in this guide Toxic chemicals brain cancers. They are also exposed to are members of the Responsible reproductive toxicants, which studies have Business Alliance (RBA), the There are many chemicals that are used in shown to increase rates of spontaneous electronic industry’s own corporate electronics manufacture – in our ratings abortion and birth defects.8 watchdog. Its Code of Conduct we focus on three of these brominated As well as being released in the factories serves as a baseline for the majority flame retardants: (BFRs), polyvinyl that assemble electronic goods, these of large tech firms the world over. chloride (PVC) and phthalates. compounds can be released during their Unfortunately, when this code is There are a number of different use phase with toxic chemicals often found compared to the International Labour health problems with toxic chemicals. in household dust.8 Organisation’s (ILO) standard (widely During production workers are exposed However, the toxic exposure in the use considered to be the most robust to carcinogens, and several studies have phase pales in comparison to the end of standard) it falters on several fronts. shown significantly elevated risk of lung, life phase. When thrown away, our gadgets The RBA’s definition of overtime is a pharyngeal, nasal, breast, bladder, and often find their way to e-waste scrap heaps, point of particular concern, it states, “a workweek should not be more than 60 hours per week, including overtime, except in emergency or unusual situations.”7 The ILO standard stipulates a 48-hour work week with a maximum of 12 hours overtime. This ensures that workers never work over 60 hours per week. Having said this, the RBA does have a very clear stance on the use of student workers. It recognises the Boys burning potential for abuses to occur and electronic cables details management and monitoring and other electrical procedures that it expects members components in order and suppliers to follow. to melt off the plastic and reclaim the copper RBA’s members – Acer, Apple, wiring. This burning ASUSTek, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Huawei, in small fires releases Lenovo, Microsoft and Samsung. toxic chemicals into

23 Product Tablets and e-readers GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

BRAND (out of 20) Ethiscore Reporting Environmental Climate Change Toxics & Pollution Habitats & Resources Oil Palm Testing Animal Farming Factory Animal Rights Human Rights Rights Workers’ Supply Chain Management Irresponsible Marketing Arms & Military Supply Technologies Controversial Call Boycott Activity Political Anti-Social Finance Ethos Company Product Sustainability COMPANY GROUP Tablets Kurio 9 HHH HH KD Group Asus Zenpad 8.5 h H h H H h H ASUSTek Computer Apple iPad [S] 8 H h h H h h H H H 1 Apple Inc Archos 8 HHH HHH Archos SA RCA 8 HHH HH H Alco Holdings Ltd Xiaomi Mi 8 HHH HH H Xiaomi Corporation ACER Iconia 7.5 H h h HHH h H Acer Inc HP 7 h h h HH h H H H HP Inc Huawei 6.5 HHH H H h HH Huawei Investment Samsung Galaxy 6 h h h H H h h h H H H Samsung Group Lenovo 5.5 h H H h h H H h h HH Lenovo Group Ltd Dell 5 h h H H HHHHHH Dell Technologies Fujitsu 4.5 h h H H H h H h H h H H Fujitsu Ltd Alba 2.5 hHHH hHHHHhH h hH J Sainsbury Fire 0 HHHH HHHHHHhhhHHH Amazon.com Inc E-readers Bookeen 9 HHH HH BOOKEEN Kobo 7 HHH h H H h H Rakten Inc Kindle 0 HHHH HHHHHHhhhHHH Amazon.com

[S] - BFR, PVC and Phthalates free See all the research behind these ratings on www.ethicalconsumer.org. For definitions of all the categories go to www.ethicalconsumer.org/our-ethical-ratings

which are predominantly in developing out of its goods, its products are also free in Taiwan, the Cayman Islands and the countries, most famously in West Africa. of phthalates. So, it is definitely possible. British Virgin Islands. This number was Once in these e-waste areas electronics are Apple’s iPad has been awarded a positive dwarfed by HP which had at least 53 high- cannibalised for any sellable parts. To the product sustainability mark because of this. risk subsidiaries in jurisdictions on our extent that wires encased in PVC are burnt In this guide, only two companies were tax havens list. Kurio and Archos were the to retrieve the copper inside. Research not marked down for their approach to only companies to avoid a worst rating. has revealed “elevated concentrations of toxic chemicals, these were Apple and heavy metals, dioxins and other hazardous Samsung. Four others, HP, Dell, Microsoft Beyond consumerism substances in the dust, air, soil, fresh water and Acer received a middle rating. The rest and sediments surrounding [e-waste] have been deducted a whole mark under The litany of problems with tech sites”.8 our Pollution & Toxics category. companies and their supply chains Greenpeace has been pressuring tech leaves many consumers wanting nothing companies to ditch these toxic substances. Tax avoidance less than to financially support these But, despite promises, “Acer, Dell, HP, LG, businesses by purchasing their goods. But Lenovo, Microsoft, Samsung and Sony We have scored all companies on their for many people it remains paramount to have all failed to fully follow through on likely use of tax avoidance strategies. own and use devices such as tablets. commitments made circa 2009”.9 Unfortunately, the vast majority scored As a rule of thumb, we would always Ethical Consumer expects companies to worst by having two or more ‘high-risk’ recommend buying second-hand or have clear cut-off dates for the use of these subsidiary types in jurisdictions considered refurbished goods when it comes to substances and transparent reporting on to be tax havens at the time of writing. electronics. This both extends the life their use. Apple led the way on this front. Some had far more than this, Acer for of the device and negates money being Back in 2008, it phased PVC and BFRs example had 19 high-risk subsidiaries funnelled directly to these companies.

24 Tablets and e-readers Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE

Abdulrahman Abunahel from the HP boycott update m Palestinian BDS National Committee nsu er o .o Since 2014, we have been reporting on c r (BNC) responded to the news by l g Without an obvious the boycott of technology giant Hewlett- saying: a

c ethical option, we are

Packard. The boycott began in response h “Palestinian students and t not able to suggest a

to the pivotal role HP’s technology and youth movements deeply e Y B U Best Buy for tablets or software had in the development of the appreciate the solidarity expressed ES T B e-readers. ‘BASAL’ checkpoint system, used by Israel by our counterparts in the Students to control the movement of Palestinians. Federation of India. As a young Palestinian However, since then, Hewlett-Packard in Gaza, I know first-hand how difficult has split into two separate companies. it is to study, and to simply live, under RECOMMENDED Perhaps in an attempt to clean its slate, the decades of Israel’s brutal military rule company separated its consumer goods and devastating siege. And I’m heartened We recommend that you buy a business from its government and military by this important gesture of support second-hand or refurbished tablet supply services. The BDS movement’s from India, which reaffirms that where whenever possible. However, for website states that it is continuing its governments fail, people have the power to new tablets there are a couple of boycott of both HP companies, “Because act and make a difference.”15 models from companies that score the companies share facilitates, branding In response to the boycott, HP has comparatively well. They get our best and supply chains, and collaborate in a stated that it is, “strongly committed to rating for Conflict Minerals and avoid wide range of ways, both remain deeply socially responsible business practices ... our worst rating for Supply Chain complicit with Israeli apartheid.”13 We abide by a strong human rights policy Management. These are Asus Zenpad The latest development in the boycott and adhere to the highest standards of (from £129.99) and Apple iPad (from of HP came in June 2018 when the human rights … It is not our policy to £299). Students Federation of India (SFI), take sides in political disputes between (Kurio scores worst for both India’s largest student federation, passed countries or regions.”16 Conflict Minerals and Supply Chain a resolution backing the boycott. The Management). Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement estimates that this represents over $120 million in potential losses for 8.5 HP.14

Greenpeace guide to green electronics If you are still thinking of buying a tablet, Greenpeace USA’s ‘Guide to Green Electronics’ is a useful resource. This report analyses and compares how 17 tech companies fare on their transparency, performance and advocacy efforts in three areas critical to putting 8 the sector on a sustainable path: reduction of emissions through renewable energy, use of recycled materials, and elimination of hazardous chemicals. It gives each company a score card, ranking them from A to F on each category. It E-readers: For those of you who want also tracks the commitments each company has made and whether they have stuck to to read e-books on an e-reader, rather their word or not. than a tablet, Of the companies in this guide, Apple, HP and Dell scored best and Amazon scored we recommend worst. Bookeen. Samsung is the second biggest maker of tablets behind Apple, but its manufacturing system heavily relies on fossil fuels. The company used more than 16,000 GWh of energy 9 in 2016, with just 1% coming from renewables.

BRANDS TO AVOID

Some companies are involved in a such a wide range of unethical practices, that the reasons to avoid them are numerous and evident. However, other brands included in this guide scored worst in all categories in which they were judged and should also be avoided. These are Amazon, RCA and Xiaomi.

25 Product Tablets and e-readers GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

The Market Companies behind the brand Apple’s dominance Huawei produces a wide range of electronic devices. Its phones and tablets have taken a big share of Western markets over the last five years. It was recently embroiled in From the very beginning of the tablet a scandal in the US when the FBI, CIA and NSA accused it of spying for the Chinese age, Apple’s iPads have ruled the government. However, these claims do not appear to have been substantiated. roost. Particularly in the UK where they account for over half of all Some have praised the company’s ownership structure as it is officially owned by tablets.10 Apple’s competitors have its workers through an employee stock option plan. However, CEO and founder invested billions developing and Ren Zhengfei retains veto power and, as such, Ethical Consumer did not consider to marketing their own tablet devices company to be a co-operative.17 and apps in an effort to challenge its Three brands, Archos, RCA and Xiaomi, appear near the top end of this product guide dominance. But none of these have table. However, this disguises the fact that these companies actually received a worst seriously threatened the iPad in the rating in every policy category they were rated in; for environmental reporting, supply UK. chain management, conflict minerals and pollution and toxics. Unlike other brands in Worldwide, the story is different. the guide, these companies are only engaged in the electronics industry and therefore Samsung, Huawei, Lenovo and they were not marked down under other categories. Moreover, Archos were marked Amazon all boast healthy shares of down for Arms & Military Supply, and RCA and Xiaomi for Anti-Social Finance. the global tablet market. Apple still controls the lion’s share with 35% of the market.11 Which, in terms of Update on e-readers ethics, isn’t such a bad thing, seeing as the iPad scores comparatively well in this guide. Paper vs. screens Over the last two years, sales of eBooks Google’s demise have been falling in the UK.17 Consumers Some competitors have simply given appear to be moving back to print books up. Tech giant Google is a prime or choosing the increasingly popular example. Google began producing audiobook. On the whole we see this as a own-brand tablets in 2012 with the positive trend for ethics. Nexus 7. At the time it was released it Although e-readers negate the need was smaller but significantly cheaper for reams of paper being produced, on than the iPad. However, despite the whole this does not seem to justify the promising signs initially, glitches and complex ethical dilemmas associated with poor functionality led to a consumer the manufacturing of e-readers. Similar backlash. Google’s subsequent tablet to other electronic devices, issues with models, the Nexus 9 and the Pixel conflict minerals, toxic chemicals and C have never been able to win back supply chain management are not being 12 consumer trust. adequately addressed by the companies Google’s foray into own-brand tablets in this market, who score worst for all appears to be coming to an end. of them. Not to mention the fact that Its latest Android operating system this market is dominated by Amazon, a ‘Android P’ will not be released for company whose tax record and workers’ 12 its tablets. This means that these rights abuses are all too well known. devices will gradually slow down and reduce in functionality. For this Alternatives to Amazon reason, Google devices have not been included in this product guide. Finding alternatives to Amazon in the We would recommend buying second- It is also worth noting that both LG markets it dominates, such as e-readers, hand books from independent bookshops. and Sony have not released their latest can be tough. But other brands are out However, if eBooks are your thing, you models in the UK, possibly because of there. For e-readers we found two options, can either purchase a second-hand or Apple’s continued dominance. Bookeen and Kobo, both of which score refurbished e-reader, or read eBooks on a better than Amazon’s Kindle. tablet if you already own one.

