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And glaciers. abundanceinvestment.com Mobilise your money for good 2 Ethical Consumer November/December 2020 ETHICAL CONSUMER Editorial WHO’S WHO A boom time for ethical a potential death sentence across the THIS ISSUE’S EDITORS Rob Harrison & Ruth Strange world. The Black Lives Matter protests, PROOFING Ciara Maginness (Little Blue Pencil) consumers WRITERS/RESEARCHERS Jane Turner, Tim Hunt, In the month of September we attracted as well as acting as a reminder of the Rob Harrison, Anna Clayton, Josie Wexler, new subscribers to the magazine at the fact that too many things are profoundly Ruth Strange, Mackenzie Denyer, Clare Carlile, fastest rate for a couple of decades. This wrong, are also bringing with them a Francesca de la Torre, Alex Crumbie, Tom Bryson, doesn’t appear to be a blip or freak event renewed sense of the power of boycotts Billy Saundry, Jasmine Owens 1 REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Simon Birch, Colin Birch though, as previous months also showed and positive buying. DESIGN Tom Lynton similar growth rates. For a co-operative LAYOUT Adele Armistead (Moonloft), Jane Turner publisher, which like most in the print Evidence from elsewhere COVER Tom Lynton sector has seen revenues in decline since Surveys, although not always reliable, are CARTOONS Marc Roberts, Mike Bryson, Andy Vine 2005, this has come as a bit of a surprise. showing big increases in environmental AD SALES Simon Birch awareness. One global survey showed SUBSCRIPTIONS Elizabeth Chater, Francesca Thomas, Nadine Oliver Why is this happening? that 70% of people claimed to be more PRESS ENQUIRIES Simon Birch, Tim Hunt Some of our team think this is all just down aware post COVID-19 that “human ENQUIRIES Francesca Thomas to 30 years of continuous improvement activity threatens the climate and that WEB EDITOR Sophie Billington in what we do. We write more articles and environmental degradation can threaten THANKS ALSO TO Marlous Veldt, Merle Büter, Emma reports with better quality research than humans.” A further 40% intended to Kerrison, Katy Davies, Catherine Harbour, Jane Darling we used to. We are better at telling the practice more sustainable behaviours in outside world about them and we have the future.2 We are also aware of big post All material correct one month before cover date and © Ethical Consumer Research Association built more ways to pay. There may also be COVID-19 growths in some sectors like Ltd. ISSN 0955 8608 the fact that some people who now can’t organic food sales.3 Printed with vegetable ink by RAP Spiderweb Ltd, go out may suddenly have found that they Finally, there is definitely change going c/o the Commercial Centre, Clowes Centre, have time to read a magazine. on in the financial sector with a surge Hollinwood, Oldham OL9 7LY. 0161 947 3700 Whilst this dull-but-true explanation of interest in ethical investments and a PAPER 100% post-consumer waste, chlorine-free will no doubt account for some of this scramble to get a handle on the carbon and sourced from the only UK paper merchant growth, there is a faint hope that bigger emissions in investment portfolios.4 This supplying only recycled papers – Paperback (www.paperbackpaper.co.uk) changes are also afoot. Perhaps these issue and the last has been tracking some RETAIL DISTRIBUTION is handled by Central Books crazy times in which we find ourselves of these changes and highlighting some of on 0845 458 9911. are driving a change in the way people are the better companies to do business with. Ethical Consumer is a member of INK thinking? It is perhaps surprising then, in these (independent news collective), an association of dark days, how many glimmers of light radical and alternative publishers. www.ink.uk.com Shining a light on inequalities there still are. There’s nothing like a pandemic to shine We are a Living Wage employer, a multi-stakeholder co-op, and Fair Tax Mark accredited. a light on greedy businesses making poor And a clarification decisions. For example, COVID-19 hotspots Some readers were confused by a in Leicester making front page news finally statistic in the last editorial comparing forced Boohoo and government regulators the different impacts of investments and to face up to the illegal sweatshops which flights. The research we were referring to had been operating there in plain sight for claimed that taking one less international nearly a decade. We talk about this in an flight a year for a working lifetime will extended news feature on page save around 19 tonnes CO2 – the figure ABOUT THE ADVERTISERS 38. Meatpacking plants from was not for a single flight. We talk about ECRA checks out advertisers before accepting their the US to Germany also made the problems of making this kind of ads and reserves the right to refuse any advert. front page news as they turned comparison in more detail one p.29. COVERED IN PREVIOUS PRODUCT GUIDES Abundance out to be key sources of wider (177), Cheeky Panda (179), Ecology Building Society (187), Ethex (177), Ethical Shop (185), community infection too. ROB HARRISON EDITOR Green Stationery (185), Infinity Wholefoods Worse still has been the References: 1 https://atlantablackstar. com/2016/12/23/black-lives-matter-launches- (178), Kingfisher Toothpaste (184), Plamil (183), realisation that modern new-interactive-website-promoting-connecting- Vegetarian Shoes (185). inequalities have run consumers-black-owned-businesses 2 www. OTHER ADVERTISERS BSI, Bhopal Campaign, bcg.com/en-gb/publications/2020/pandemic-is- so far out of control heightening-environmental-awareness 3 www. Green Building Store, Greenpeace, Investing theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/03/uk- Ethically, Send A Cow, Shared Interest, The Path, that being poor is not organic-food-and-drink-sales-boom-during-lockdown 4 www.ai-cio.com/news/pandemic-creates-watershed- Womankind. just an indignity but moment-sustainable-investing WHAT IS ETHICAL CONSUMER? Democratise the market by enabling Push for wider political action and 2consumers to assert their own ethical 5legislative change. Ethical consumerism is We are an independent, not-for-profit, multi- values by using our shopping guides. not a replacement for other forms of political stakeholder co-operative founded in 1989 action. But it is an important additional way and based in Manchester. Our primary goal is Have a fully transparent ranking system. All for people to exert their influence. making global businesses more sustainable 3our data is available to subscribers. through consumer pressure. Our mission is to: HOW TO CONTACT US Engage with companies by telling them why Unit 21, 41 Old Birley Street, Manchester, M15 5RF Help consumers to challenge corporate we are buying or not buying their products. 4 0161 226 2929 — 10-5pm 1 power by using their economic vote every We also send them detailed questions about [email protected] — general time they go shopping. their policy and practice on ethical issues. [email protected] — subscriptions ethicalconsumer.org 3 feelgood windows Enjoy the comfort and energy efficiency of triple glazed timber windows and doors ® Options to suit all budgets Friendly personal service and technical support from the low energy and Passivhaus experts www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk t: 01484 461705 4 Ethical Consumer November/December 2020 g b s windows ad 91x137mm Ethical C dec 2018 FINAL.indd 1 14/12/2018 10:42 ETHICAL CONSUMER Contents NEWS FEATURES SHOPPING GUIDES 06 Food & Home 30 Ethical Financial Advice Mortgages Oatly, gene editing, Lush Prize, ethical financial advisers and ethical 10 Introduction Christmas shopping without Amazon investment platforms 11 Green mortgages 08 Campaigns 12 Score Table & Best Buys News from Almeria 44 Boycotting Trump’s funders 14