References: 1 Weyns, Y., Hoex, L. & Metthysen, K. (2016). Analysis of the interactive map of artisanal mining areas in eastern DR Congo: 2015 update. International Peace Information Service (IPIS). 2 www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/world/20170314STO66681/conflict-minerals-the-bloody-truth-behind-your-smartphone 3 GAO. (June 2018). Conflict Minerals: Company Reports on Mineral Sources in 2017 Are Similar to Prior Years and New Data on Sexual Violence Are Available. United States Government Accountability Office. 4 www.supplychaindive.com/news/apple-cobalt-sourcing-conflict-minerals-dodd-frank/437612 5 metro.co.uk/2018/03/09/ apple-unable-confirm-products-contain-conflict-minerals-produced-facilities-linked-armed-groups-7371696 6 www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/ oct/06/laptop-firms-accused-of-labour-abuses-against-chinese-students-sony-hp-acer 7 Responsible Business Alliance. (2018) Responsible Business Alliance Code of Conduct. Responsible Business Alliance. 8 Nimpuno, N. et al. (2011). Information on Chemicals in Electronic Products. TemaNord. 524. 9 Greenpeace. (2017). Guide to Greener Electronics. Greenpeace. 10 eMarketer. (06/03/18). UK Digital Users:eMarketer’s Estimates and Forecast for 2017-2022. eMarketer. 11 www.statista. com/statistics/276635/market-share-held-by-tablet-vendors 12 appleinsider.com/articles/18/03/09/google-gives-up-on-tablets-android-p-marks-an-end-to-its-ambitious- efforts-to-take-on-apples-ipad 13 bdsmovement.net/boycott-hp 14 bdsmovement.net/news/hewlett-packard-hp-faces-120-million-potential-losses-due-its-complicity- israels-violations 15 www.ft.com/content/469bde20-9eaf-11e3-8663-00144feab7de 16 www.cambridgeday.com/2018/01/18/in-calling-for-a-boycott-of-hewlett-packard- campaign-evokes-legacy-of-polaroid-victory 17 www.theguardian.com/books/2017/apr/27/screen-fatigue-sees-uk-ebook-sales-plunge-17-as-readers-return-to-print

26 Tablets and e-readers Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE Should children use tablets?

Children love tablets, we’ve probably all been amazed at one time or another when 3-4 year olds 5-7 year olds an infant picks up a tablet with more confidence and ability than most adults. • 21% have their own tablet • 35% have their own tablet According to Ofcom, tablets are the • 65% use them • 75% use them second most used device amongst children (after TV).1 The sheer proliferation of these gadgets had led many parents to worry about how this increase in ‘screen time’ could affect their children during early-years development, both in terms of learning, but also inactivity and socialisation. 8-11 year olds 12-15 year olds There has been a lot of research around • 52% have their own tablet • 55% have their own tablet the impact of TV ‘screen time’ on early- years development, and these studies have • 80% use them • 78% use them largely found that overuse is detrimental to learning.2 But there hasn’t been quite the same academic scrutiny on the use of tablets, largely because their use amongst pre-school children didn’t boom until around 2013.3 1 As you can see in the infographic Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report. opposite, children’s use and ownership of tablets has rocketed.1 But it would be unwise to conflate the findings about of maths, literacy and science would screen time and children. He said that, TVs with tablet use. Unlike TVs, tablets improve if a child uses their tablet solely “screens are junk food for the mind, they are interactive and often require problem for YouTube. On this topic, many parents are easy but you feel gross afterwards.” solving skills. have praised apps which are specially In his experience tech devices are Some preliminary studies into tablets designed for children. Parents we spoke consumed passively by children, they and children under 5 have concluded that to all mentioned the CBeebies apps don’t promote active play or imagination. responsible use of tablets has positive produced by the BBC. It was felt that these He said that, “during active play the kids effects on levels of Math, literacy and apps had good problem-solving elements expend more energy and sleep better science. Although which promoted because of it. Whereas screens make them other research interaction and irritable.” has suggested that “Smartphones and tablets are active thinking. Some companies have produced children struggled addictive. Even as adults we Professor Lydia child-friendly tablets that are designed to to transfer problem struggle to limit our screen Plowman of the promote positive and easily supervised solving skills learnt University of use. We chose to include one such brand, on a screen into time. It makes sense that Edinburgh stresses Kurio, in our guide to tablets. Kurio the real world. children can’t get enough of that moderation produces brightly coloured devices Moreover, it should and supervision are that are fitted with internet filters, time be noted that YouTube, Cut the Rope and the key factors in management tools and the ability to there is a distinct Candy Crush. Particularly promoting positive block apps. Unfortunately, Kurio do lack of research when using handheld devices.” interactions not score well against our ethical rating surrounding between children system, scoring worst for Supply Chain the social and Antony, father of three. and tablets.5 Management, Conflict Minerals, Toxic emotional effects of Supervision Chemicals, and Environmental Reporting. these devices, which have the potential to is especially There are other child-friendly tablets be significant.4 important when children are using tablets available with similar features, such as the Of course, the results of any research that are connected to the internet. LeapFrog, Dragon Touch and Fusion 5. into this topic revolves heavily around Many parents fight daily battles against Unfortunately, we have not had the time to the idea of regulated and responsible their children’s screen addictions. We include them in our company research. use. It feels highly unlikely that rates spoke to Antony, father of three, about

References: 1 Ofcom. (29/11/2017). Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report. Ofcom. 2 www.theguardian.com/society/2012/oct/09/ban-under-threes- watching-television 3 Ofcom. (2014). Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report. Ofcom. 4 Herodotou, C. (12/11/2017). Young children and tablets: A systematic review of effects on learning and development. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 34. p. 1-9. 5 www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3tsyrd

27 Product Streaming Services GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org Streaming services

Francesca de la Torre his product guide rates the Netflix and Amazon Prime has recently ethical practices of a number of overtaken those of paid TV services such reveals the most ethical Tstreaming services. It explores as BT or Virgin Media. the environmental impact of streaming, Ofcom reported that “Netflix, Amazon consumer advertising and the possible and Sky’s Now TV hit 15.4 million at the streaming service for implications of this new era of television. end of the first quarter this year. At the It also investigates how to avoid Amazon same time, the number of subscribers to watching television and why it might be even harder than you pay-TV packages reached 15.1 million”.1 think. Despite Amazon’s secrecy surrounding online. the size of its audience, Reuters Magazine Changing viewing managed to calculate the figure to be around 26 million. This is around half of habits the number of subscribers to Netflix.11 The way we view TV has changed. UK TV channels are also competing in Streaming services, or video on demand, this space and offer streaming services has become increasingly popular, and catch up services as well as traditional challenging the traditional model of broadcasting. scheduled broadcasting. The number of subscribers to streaming services such as What’s on offer? • Subscriptions (TV and film) – BBC iPlayer (through TV licence), Amazon © Haywiremedia | Dreamstime.com © Haywiremedia Prime, Netflix, Now TV. • Subscriptions (just film) – BFI Player, Flix Premiere, Mubi. • Pay per view/rentals (TV and Film) – Apple iTunes, BFI Player, Google Play, Play Station Video, Rakuten, YouTube Premium. • Free (TV and Film) – All 4, BFI Player, ITV Hub Data centres As video on demand has become the go-to way to watch TV and film, the amount of internet traffic taken up by streaming services has dramatically increased. Climate News Network stated, in 2017, that “Video streaming to internet-enabled TVs, game consoles and mobile devices already accounts for more than 60% of all data traffic – and the latest forecasts suggest this will rise to more than 80% by 2020”.2 Netflix, alone, has been reported to account for over 30% of internet traffic in the US and 20% worldwide.3,4 So what impact does all this have on climate change? The real issue is with data centres. Data centres are the large collections of computer servers required for companies to store, process or distribute large amounts of data. They require a huge

28 Streaming Services Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE amount of energy to operate. Some have predicted that data centres could account for 13% of global energy demand by 2030.5 If companies do not commit to powering these centres using renewable sources of energy, then this could significantly drive up demand for fossil fuels. Greenpeace’s 2017 Clicking Clean report annually evaluates the environmental performance of tech companies and puts pressure on them to use renewables.6 In 2015, Netflix made the outrageous claim that watching content on their platform was more energy efficient than breathing.7 However, the company did not score well in the latest Greenpeace Clicking Clean report which stated “Netflix’s misleading attempt to equate human emissions of CO2 from breathing Is your favourite streaming service using a data centre powered by renewables or dirty energy? as somehow equivalent to its energy intensive operations is not reflective of an However, a number of the companies particularly concerned by the fact that innovative IT company and has more in on our table – Netflix, Disney, More 4, Amazon is building many of its new data common with previous attempts by the ITV, Apple, Sky’s Now TV and Amazon centres in states like Virginia, which are fossil fuel industry to shift responsibility Prime – all access at least some cloud largely powered by coal. While Greenpeace for climate change. The reality is that computing services from one company has managed to collect data from Amazon Netflix’s rapid growth is increasing in particular – Amazon Web Services regarding the types of energy used, the demand for coal and other dirty sources of (AWS), which, as the name suggests, is organisation strongly criticises AWS for its energy that are a threat to human health owned by Amazon.9 Over the last few continued failure to divulge the amount and the climate”.8 years, Greenpeace has been critical of of energy it is using to both the public and AWS’s lack of transparency when it its clients.10 Netflix is bottom of the table The reality is that Netflix’s rapid comes to the energy used in its data below. centres. Greenpeace’s Gary Cook stated Fortunately, the Clicking Clean report growth is increasing demand “Amazon continues to talk a good game has seen some success with pushing other for coal and other dirty sources on renewables but is keeping its customers companies – such as Apple and Google in the dark on its energy decisions. This – towards 100% renewable powered data of energy that are a threat to is concerning”.10 Greenpeace says it is centres.10 human health and the climate Greenpeace’s Clicking Clean rating Netflix states that it is focused on efficiency which is, in part, related to the Renewable Energy Energy Energy Efficiency Renewable switch from traditional data centre models Advocacy Transparency Commitment and Procurement to cloud computing. and Siting Policy Mitigation With the old data centre model, a Apple (A) A A A A B company would create or acquire a data centre which they would have to run at the Google (A) B A A A A capacity needed to meet the highest point Amazon (C) F D C C B of demand at all times even if demand was Netflix (D) F F C D F actually highly variable. When a company signs up to a cloud computing service it Greenpeace rates companies from A-F (A being highest) on various aspects and gives each company an overall rating (in brackets next to company name) provides a lot more flexibility as it can pay just for the resources (data, storage, etc.) it uses. Cloud computing has not replaced What energy are the companies using to power their data centres? the existence of data centres themselves, just the way in which companies access Clean Natural Coal Nuclear and use them. In theory, having one cloud Energy Gas computing service serving the data needs Apple 83% 4% 5% 5% of multiple companies instead of each Google 56% 14% 15% 10% running their own data centres should be Amazon 17% 24% 30% 26% more efficient over all. Netflix 17% 24% 30% 26%

29 Product Streaming Services GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

All 4 13.5 H h e Channel Four Television BFI Player 12.5 H h H e British Film Institute (BFI) Flix Premiere 12.5 H h Flix Premiere Limited

BBC iPlayer 12 h h h h H e British Broadcasting Corp. Mubi 12 H h h Mubi Inc. ITV Hub 10 H h h h h H ITV Plc Netflix 10 H h h HH Netflix/Capital Research Apple iTunes 7 H h h H h h H H H Apple Inc. Disney Life 6.5 H h H h h H h h H H The Walt Disney Company Now TV 6.5 H h H H HH HH Murdoch Trust/C21st Fox Rakuten TV 6.5 H h H H h H H h H Rakuten Inc./Crimson Group Google Play 6 H h H H h H H H H Alphabet Inc./Google Inc Play Station Video 6 h h h H H H H h H H Sony Corp You Tube Premium 6 H h H H h H H H H Alphabet Inc./Google Inc. Amazon Prime 0 HHHH HHHHHHhhhHHH Amazon.com Inc.

See all the research behind these ratings on www.ethicalconsumer.org. For definitions of all the categories go to www.ethicalconsumer.org/our-ethical-ratings

Options for viewers Table highlights Conflict Minerals Some brands offer the option to pay to If you favour British film, art-house Five of the companies on the table also download video instead of streaming. In cinema or “experimental works [that] manufacture technology products which terms of the environmental impact there attempt to challenge power structures means they were rated for their policies on is no real difference between downloading through a sensory approach” then you conflict minerals. Of the companies rated, or streaming video. However, if you are are in luck! BFI Player, Flix Premiere and Apple, Google and Sony received our best going to watch a video more than once Mubi come out near the top of our table. rating. Rakuten and Amazon received then it is obviously better to download it All three platforms show a range of films our worst rating and were marked down rather than repeatedly stream it. Having to that aren’t often widely available. under Habitats and Resources and Human purchase each video individually may also Rights. help curb the temptation to ‘binge watch’ everything available, resulting in less data used and more time for other activities!

Amazon Rekognition Amazon Web Services has been building a piece of facial recognition software called Amazon Rekognition. Amazon states that “Rekognition provides highly accurate facial analysis and facial recognition on images and video that you provide. You can detect, analyse, and compare faces”.19 Perhaps the future of watching television is that it will be watching you back...

30 Streaming Services Product NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org GUIDE

Tax Avoidance The future of m nsu er A large majority of the companies on our o .o c r television online l g Flix Premiere and score table received Ethical Consumer’s a

c Mubi (films only)

worst rating for likely use of tax avoidance As seemingly everything is starting i

t both scored well – strategies. Sky received a middle rating, to move online, we are increasingly e Y they are both relatively although 21st Century Fox which owns being faced with the consequences B U ES T B small companies part of Sky received a worst rating. Only of this. Television and video is no operating independently. Channel 4, BFI, Flix Premiere and Mubi exception. Neither company was marked received our best rating. As well as the data we actually input down for tax avoidance. A number of companies have also been ourselves, moving more of our activities specifically criticised for avoiding tax. online also means that it is becoming These included Apple, Netflix, Google and, far easier for companies to collect 12.5 of course, Amazon. information about behaviour. Video-on-demand services utilise Pollution and Toxics algorithms to monitor subscribers’ A number of the companies on our table viewing behaviour and use this also received pollution and toxic ratings information to predict what they might for working in clothing or electronics. like to watch, making browsing content These were Disney, Google, Apple, easier for customers. Amazon, Rakuten and Sony. Apple and Netflix also uses this information to Sony received our best rating whilst the advertise content – meaning that the remaining four received our worst rating. poster art for any given show appears 12 differently to different users depending on which aspects of the show Netflix’s Advertising algorithms suggest will make you most Advertising used to be a common part of likely to start watching. RECOMMENDED TV viewing. One of the major attractions Netflix is already dominating the of subscription-based TV viewing is market and has caused a stir among that your shows are not constantly being competitors who are scrambling to catch BFI Player (films only) also scored interrupted by advertising. up. This has put Netflix in a very powerful well and received a positive for Some companies such as More 4 and position. As an article in The Economist company ethos mark for its not-for- ITV hub are still largely funded by adverts, puts it, they are the first “global television profit structure. While it was not as they offer a free service. giant”.16 marked down for tax avoidance, the Sadly, this advertising often helps Cultural offerings can also be just as organisation did get a worst rating drive demand for products which can influential as ‘news’. We have seen recently, under Supply Chain Management be damaging to people or the planet. with the scandals surrounding Facebook, which disqualifies it from For example, ITV was criticised for its how access to behavioural data can be being a Best Buy. scheduling of advertising during the used in more sinister ways. 12.5 popular show Love Island. The NHS chief In 2006, Netflix ran a $1 million prize said that its decision to show adverts for for anyone who could come up with a diet pills and plastic surgery was “playing better method for predicting what users into a set of pressures around body image would like. The winning model was the We would also recommend All 4 that are showing up as a burden on other one later used by Cambridge Analytica.25 (TV and film), which actually has services”. 31 BBC News recently uncovered a website the highest score in our table and However, just because you are not through which people could search for was only marked down under two sitting through ad-breaks does not mean data stored on AWS servers, including categories. We didn’t include it in the that products are not being advertised. sensitive data that certainly was not Best Buys because you do not have to According to CNBC, most of intended to be in the public domain.15 pay for or ‘buy’ this service. Amazon Prime’s shows and 74% of The website, created by hackers, trawled Netflix’s contain product placements.26 through AWS servers for exposed data and This is where companies pay to have then made it easily accessible through a 13.5 their products appear in the show. For search engine format. Security specialist, example, Netflix approached KFC with Kevin Beaumont, told the BBC that “The an opportunity to appear in the highly search engine is the first easy-to-access successful show, Stranger Things.27 way of looking inside... companies are Amazon Prime can actually be seen as losing control of their data in the cloud”.15 a form of marketing in itself. Customers The site went down ‘for maintenance’ of Amazon Prime also get free and faster shortly after but it demonstrates that the BRANDS TO AVOID delivery when they purchase Amazon tech companies we are entrusting with products. In effect Amazon is marketing this information are not always that well Amazon Prime. itself by creating its own TV channel.14 equipped to keep it safe.

31 Product Streaming Services GUIDE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

While data protection doesn’t always sound like the most exciting topic, it Not-for-profit companies can be seen as directly linked to our The BBC, Channel 4 and BFI all received positive Company Ethos marks for human rights. As RightsInfo states, operating with a not-for-profit structure. “data protection laws should take into The BBC and Channel 4 state on their websites that all profits will go back into account people’s right to a private life, their operations and productions. which is protected by Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention”.17 Amnesty The BFI has a number of funds to help support the UK creative industry. The International has started researching and organisation is under Royal Charter “to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout Our United Kingdom, to promote ranking companies in relation to data their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education protection and personal information and 18 about film, television and the moving image generally, and their impact on society, content. While its initial report focused to promote access to and appreciation of the widest possible range of British and on messenger services, so did not cover the world cinema and to establish, care for and develop collections reflecting the companies in our table, we hope to see it moving image history and heritage of Our United Kingdom”.33 expand this kind of research in the future.

Companies behind the brands As we were going to press, The Murdoch Family Trust, headed by Rupert Murdoch, sold Sky, the operator of Now TV, to Comcast. The deal is due to be completed by the end of October. We’ll update the ownership and the scoring on our website when it happens. That leaves The Murdoch Family Trust with the News Corporation (The Sun and The Times) and US news channel Fox News. News Corporation’s The Sun newspaper is one of those targeted by the Stop Funding Hate campaign for its representations of asylum seekers and migrants.28 The Walt Disney Company operates Disney Life, a streaming service comprised purely of Disney films. The company also runs has an extensive retail operation selling toys and clothing which sees it lose marks for its policies on PVC and cotton sourcing. It also had to cease its relationship with a supplier factory in China after it was criticised for working conditions. The Walt Disney Company is a member of a number of lobby groups and it was among a number of companies urged to quit the US Chamber of Commerce over its attitude towards climate change.21 Disney bought the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox including film and TV studios. Rakuten Inc. is a Japanese company and is the country’s largest online retailer, but also operates globally in nearly 30 different countries. Rakuten was marked down under Human Rights and Habitats and Resources because it received Ethical Consumer’s worst rating for its policy on conflict minerals. As well as e-commerce, the company also has operations in the technology and marketing industries.23 Flix Premiere Limited was founded, and is still run, by Martin Warner. Martin Warner is an inventor and entrepreneur whose previous work has included the 3D printing company botObjects.24 The company is still relatively small and focused so has been rated in fewer categories and has not attracted any criticism. Mubi Inc. runs Mubi. Again, the company is relatively small and focused so, while it loses some marks under Environmental Reporting and Climate Change, most of our policy ratings are not relevant to its operations. The company did, however, get marked down for irresponsible advertising for using what was considered by the Advertising Standards Authority to be an overly explicit and violent image.32

References: 1 The Guardian, Netflix and Amazon become more popular than pay TV services, 18 July 20182 Climate News Network, Video Demand Drives Global CO2 Emissions, 31 January 2017 3 www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/legacy/Global/usa/planet3/PDFs/2015ClickCleanKeyFindings.pdf [Accessed: 5 September

2018] 4 The Economist, Netflix is moving television beyond time slots and national markets, 30 June 2018 5 Climate News Network, Video Demand Drives Global CO2 Emissions, 31 January 2017 6 Greenpeace, Clicking Clean, 2017 7 medium.com/netflix-techblog/netflix-streaming-more-energy-efficient-than-breathing-57658d47b9fd [Accessed: 5 September 2018] 8 Greenpeace, Clicking Clean, 2017 9 aws.amazon.com [Accessed: 5 September 2018] 10 www.greenpeace.org.uk/press-releases/ amazon-still-lags-behind-apple-google-greenpeace-renewable-energy-report-20170110/ [Accessed: 5 September 2018] 11 www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com- ratings-exclusive/exclusive-amazons-internal-numbers-on-prime-video-revealed-idUSKCN1GR0FX) 12 aws.amazon.com [Accessed: 5 September 2018] 13 aws.amazon. com [Accessed: 5 September 2018] 14 The Economist, Netflix is moving television beyond time slots and national markets, 30 June 2018 15 www.bbc.co.uk/news/ technology-43057681 [Accessed: 5 September 2018] 16 The Economist, Netflix is moving television beyond time slots and national markets, 30 June 2018 17 rightsinfo. org/whats-data-protection-got-human-rights 18 www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2016/10/which-messaging-apps-best-protect-your-privacy/ [Accessed: 5 September 2018] 19 aws.amazon.com/rekognition [Accessed: 5 September 2018] 21 The Guardian, Disney, the Gap and Pepsi urged to quit US Chamber of Commerce, 24 April 2017 23 global.rakuten.com/corp/about 24 https://uk.3dsystems.com/press-releases/3d-systems-acquires-3d-printer-maker-botobjects-and-introduces-cubepror-c-full- color [Accessed: 5 September 2018] 25 The Independent, How Cambridge Analytica’s Facebook targeting model really worked – according to the person who built it, 13 April 2018 26 www.cnbc.com/2017/07/27/bill-gates-ben-does-product-placement-in-netflix-and-amazon-shows.html [Accessed 14 September 2018] 27 www.cnbc. com/2018/05/28/kfc-in-stranger-things-not-a-coincidence-netflix-product-placement.html [Accessed 14 September 2018] 28 stopfundinghate.org.uk/category/the-sun [Accessed 14 September 2018] 29 www.globalbankingandfinance.com/71-of-consumers-more-likely-to-buy-a-product-or-service-from-a-name-they-recognise [Accessed 14 September 2018] 30 pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/6/2563 [Accessed 14 September 2018] 31 The Guardian, ITV to review use of plastic surgery and diet ads during Love Island, 25 July 2018 32 Advertising Standards Authority, 15 June 2016 33 www.bfi.org.uk [Accessed 20 September 2018]

32 Amazon ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 Amazon in Germany Merle Büter looks at anti-Amazon activities in Germany.

Germany is an important market for Amazon and it’s refrigerators, growing fast. In 2017, Germany was the second biggest washing machines, market behind the US, with sales of $16,951 million, cell phones and followed by the UK with $11,372 million. The average furniture, worth annual expenditure per head on Amazon was £158.2 several tens of in Germany, slightly ahead of the UK, which averages thousands of £130.6 per head.1 euros have been destroyed, despite Despite good sales figures in Germany, the company has to often still being deal with periodic media reports about bad working conditions, usable, functional union strikes, dictating prices, tax avoidance, and pressure on and sometimes publishers. Furthermore, Amazon has to face a new law on even new taxes, which will come into effect next year. products.7 Bill on turnover tax Amazon did not deny In August, the German Federal Ministry of Finance presented destroying the a bill against tax fraud on the internet. As early as January goods but referred to improvements that had been made in the 2019, all operators of electronic marketplaces, such as eBay process. The company said it was trying to destroy as few goods or Amazon, will be required to collect certain data from the as possible by reselling through Amazon Warehouse, donations, dealers who do business on their platforms. This includes name, recycling and delivery to second-hand sellers. full address, tax number, shipping and delivery address as well as time and amount of sales. In addition, operators of platforms Jochen Flasbarth, undersecretary in Germany’s Federal will be liable if dealers do not pay their sales tax, making it Ministry of the Environment, has urged Amazon to clarify these more likely that traders who don’t pay will be excluded from allegations: “This is a huge scandal. We are consuming these marketplaces.2 resources despite all the problems in the world.” The former Federal Minister of the Environment, Klaus Töpfer, described High loss in tax revenue Amazon’s procedure as “irresponsible”. It is reported that more than 24,000 sellers on the German Environmental organisation Greenpeace called for action: Amazon marketplace originate from China or Hong Kong “We need to implement a law on banning the waste and and use the site to avoid paying 19% sales tax.3 According to destruction of first-hand and usable goods”, demanded conservative estimates by the German Federal government, Greenpeace’s Kirsten Brodde. hundreds of millions in sales tax is not being paid to the state However, not everyone sees the responsibility as lying every year. Campaign group The German Tax Union estimates it only with Amazon. Catherine Hoffmann, author at the daily to be at least €1 billion a year. newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung comments that the criticism The Federal Ministry of Finance stated that the new bill on of Amazon is hypocritical and that anyone who sends in bulk turnover tax should create a fairer tax system, secure revenues goods is complicit in mass destruction. She argues that one of and prevent overseas sellers from distorting competition. For the the origins for Amazon’s actions is the customer’s shameless customers, there are no changes as they are already paying the exploitation of the two-week right of withdrawal. Approximately sales tax. There is an EU-wide regulation planned for 2021.4 280 million returns are estimated to be sent annually in Germany. She suggests that merchants must demand money for Tax changes don’t always work returns – and if necessary be forced to do so. Since May 2015, Amazon no longer books its German sales in Luxembourg and actually pays taxes on its profit made in Germany. However, the new tax model did not bring large tax revenues, because Amazon allegedly makes small profits.5 In the UK, the company followed a similar approach with a British subsidiary of Amazon EU.6 References: 1 www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42911123 2 https://www. bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/Standardartikel/Themen/Steuern/Weitere_ Destroying new goods Informationen/2018-08-01-Umsatzsteuer-Onlinehandel 3 www.sueddeutsche. de/wirtschaft/umsatzsteuer-bei-internethaendlern-amazon-soll-fuer-steuerbetrug- In June, German national weekly Wirtschafts Woche and haften-1.4075726 4 www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/online-handel-103 5 www. German national public broadcaster ZDF revealed a scandal: zeit.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/2015-05/amazon-deutschland-steuer 6 www. theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/23/amazon-to-begin-paying-corporation- every day, masses of articles of all kinds are disposed of tax-on-uk-retail-sales 7 www.wiwo.de/unternehmen/handel/online-retailer- in Amazon’s German logistic camps. Many goods such as amazon-destroys-massive-quantities-of-returned-and-as-new-goods/22662746

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34 issue175 The ethical novice ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

Amazon Colin Birch with a light-hearted guide to trying, and sometimes failing, to be ethical.

“Are you boycotting Amazon?” I was asked the other multinationals that don’t pay their fair share. And, just because day, to which the answer is, of course: “Yes”, because Amazon are good at moving parcels around the world so any firm that actually considers putting its employees quickly, doesn’t mean they should be doing it with their money in cages during working hours is probably bad … unless too. It’s made me hate the company almost as much as their they’re dodgy nightclub bouncers, obviously. own warehouse staff do. OK, If I’m honest, I do use them but, having been nagged And that brings me to the other reason for wanting to boycott by my more ethically aware friends and having read some them: the employment practices they’ve been accused of. I don’t interesting articles about Amazon’s nefarious activities, I have know what you may have seen but, for the record, I don’t think now decided to officially renounce Jeff Bezos’s evil empire anyone should be forced to urinate into a bottle at work, unless because I have seen it for what it is … and also because, frankly it’s to win some sort of drunken bet at the office Christmas party. I’ve got better things to do with my time than to spend it reading I don’t think anyone should be punished for going sick at work 284 customer reviews of a £4.50 sink plunger before buying it. – in fact, most of the people given any sort of power in this country should probably be encouraged to do it more often. It’s not been an easy thing to do – like everyone else, I’m And I don’t like companies that fail to treat their staff like human amazed at Amazon’s ability to quickly and efficiently deliver beings, although, in fairness to Amazon, I’m pretty sure this is a packet of razor blades to me in a cardboard box the size of because they’ll have a workforce consisting solely of artificially Croatia. And I’m sure I’ll miss being able to purchase almost intelligent robots and drones in ten years’ time, so they’re just anything I want at the touch of a keypad – let’s face it, pretty planning ahead. much the only thing Amazon don’t put in oversized boxes these days are street mimes (and they’re probably working on that.) So, how do I go about starting my Amazon boycott? So, why am I suddenly so opposed to them? Well, obviously As a teenager, I might have shown my anger towards a retailer there’s the tax ‘issues’ – like any ethical person, I dislike giant with a bit of old fashioned shoplifting but, annoyingly, with Amazon, this isn’t possible … well, not unless I’m prepared to sneak into one of their giant warehouses and fight my way past the hundreds of henchmen in boiler suits that are there to stop people getting in … or possibly the workforce getting out ... No – my only option is to stop buying stuff from them … without switching to buying stuff from Amazon Prime, because that’s cheating. So, to do my bit to make Amazon pay, I’m going to start buying things on my local high street, and very pleased I am about it too. Surely nothing can be more enjoyable than spending a few hours interacting with enthusiastic British retail workers in their place of employment and enjoying the endless fun of … WAIT!!! I’ve just thought of a better method of forcing Amazon to change its ways: I’ll retake my A-Levels, get better grades, go to Oxbridge to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics, graduate and get a job with a major political party that’s got a chance of being in power, get chosen and then elected as an MP, rise up the greasy pole at Westminster, become Chancellor of the Exchequer … and then I can finally make the miserable tightwads pay the correct amount of tax. It’s a tough challenge, but anything’s better than having to go round the shops every week,

35 Boycotts NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

PepsiCo to purchase SodaStream violence at the bottling plants and In August, PepsiCo announced plans to purchase the soft the company itself. drinks company SodaStream, which is subject to a long- However, Coca- running boycott call from the Boycott, Divestment and Cola faces ongoing Sanctions (BDS) movement over its operations in Israel. allegations. In BDS accuses SodaStream of complicity in “Israel’s policy November 2017, of displacing the indigenous Bedouin-Palestinian citizens the company of Israel in the Naqab”. was also found BDS initially to be using called for a boycott anti-union laws, of SodaStream in established by the 2011, after the Indonesian Suharto company opened dictatorship, a factory in the to suppress its illegal Israeli workers’ right to settlement of associate in the Maaleh Adumim. country, almost The movement states that seven Palestinian villages have been two decades after 4 displaced since the territory was occupied by Israel in the the dictatorship’s overturn. In August 2018, it was condemned 1970s. for maintaining links to the Cambodian sugar producer Mitr Phol, even after the company was forced into mediation with SodaStream has since closed the factory in the face of over 700 families who accused it of land grabbing in a landmark boycott pressure, however, PepsiCo will inherit SodaStream’s court case. newer production facility in the Naqab desert, which has also sparked human rights concerns. The factory is said to be part of If Coca-Cola’s purchase of Costa Coffee goes ahead, the Israeli government plans to industrialise the area, home to many chain’s Ethiscore will plummet as a result, down from 6.5 to 2. Bedouin communities. Bedouin activists accuse the government Costa Coffee will lose marks under almost every one of Ethical of demolishing homes and forcing individuals to relocate from Consumer’s categories, as a result of Coca-Cola’s shocking track ‘unrecognised’ villages to industrial areas for work in factories record. such as that owned by SodaStream.1 It plans to buy the chain from its current owner, Whitbread 5 SodaStream is also accused of exploiting Palestinian and PLC, for £3.9 billion. Bedouin labourers, who are generally paid lower wages than Look out for our guide to Coffee Shops in the next issue. Israelis in the country.2 The Boycotts National Committee calls for an ongoing boycott of SodaStream, while it discusses whether the call Church of England criticised for should be extended to PepsiCo once it becomes the owner of the factory. maintaining shares in Amazon The Archbishop of Canterbury has accused the Costa Coffee to be added to multinational of “leeching off the taxpayer”. However, the Church has said that it will continue its boycott list investments in Amazon. Coca-Cola is trying to buy Costa Coffee and, if it Debate over the investments was reignited following a succeeds, the coffee shop will be the subject of speech by Archbishop Justin Welby to the Trades Union the boycott call which covers Coca-Cola and all its Congress in September. Last year, the Church Times subsidiaries and brands. The Killer Coke boycott revealed that Amazon was among the Church’s 20 biggest campaign accuses Coca-Cola of perpetrating serious investments. abuses of human and workers’ rights. Archbishop Justin Welby said: “When vast companies Campaigners say the multinational was paying Colombian like Amazon and other online traders, the new industries, paramilitaries who murdered nine union members at its can get away with paying almost nothing in tax, there is bottling plants between 1990 and 2003.3 The Killer Coke something wrong with the tax system. website comments that: “Some find it unbelievable that human “They don’t pay a real living wage, so the taxpayer must rights abuses – systematic intimidation, kidnapping, torture support their workers with benefits. and murder – are occurring at Coca-Cola bottling plants in “And having leeched off the taxpayer once they don’t pay Colombia.” for our defence, for security, for stability, for justice, health, A boycott was first called in 2003 by the Colombian workers’ equality, education.” union SINALTRAINAL and was supported by universities and However, the Church was later forced to defend itself trade unions around the world, including Unison in the UK. It over significant investments in Amazon stating that it would was launched during a legal battle between the union and the use its shareholder influence to address the corporation’s company, which the union eventually lost after it was unable malpractices. to prove complicity between the paramilitaries perpetrating

36 Boycotts ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 Coalition calls for consumers to ditch dairy during the badger cull

Viva!, Animal Aid and Ethical Consumer are calling for consumers to ditch dairy in protest against the 2018 badger cull, which began in September.

The 2018 badger cull is set to be the bloodiest yet. Not farming and wildlife. Our readers have shown a clear desire to only have the number of cull zones been significantly take boycott action as they feel powerless to intervene in other increased (from 2 to 32, including low-risk areas), but, ways.” under new guidelines, farmers will be eligible for a £50 The boycott hopes to place pressure on the dairy industry, payment for every badger they kill.6 Campaigners suggest and its representative the NFU, to end its support for the badger that more badgers will be killed this year alone than cull. since the cull began in 2013. See the extended Letters page for readers’ responses to our Boycott Dairy call.

The cull has received long-term support from the dairy industry and its representative, the National Farmers’ Union, which lobbied for the instigation of the cull in 2013. Such proponents suggest that it combats the spread of bovine TB in dairy cattle. However, some experts state that the cull is ineffective and does not address other issues in the spread of bTB, such as poor farming practices. Last year 19,724 badgers were killed in the cull.7 Yet at least What can consumers do? one study shows that “only 5.7% of bTB outbreaks in cattle are • Pledge your support on Facebook or Twitter, using caused by direct transmission from badgers”.8 Campaigners our pledge buttons at www.ethicalconsumer.org/ suggest that badgers are being used as a scapegoat to appease ethicalcampaigns/badger-cull-campaign the dairy industry. • Contact five of the biggest UK dairy-selling companies Rob Harrison from Ethical Consumer said: “We learned this through our website, explaining your reasons for year that, of all the mammals on earth, 60% are livestock, 36% supporting the boycott and urging them to speak out are humans and only 4% are wild animals.9 Unless we want against the badger cull: Arla, Müller, Dairy Crest, Tesco to lose what we have left, we urgently need a more grown-up and Sainsbury’s. way to manage conflict between the interests of commercial

References: 1 https://electronicintifada.net/content/new-sodastream-factory-could-help-destroy-bedouin-agriculture/13182 2 https://electronicintifada.net/content/ sodastream-treats-us-slaves-says-palestinian-factory-worker/12441 3 www.colombiasolidarity.org.uk/campaigns/18-coca-cola 4 https://www.business-humanrights. org/en/indonesia-report-says-coca-cola-amatil-violates-workers-right-to-organise-company-did-not-respond 5 https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/31/coca- cola-buys-costa-coffee-from-whitbead-for-39bn 6 www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/27/farmers-offered-50-kill-badger-cull-rolled-across-england 7 www.telegraph. co.uk/news/2018/05/27/farmers-offered-50-kill-badger-cull-rolled-across-england 8 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455805 9 www.theguardian.com/ environment/2018/may/21/human-race-just-001-of-all-life-but-has-destroyed-over-80-of-wild-mammals-study

37 Beyond consumerism NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org Seed saving In the UK, many plants go to seed in late summer or autumn. Here’s a few tips on saving your own seeds, swapping them, and a bit about why you should.

Why save seeds? Find a seed swap near you For thousands of years, it was the norm for growers to save their own seeds. As they saved, grew and saved again, plants adapted Once you start to local conditions, and this led to huge diversity all over the saving seeds, you world. Then came F1 hybrid seeds, popularised by fertiliser will probably companies in the early 1900s.3 find you have These produce more uniform crops, and can be bred to suit more than you machine harvesting, and a longer shelf-life. Good for mass need, but only production, but maybe not for you. Small growers may be more a few varieties. interested in taste, adaptability, and a good yield over a longer Seed swapping, period. Shockingly, it is estimated that since the early 1900s therefore, offers a around 75% of agricultural genetic diversity worldwide has great opportunity been lost due to commercialised seed.2 to acquire some different There is a growing movement to reclaim the skill of seed varieties, as well as meeting other seed savers. Seed swaps often saving, to rebuild diversity and resilience in local food systems. happen in early Spring, and there may be a group near you (see 4 Getting started with beans our directory), or you could form a new group. You can save seeds from all sorts of plants including trees and Heritage seeds flowers, but here we are focusing on vegetables, and beans are You could even become a Seed Guardian for, or just a regular some of the easiest seeds to save. user of, the Heritage Seed Library. Seed Guardians help to The plants need to grow to maturity in order to create seeds. conserve vegetable varieties that are not widely available. If you aren’t already growing any beans, you can find some useful advice here: https://veganorganic.net/growing-beans-for- drying “Every seed saved is a socially healing, If you’re starting from scratch, you can either buy seeds or community creating event.”1 ask a green-fingered friend if they have any non-hybrid seeds to share. Certain bean and pea varieties, such as Aquadulce broad beans, are good to plant in Autumn, and will grow to maturity Membership is through Garden Organic, and costs from £3.75 over winter allowing you to save seeds in the Spring. a month. You get a magazine and newsletter, discounts, and 6 If you buy, we recommend organic non-hybrid seeds from free packets of heritage seeds a year, of your choice from the the Best Buys in our Seeds guide,4 such as the Seed Cooperative catalogue which comes out in December. (formerly Stormy Hall), Real Seeds or Tamar Organics. You could For more information, visit www.gardenorganic.org.uk/seed- also try your local garden centre. guardians

How to save bean seeds Are you a food producer? All you need to do to is leave some of the best-looking pods on The Gaia Foundation, along with the Soil Association, the plant until they dry, go brown, and the seeds rattle inside. Landworkers’ Alliance and others, are now running a UK and Then open the pods, pop out the seeds and leave them laid out Ireland Seed Sovereignty Programme. to dry further in a warm, airy (but not sunny) place. A couple of This involves regional training courses run by experts for weeks later, put them in a paper bag or envelope, label it and producers who are interested in seed saving, setting up seed store in a jar, to use within three years. circles and raising awareness, running vegetable trials, and then For instructions on other vegetables, and a bit more detail, supporting producers who are interested in supplying seed to there are many guides online, such as: seed businesses (Real Seeds in Wales and The Seed Co-operative • www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/top-tips-seed-saving in Lincolnshire), or going further into plant breeding. • www.gardenorganic.org.uk/seed-saving-guidelines For more info see: • www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html • www.seedsovereignty.info/near-me • www.usc-canada.org/images/i-am-a-seed-saver/be-a-seed- • www.gaiafoundation.org/what-we-do/food-seed-and-climate- saver/Mini_Seed_Saving_Table.pdf change-resilience/seed-sovereignty-uk-ireland-programme

References: 1 www.seedambassadors.org/seed-saving-guide 2 www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5609e/y5609e02.htm 3 www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethicalreports/gardening/ seedsharing.aspx 4 www.ethicalconsumer.org/home-garden/shopping-guide/seeds

38 Lush Spring Prize ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 LUSH Spring Prize 2019 Ethical Consumer and LUSH have launched the third year of the LUSH Spring Prize. Nominations are now open. This annual £200,000 prize fund aims to support projects around the world that are working towards environmental and social regeneration. The LUSH Spring Prize awards and celebrates projects that are increasing the capacity of communities and societies to thrive in harmony with nature and each other, building healthy and resilient ecosystems and livelihoods. © Luana Beatriz © Luana

Top: Zicä Pires The 2019 Spring Prize will award prizes Silva, founder of in the following four categories: Spring Prize winner AAQ (Agentes • Intentional projects (£10,000) ... to Agroflorestais four great ideas in the early stages. Quilombolas), • Young projects (£20,000) ... to three developing agroforestry in Brazil. projects 1-5 years old seeking to grow. • Established projects (£25,000) ... to Right: Lush’s Jo Bridger presenting two beacons demonstrating success an award to Simon and withstanding the test of time. Mitambo of the African Biodiversity • Influence award (£25,000) ... to two Network. campaigns influencing policy or public opinion in support of regeneration. Below: Ethical Consumer’s Francesca de la Torre Application forms for the 2019 Spring leading a session at the 2018 Spring Prize are available to download from the Prize. Lush Spring Prize website and entries close at 10.00 GMT 9th November 2018. A shortlist will be created in January 2019 and a diverse panel of judges will meet to decide on the 11 winners. Prizes will be announced during a multi-day celebration and skill-share event in May 2019. Applications are welcomed from anywhere in the world and can be completed in English, Arabic, Japanese, French, Spanish or Portuguese. You can view previous winning and shortlisted project profiles on the Spring Prize website: springprize.org Videos about the 2017 and 2018 Spring Prize winners are available here: vimeo.com/lushspringprize

39 Feature NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org Can virtual shopp ing be virtuous?

Josie Wexler compares nline shopping currently accounts for 16.3% of all UK retail, and is shopping online with growing fast. Some people have Odeep fears about the shift online, while the high street. others are excited about it. We examine the evidence here. The companies Amazon holds a 23% market share of all online retail, and its dominance goes on growing. The next biggest is eBay, with about 19%. After that come the Sainsbury’s group (including Argos) (10%), Tesco (8%), John Lewis (4.2%) and Shop Direct Group (Very & Littlewoods) (4%).1 PayPal The remaining 31.8% is made of smaller players. About 1/5 of online commerce uses So how do the major companies PayPal.6 PayPal started off as a part of involved in online retailing stack up eBay but was spun off in 2015. It gets ethically? worker described working in an Amazon an overall Ethiscore of nine. warehouse as akin to “living in a prison”.5 While that doesn’t look too bad, Amazon Amazon gets our worst rating in every there is a specific issue on which single category in which it’s rated. It gets PayPal’s name is mud, which is Amazon just became the second trillion- an Ethiscore of zero. its refusal to extend its service to dollar company in existence, just after Palestinians in the West Bank and Apple became the first. Its CEO, Jeff Bezos, eBay and the little Gaza.7 This is serious because is the richest person in history.2 payment issues in Gaza are acute, Amazon has paid very little tax since its players and a large pool of Palestinian IT conception, and in 2012 we started calling eBay, on the other hand, does better. It gets professionals say that the inability to for consumers to boycott the company an Ethiscore rating of 7.5. use PayPal is preventing them from over the issue. Bezos has been actively gaining employment.8 It gets a worst rating for Supply Chain goading on the subject. He said in an Management and for likely use of tax What makes the situation worse interview in 1996 that he had tried to set avoidance strategies, and a middle in is that Israelis living in the illegal the company up on a Native American Environmental Reporting. It also gets settlements can use PayPal, because 3 reservation in order to avoid paying tax. marked down for paying its senior staff they have Israeli bank accounts, Amazon’s name is now also and PayPal works with Israeli banks. obscene amounts of money, making synonymous with workers’ rights political donations to both Democrats and The Palestinians, however, cannot violations, as the horror stories have generally open accounts with Israeli Republicans, being a member of several mounted: drivers have reported having banks. PayPal also works with most free-trade lobby groups, and providing an to break speed limits and urinate into of the other Arab countries in the online e-commerce platform for the US bottles to get through the hundreds of region, including war-torn Yemen. military. deliveries they are required to do in a day. While this litany may not sound that PayPal has mostly refused to engage After deductions such as van hire and on the subject, apart from issuing flattering, plenty of bricks-and-mortar insurance, they are often paid far less than meaningless statements like: “we sellers do significantly worse. the minimum wage.4 are in an ongoing dialogue with The other companies mentioned we advocates and key stakeholders on Things are equally appalling in rate as follows: Sainsbury’s group (2.5), this important issue”.9 In 2016, 43 the warehouses. There have been 600 Tesco (1), John Lewis (4) and the Shop Palestinian tech companies and start- ambulance calls made to UK Amazon Direct Group (6.5, but hasn’t been rated ups signed an open letter addressed warehouses over the last three years, since 2014). to PayPal’s CEO Daniel Schulman. including ones due to ‘electric shocks’ and They never got a response. ‘major trauma’. Staff report being subject Structural issues There isn’t a boycott of PayPal to constant surveillance and bullying, called yet, although there have been and being too frightened to take time off Apart from the actual companies rumblings about one. sick. In response to one survey, 89% of themselves, many people have raised staff said that they felt exploited, and one other concerns about online shopping,

40 Feature ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 Can virtual shopp ing be virtuous?

including whether it has an inherent more efficient than lots of people driving we previously bought. That has a tendency tendency towards monopoly, whether it individually to the shops. There are also to push us into echo chambers where we might lead to the death of community, space heating and lighting savings because never get exposed to new perspectives. further our compartmentalisation into in a warehouse there is no need to lay the Yet things are not clear cut here either. ‘echo chambers’, or be more damaging to goods out looking nice. There is empirical evidence that, at least in the environment. On the other side, emissions from the US where the research was done, you packaging tend to be greater, as the goods are actually more likely to encounter and Monopoly have to be packed to be transported, and engage with someone with opposing views there is a small impact from the data online than you are offline.13 On the Internet you can easily die of thirst centres used to power the internet. But As far as inclusivity goes, you would a dozen yards from a spring. Everything is these aren’t sufficient to counteract the expect online shopping to be a mixed just a click away, and yet if you can’t find it, savings.12 bag: problematic for the IT illiterate, but it might as well be on the other side of the helpful to people who are too disabled to universe. And as Google search is set up The social aspects get to the shops. But we aren’t aware of as a popularity contest, it tends to promote empirical research in this area. those that are already big. Clearly, going out into your local That has led many to fear that the move environment involves more physical Conclusion to online retailing will lead to market interaction than having something plop concentration. onto your doorstep. Internet shopping It isn’t yet clear exactly where the shift However, the figures are less clear than may indeed weaken our relationship to towards online shopping is leading us. Yet you might expect. The top four online our surroundings. However, it is also it is possible that rather than being either retail outlets (Amazon, eBay, Sainsbury’s easy to over-romanticise what we are liberating or disastrous, it won’t really group and Tesco) have 60% of the losing here – let’s face it, buying a shirt in change that much. It is worth noting that market.10 The dominance of the top four in M&S was never a very profound social 50% of online sales actually come from the individual sectors in the UK is: interaction. same shops selling on the high street.14 • 56% for supermarkets (Tesco, There are also reasons to fear that Amazon has certainly given online Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons) buying online will tend to make us less shopping a bad name. But there doesn’t • 35% for clothing outlets (Next, M&S, likely to encounter the random and appear to be much reason to view its Primark and Sports Direct) unexpected. It is possible to know too bad ethics as a consequence of it selling • 79% for electrical retail outlets (Dixon’s much, and to have too much control. online. There are online sellers like ASOS Carphone, Amazon, Sainsbury and Online companies have so much that are building ethics into what they do, John Lewis. Dixon’s Carphone has 32%, information about us that it is easy for and selling in brick didn’t stop Starbucks twice the amount of Amazon) them to recommend things based on what avoiding tax, or Sports Direct treating (these figures include all sales, both on and its workers like dirt. Indeed, it could be offline).11 argued that blaming Amazon’s behaviour Online retail thus doesn’t appear to on the fact that sells online is letting it off be uniquely concentrated compared to the hook. individual sectors. Overall, the most important thing is to tackle Amazon’s abuses, and to promote Greenhouse gas the virtuous players, whether they are emissions virtual or not. There are quite a lot of studies comparing More information greenhouse gas emissions from online and • The PayPal for Palestine campaign can traditional bricks-and-mortar shopping, be found at www.facebook.com/ and the consensus is that online shopping PayPal4Palestine is, on average, significantly better. • The GMB union is working on holding The major reason for this is transport Amazon to account: www.gmb.org.uk – deliveries going in the same direction can be combined into one load, which is

References: 1 Mintel, 2018, Online Retail report 2 https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/09/technology/jeff-bezos-richest/index.html 3 https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce- per-country/ecommerce-the-united-kingdom 4 www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/20/amazon-workers-employees-unions-regulations 5 www.theguardian. com/commentisfree/2018/jul/20/amazon-workers-employees-unions-regulations 6 https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-per-country/ecommerce-the-united-kingdom 7 www.afr.com/news/paypal-faces-boycott-call-over-lack-of-services-in-palestine-20180102-h0ccgq 8 https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/09/paypal-brushes-off-request-from- palestinian-tech-firms-to-access-the-platform 9 www.afr.com/news/paypal-faces-boycott-call-over-lack-of-services-in-palestine-20180102-h0ccgq 10 Calculated from the market share figures given above. 11 Mintel reports on supermarkets (2017), clothing retailing (2017) and electrical retail outlets (2018) 12 www.schroders.com/en/ insights/economics/how-does-e-commerce-stack-up-on-emissions 13 www.wired.com/2017/05/maybe-internet-isnt-tearing-us-apart 14 Mintel, 2018, Online Retail report

41 Interview NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org Monitoring corporate misbehaviour in the electronics industry Rob Harrison interviews Michael Ma Ho Yin from SACOM (Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehaviour), a Hong Kong-based NGO.

SACOM works to improve labour conditions, primarily For example, we found that, nowadays, workers are at least in the electronics sector. The movement has created an getting their contracts, and then they are having shorter working opportunity for students to engage in local and global hours, and also usually when they get injured they can go into labour issues. the legal procedures and get their compensation, but of course there is still a lot to be improved. You go to factories in China and ask questions about workers’ rights. How difficult is that? Does SACOM ever come under pressure from the companies that it writes about, like FOXCONN, to change what it is We usually collect our information in two ways. First, we saying, or to stop its work? do undercover investigations. We send workers into the factory to work as ordinary production-line workers, so they know the So far, for example, we were not sued, or we did not feel a actual working conditions. They collect photos, audio, payslips lot of pressure directly from the brands, it is more like they and other materials for us, and we also do ‘out-of-factory’ would deny what you are saying, or they would say SACOM’s questionnaires and surveys, to collect information. research is not scientific enough. They don’t actually attack your organisation or put legal pressure on you. So, it has been quite difficult for us because, first of all we cannot disclose our identity, and also it is not very easy for us to So far our difficulties are around how can we actually understand the factories’ all-round behaviour by sending one or produce solid research, or at least to show more evidence, to two researchers so, sometimes, we have to go again and again. show an image or some other concrete materials, but that has been getting more and more difficult, because the security Can you tell me a bit about why you choose to publish in measures of the factories are getting stricter, they, for example, English? don’t allow anyone to bring any cameras or mobile phones onto We find that, in the West, we have a lot of international the production line and they are also setting up gates outside standards, we have more consumers that care about how their the factories to prevent outsiders from getting in. products are made, we have more NGOs working on workers’ How is it different doing your research in Hong Kong, rather rights and also environmental conditions, and we find that, than China? in China, we know best about the production situation, the working conditions, so SACOM has been trying to link these Hong Kong has been a hub for NGOs and also activists to two parts up. improve the situation in China. We are enjoying privileges, compared to the mainland of China. First of all, we are more We feel that it is only when the consumers or NGOs from able to assess information, and also have better connections around the world know about conditions in China and other with the West. We are more able to speak English and also production countries, that they can pressure the brand with a Mandarin, so we can connect with both sides. very reasonable, solid argument, and the workers can benefit through this cooperation and international solidarity. Also, we have enjoyed more freedom of speech, so far, so it is easier for us to publish work, or to campaign in Hong Are you seeing improvements in working conditions in China? Kong. Also, in Hong Kong we have a long history of connecting Throughout my experience, I feel that there are indeed different parties and bringing them together, trying to let the some improvements in working conditions, especially after western part of the world know what is actually going on in some successful campaigns, or some larger issues that were China. uncovered and reported. For more information see https://sacom.hk

42 Manifesto ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 Reforming markets to serve ethical goals Ten key steps from Ethical Consumer’s new 2018 manifesto.

Why we have made this list Reforming corporate Many ethical consumer campaigns are about making markets power less damaging because governments are not really stepping in to prevent abuses. Nevertheless, when governments are persuaded 1 to regulate in a supportive way, the impact can be huge. Ban government contracts with companies engaged in tax At this critical time in our political culture, we have sought to avoidance. identify ten key issues which could each have a transformative effect on the economic systems within which we live, and 2 Support a binding international which are illustrative of the kind of broader change we are treaty on corporate human rights seeking. responsibilities. For our 2018 list, we have looked to combine issues around 3 which powerful coalitions are already forming with those Eliminate the use and inclusion of to which we can uniquely contribute. At least seven of our ‘corporate courts’ in trade deals. demands are, therefore, backed by global campaigns, many of which have gained momentum in recent years. International Reforming finance and movements have made food sovereignty, a Robin Hood Tax, a UN Treaty on corporate human rights responsibilities, and a ban economics on corporate courts seem like increasingly realistic alternative approaches. 4 Make ethical buying and We also surveyed our own readers and stakeholders in May alternative business models part of 2018. They particularly encouraged us to include requests for the educational curriculum. regulations addressing tax avoidance, plastic packaging, animal 5 testing and making ethical consumption part of the educational Introduce a ‘Robin Hood Tax’ on curriculum. financial transactions. Our original manifesto in 2001 contained 46 separate 6 Make disclosure of lending and suggestions and, although comprehensive, was hard to share ownership by financial communicate. Our 2018 manifesto still contains key insights institutions mandatory. about the role governments can play in intervening positively around procurement, information disclosure, fiscal policy, regulation and controlling corporate power. Reforming consumer Since it was published, the world of ethical consumption markets and corporate power has changed significantly. Some of these developments have been positive with a few of the ideas we 7 Break up technology monopolies were talking about then becoming adopted by governments at into separate businesses and least somewhere in the world. However, in other areas, matters democratise ownership. appear to have become worse and we therefore decided that an update was needed. 8 Create a Fair Food Act recognising On our new website (www.ethicalconsumer.org/about-us/ food sovereignty in national law. ethical-consumer-manifesto) we provide more details for each 9 of these ten policy demands. A sub-section for each proposal Phase out animal testing by 2025, explains in more detail what we are asking for and why we are as the Netherlands is planning. asking for it. We then provide a list of who else is working on 10 Ban single-use plastic packaging this – from political parties to campaign groups and charities. by 2021. In the case of a general election, we plan to rate political party’s own manifestos against ours, so keep an eye out for this. As usual, we welcome comments and suggestions from all our readers.

43 Money NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

Carbon divested funds: financial performance

5 year cumulative Ethiscore Carbon divested fund performance to as of June 17/09/2018 2018 Janus Henderson Global Sustainable Equity Fund 95.5 6 WHEB Sustainability 86.4 16

Triodos Sustainable Pioneer 77 15.5

Jupiter Ecology 55.5 6.5 Aviva Liontrust Sustainable Future European Growth 55.2 6.5 Quilter Cheviot Climate Assets 52.76 4 Sarasin Sustainable Equity Real Estate 48.4 7.5 Energise Africa hits £5 million Castlefield BEST Sustainable Income Fund 21.8 15 investment Standard Life Equity Impact n/a (fund is less 3.5 Global than 5 years old) We reported on the Energise Africa initiative after its launch in October 2017. The initiative connects investors IA Global (for comparison) 68.9 with businesses installing solar systems in homes in Sub- Data from trustnet.com Saharan Africa. It aims to both provide clean energy and economic opportunities to families, and to generate a 4- 6% annual return for investors. (Please note: your capital is at risk and returns are not guaranteed). Ninety global investors call for The good news is that the initiative has taken off, and RSPO to be strengthened investment has now hit the £5 million mark. More than 1,000 investors have been connected to 40 projects with more than The belaboured Roundtable on Sustainable Palm 180,000 people now able to access affordable solar energy in Oil) RSPO is currently reviewing its standard, and Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, ninety pension funds and other institutional investors DR Congo, Cameroon and Senegal. have signed a letter urging substantial changes to The project is a joint venture of Lendahand and Ethex, two of strengthen it. They include investors such as Aegon Europe’s leading online impact investing platforms. Asset Management, Aviva Investors and APG Asset For more information, see: www.ethex.org.uk/energiseafrica Management and, together, they have more than $6.7 trillion in assets under management. The letter states: “Our investment portfolios include New rules on how pension schemes companies that have significant exposure to deforestation risks deal with ethical issues ... we are concerned with the current disconnect between leading corporate policy commitments and the RSPO standard.” The government has just published changes to the regulations governing how pension schemes report on It goes on to call on the RSPO to implement a ban on environmental, social and governance issues. cutting down and planting on High Carbon Stock forests, and to implement much stronger protections for peat soils and for This is a clarification on how the law should be interpreted, human rights. rather than a new law. Activists have long argued that a correct interpretation of existing law would require pension With the weight of schemes to address the financial risks posed by a wide range of money behind it, it environmental, social and governance factors, notably climate is hoped that it will change. However, this was not being recognised. affect real change at the RSPO. The new regulations will mean that the majority of trustees will be required to explain their approach to ethical issues. And, For more in many cases, they will be required to report on them annually information see to members of the pension scheme.1 Ceres, the NGO who coordinated For more information, see Shareaction’s website: the letter: https://shareaction.org www.ceres.org

References: 1 https://shareaction.org/press-release/uk-government-unveils-clearer- rules-for-a-21st-century-pensions-system

44 Tax justice ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 Are tax incentives in Nigeria attracting investment or giving away revenue?

As the Tax Justice Network develops its Corporate Tax Haven Index, Mustapha Ndajiwo asks, are tax incentives serving the people or a few individuals?

The Tax Justice Network is developing The Nigerian tax system permits registered a new Corporate Tax Haven Index businesses to change their name or that will rank the jurisdictions that business, or even leave the country, after contribute most to the global the expiration of their pioneer status. race to the bottom in corporate This creates more risk for abuse, as taxation. One of its aims is to companies whose pioneer status has analyse the problematic nature expired can simply reapply under of tax incentives and how they a different name. This, among other contribute to the race to the things, raises questions about the bottom. effectiveness of these so-called tax incentives. This is an important step in addressing the inefficiency of tax Digging deeper or digging our way incentives the world over. out? This is especially important in Nigeria Studies suggest that tax incentives are the least and other developing countries because it will important factors in making investment decisions greatly aid in the pursuit of global tax transparency in low-income countries because the investments and fairness. would have happened with or without them. Factors such as Nigeria is a country that is desperate for development. With infrastructure, security and rule of law, to mention a few, are one of the lowest Human Development Index rankings in the ranked higher. Similarly, other studies confirm that tax incentives world, and one of the lowest tax to GDP ratios, it is critical that have more negative than positive impact on sustainable Nigeria re-evaluates its tax incentives framework. For every tax development in developing countries. dollar we give away, we may be giving away healthcare, security, Despite all the evidence and arguments on the ineffectiveness good roads, improved welfare for the civil service, and so much of tax incentives, the Nigerian government recently expanded more. its pioneer status regime to 27 new industries, including coal Tax incentives in Nigeria mining, manufacture of leather products and e-commerce services. For over a decade, Nigeria, like so many developing countries, Although the Nigerian Government reviewed the list of has been granting a number of tax incentives to multinational companies and sectors eligible for pioneer status in 2017, the companies in a bid to attract foreign direct investment. review was premised on the notion that the businesses were Proponents of the incentives argue that the measures are vital mature enough not to need tax incentives, rather than to carry to the development of the economy, while critics point to the out a thorough analysis on whether the tax incentives are at glaring lack of evidence supporting these claims. all useful. Furthermore, last year, the Federal Inland Revenue Tax incentives are generally categorised into two: cost-based Service, together with the Nigerian Investment Promotion tax incentives (such as tax credits) and profit-based tax incentives Council (NIPC) launched the Compendium of Tax Incentives to (such as tax holidays or reduced tax rates). Specific types of promote Nigeria as an attractive investment destination using tax incentives vary based on sector, income type, business size, and incentives. business location. The incentives can be temporary or permanent So on the one hand, while Nigerians have been inundated and can offer partial exemption or full-exemption. with talks about how the government intends to broaden the tax Tax holidays are widely used in Africa and are the most base, reduce its reliance on oil revenue, and make taxation the abused type of tax incentive in Nigeria in the form of pioneer source of development, on the other hand, the government is status, an incentive allowing certain businesses a tax holiday for signing away its tax revenues without any evidence to suggest three years, which is renewable for another two. The abuse of the that a careful cost-benefit analysis has been carried out to pioneer status incentive is partly due to the discretionary powers ascertain if the tax incentives are going to be beneficial or not. of the Nigerian government, which can grant pioneer status without the need for approval from the National Assembly. This is an edited extract of a blog post, published on 14 August 2018. To read the full version, visit www.taxjustice.net

45 Letters NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

£4.25 EC174 Sept/Oct 2018 www.ethicalconsumer.org Responses to our badger cull campaign

Chatsworth cull that cattle provide to our soil – not Along with many other anti- petition nitrogen pellets which poison our cull groups, we support the I have just come water courses. More to the point development of vaccinations back to your you should be encouraging people and hope that the boycott will magazine because to boycott supermarkets and those encourage a focus on such a friend drew that promote cheap food. solutions instead of on cleansing my attention to With regards to badgers, thanks to the countryside of wildlife. We The world’s going electric! are also strong supporters of Why electric bikes & cars are the future for carbon-free transport your campaign the EU, we are not actively looking Product guides to: Bikes, Cars and Restaurants against the badger for vaccinations for cattle. If we did alternatives to supermarkets and Plus: Badger cull campaign latest, What is a regenerative business? cull. I live in have a vaccine, there would be no smaller farmers and have been Derbyshire, one of the need to cull the badgers who may critical of milk pricing in particular. new zones to be culled this year. I or may not be spreading the TB. am part of a new group, Derbyshire Secondly, if you speak to dairy What about local dairy Against the Cull, trying to do what farmers, you will find that the TB farmers? we can to save the badgers in our testing they do is so inaccurate It seems that there are many area. We have set up a petition that (based on the size of a lump after dairy companies who are directly over 15,800 people have already injection) that it cannot be trusted. responsible for encouraging the signed – change.org/p/chatsworth- Furthermore, some cattle create culls – specifically the big dairy cull their own anti-bodies to fight TB, companies. Indeed, you say that We are asking the Chatsworth but the crude tests indicate that if any of them were to come out Estate, owners of 35,000 acres they actually have TB, which is against the cull then you would of land, not to allow the cull on ridiculous since it means that they reconsider your call for a dairy their land. The Chatsworth Estate are not allowed to build up their boycott. consists of the famous park and own natural resistances. Where What I am struggling to understand many farms and smaller holdings. DEFRA are involved, one should about your position is the fact Although some tenant farmers and be very cautious and remember that you are calling for people to gamekeepers may want the cull, the slaughter of 10 million animals boycott dairy regardless of where it we are sure that many visitors during the Foot and Mouth ‘crisis’ comes from. I became a subscriber to the house and park would be of 2002; most of these animals precisely because I wanted horrified to know that beautiful, were never infected at all. advice about how to discriminate healthy, protected wild animals That is where you should be between ethical companies and were being slaughtered. concentrating your efforts as well unethical ones. Now here you are recommending a blanket boycott I wondered if you had ever done as fighting to reduce live animal of a particular product, regardless an ethical comparison of stately exports and encouraging organic of who produced it. homes. I would like to know how farming. Not encouraging people I get my milk from the local farmers Chatsworth ranked among similar to kill off the British Dairy farmer. market here in London. The farmers visitor attractions. Would you I shall be considering my renewal are very much against the badger be able to do this if you haven’t with great care next time. culls and are scrupulous about already? Andrew, by email every aspect of the way their milk Steph, by email Ed: Thanks for your feedback. We is produced. Why should people Ed: We think this is a great idea have tried to target large dairy be boycotting farms like theirs and and will look into trying to resource businesses and the NFU directly causing these exemplary farmers it in the near future. in the past. However, this has financial problems that could put not been possible for a number them out of business? Anger over boycott call of reasons outlined in our article I find this position irresponsible in EC174. We therefore feel that because it is penalising good I am not sure I like the direction people need to create pressure companies for the sins of bad ones. your publication is travelling in: on the English dairy industry as coupling up with Viva! and Animal Sophie, by email a whole to address the issue. We Aid. are prepared to exclude from the Ed: It’s great to hear about your By boycotting British milk, you boycott, and list on our website, local farmers. When initially will be putting the smaller (caring) any individual farmers who will researching for the campaign, and dairy farmers out of business and publicly oppose the cull. Our for each of our dairy milk guides handing the production over to attempts to find these in the past (last updated in Autumn 2017), corporate mega-dairies, both here have not, however, proven to be we contacted dairy brands across and abroad. We need the nutrients successful. the UK asking for their stance on

46 Letters ethicalconsumer.org NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 the cull. They have overwhelming bad? I have a lot of time for my sat on the fence, or happened to local farmer, his animals appear to Other Letters operate outside of the cull zones, be looked after well, so I respect ASK Italian and Zizzi respond and therefore stated they were not his explanation that he wouldn’t to our restaurants guide involved. We would love to hear accept anything lightly. How do I We were disappointed to see from any farmers or brands who answer when he asks if I would get the report released by Ethical oppose the cull and will list then a pest controller in if there were Consumer that ranked Zizzi publicly as discussed in the answer rats in my office? and ASK Italian poorly. On to the letter above. I am finding this a difficult one investigation, it has come to light to get judgemental on! I’m all on that a key source of information board with your call to boycott Boycott difficult to justify used to rate ASK Italian and Zizzi Amazon as I can see the specific Please can I ask why you have concerned Bridgepoint who are damage they do to our community decided to ‘ditch’ dairy products the investment partner for Azzurri when compared to the rules others with reference to the cull? My Group, which Ask Italian and have to adhere to and the massive understanding of the subject Zizzi are part of. Ask Italian and profits they make out of us. That’s suggests you should be calling for Zizzi are not linked in any way to not the same for farmers. Are you a complete ban on any British- Bridgepoint’s other portfolio brands advocating an eradication of cattle produced food. The culls being beyond sharing the same investor. (dairy) farming? Because that might organised are taking place over Therefore, this report is not an be difficult for me to justify. the whole of the licenced area and accurate reflection of ASK Italian are relying on almost total support Bridget, by email and Zizzi’s performance on CSR. from the farming community. ASK Italian and Zizzi are From what I read, the area only Ed: We have focused on dairy as committed to providing the gets a licence if 90% of the land it is apparently this industry that highest quality Italian food, served has permission to be included. is demanding the cull (it is the in beautiful surroundings by Therefore, support has to have one which is affected by bTB), engaging and passionate people. come not only from the dairy and we hope a boycott will focus We want to deliver this vision industry but the fruit, cereals, oil their attention on alternative responsibly through the delivery seed, potato, beef, salad, pig, approaches. of our CSR strategy that focuses sheep, and veg growers. It seems on five areas – Customers, People, pretty random to choose one of Badgers, unlike rats, are a protected Community, Responsible Sourcing them, therefore unethical to pick species and require a license to and Environment. Sitting under on one of them. shoot them. The Badger Protection each of these pillars are the issues I was speaking to a farmer (I live Act was passed in 1973 because, we have identified that matter in the countryside) and suddenly like many apex species, they most to our stakeholders and found myself unable to answer his were in danger of disappearing where we feel we can make the challenges as I appeared to be a from the countryside at the time. biggest difference. We are on a complete hypocrite! Apparently, Systematically eradicating them journey and working hard to create the long-term plan is that badgers from defined geographical areas, as changes that positively impact are subject to similar controls as, the cull is seeking to do, is different our people, partners and local for example, deer, which may be from rats in an office. communities, and tread lightly on ‘controlled’ in a season. Is that so the environment. Jo Fawcett, Zizzi

47 Letters NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org

Electric cars are not the Sustainably powered electric on the market. For more info, ITM solution cars Power seems to be leading the way I am left speechless by the latest I wholeheartedly support the move in the UK. I have no connection issue of the Ethical Consumer on away from fossil fuels. However, if with that firm but they seem to be Electric Cars, as it does not cover a campaign for electrically driven on a good track. the many problems which these vehicles is not accompanied Rob, by email. Personal Vehicles [PVs] cause. by a vigorous campaign (a) for There is a vast amount of materials alternatives to both fossil fuels and Local vs organic used in their construction. Neither nuclear power and (b) for improved First of all, I just wanted to say I is there any mention of how the public transport, the increased really appreciate the work you concreted areas used by PVs demand for electricity will do, I turn to your website a lot. I increase flood risks, or how this inevitably lead to the construction would welcome your thoughts on land might be better used to grow of even more nuclear power a dilemma I have. I am wondering trees, etc. stations. And these are anything what stance ethical consumer but ethical or safe (disposal of What really needs creating is an takes on using a local independent radioactive waste, enormous risks extensive network of footpaths, greengrocer who doesn’t sell in case of malfunction, etc.). bike lanes, tram routes, and organic produce or a company that affordable railways. There are also Judith, by email. is based out of my town that does? many health, social, environmental Helen, by email benefits to be gained by the Hydrogen power Ed: This is a classic Ethical creation of urban footpaths. That’s I was really surprised and Consumer dilemma! It is also one something which would really disappointed whilst reading the that ethics on its own cannot solve. benefit children, the elderly, the printed mag to find not even a It will depend on your own political poorest, and most vulnerable mention of hydrogen powered priorities. Is it more important (in individuals in society. vehicles, the expansion of the short term) to reduce climate hydrogen refuelling facilities, the It should also be noted how the impacts (by travelling less to shop) carbon and pollution implications instillation of electrical power or more important to keep focusing of charging EVs from fossil fuel points on our streets for these PVs on the soil health and biodiversity sources on the grid. There are two has already caused yet another that organic agriculture protects? trip hazard which pedestrians models of hydrogen-powered cars and wheelchair users have to manoeuvre their way around. That’s on top of the problems which are caused by pavement parking. So, in summary – a switch over to electric PVs is not a solution, We welcome readers’ letters. Letters may be edited for reasons of but another aspect of the transport space or clarity. If you do not want letters to be published, please problem. mark them ‘Not for publication’. Our address is on the contents page, or email us at [email protected] Martyn, by email

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48 ethicalconsumer

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[email protected] 0161 226 2929 Inside View NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 ethicalconsumer.org Plastic’s not so fantastic The battle against plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental issues right now, but are we ever going to win the war, asks Simon Birch?

lastic waste is one of the great environmental scourges of our time.” So said Prime Minister Theresa“P May in a speech earlier this year, something that marks the first and only time that I’m likely to agree with anything the Brexit-battered PM says. A member of the From household plastic waste littering Plastic Free Newquay our beaches, to wildlife starving to death campaign group handing back plastic on a diet of discarded plastic debris in packaging at a the southern oceans, the planet is now in supermarket as part grave danger from a never-ending rising of Surfers Against tide of plastic. Sewage’s ‘Mass

Unwrap’ protest. Brown Adj Photo credit: But whilst the images of turtles entangled in plastic waste are grim, there And in a positive sign of a race-to-the- Polisano isn’t convinced: “Taking is actually reason to be hopeful, and that top amongst the UK’s big supermarkets, responsibility for your own purchases hope comes from us: consumer power. just as Ethical Consumer was going to is important but if companies, such as The good news is that we’re now press, the Co-op announced a pledge that WHSmith didn’t sell products such as this witnessing one of the biggest ever public all its own-brand packaging would become then shoppers wouldn’t buy it,” concludes responses to any environmental issue of easy to recycle by 2023. Polisano. recent times. The pledge is just one measure among “At the heart of this issue is that “There’s been a huge surge in the many that will see the Co-op aim to slash companies need to take responsibility for grassroots plastics-free movement from its plastic footprint. the plastic waste they create.” community beach cleaners to campaigns For example, the Co-op is set to be However, this isn’t to say that against single-use plastics,” states Hugo the first major supermarket in the UK to consumers don’t have a key role to play in Tagholm, chief executive of Surfers replace single-use plastic carrier bags with piling on the pressure on supermarkets to Against Sewage. lightweight compostable alternatives that ditch single-use plastic. “Companies may try and wriggle shoppers can reuse as biodegradable bags Surfers Against Sewage are now out of questions from campaigners or for food waste. supporting the creation of almost 400 journalists but when it’s their customers But whilst these initiatives are steps plastic-free communities across the telling them ‘I shop with you and want in the right direction, many look to UK that are encouraging thousands of to stay shopping with you so please stop government to provide a firm stick to individual consumers to cut their single- producing this pointless plastic,’ that’s an ensure that all companies act on plastic: use plastic footprint. important moment,” says Elena Polisano “Government needs to step in and So, given that we’re finally seeing action from Greenpeace. underpin voluntary commitments that on single-use plastic, what are the chances So, just how are we going to win the companies make on plastic with strong that we can consign it to the recycling bin war on single-use plastic waste and who legislation that really drives out all but the of history? should be leading the fight: industry, essential uses of plastic,” says Polisano. Hugo Tagholm likens the war on government or shoppers? “Smart, well-aimed interventions can single-use plastic to the campaign to clean Polisano is in no doubt as to who needs have a massive positive impact such as the up our seas and beaches in the 1990s. to make the most running: “What we’ve plastic bag charge.” “It took powerful EU legislation and got to do is turn off the tap of plastic Campaigners are now looking to 15 years for water companies to put in the production,” says Polisano. government to introduce a comprehensive necessary infrastructure and investment “Ultimately supermarkets need to deposit return scheme for all plastic drinks that finally lead to the improved water reduce the amount of plastic packaging containers as well as a ban on everything quality that we have today,” he says. they use in the first place. Stopping excess from plastic straws to plastic cotton buds. “It’s the same thing today with the plastic at the source will mean that there’s But what about shoppers? What role do campaign against single-use plastic,” says less of it in circulation, and ultimately less we have? Tagholm who believes that eventually plastic in our oceans.” Take the jaw-droppingly we’re going to win: Encouragingly, earlier this year, environmentally irresponsible example “We may be at the very start of the Iceland vowed to become the world’s of WHSmith, which is currently flogging campaign, but I believe that in 15 years’ first supermarket to eliminate all plastic water from Fiji in single-use plastic bottles. time we’re going to be living in a world packaging from all its own-label products Surely if shoppers didn’t buy it then which has a very different relationship within five years. WHSmith wouldn’t sell it? with plastic.”

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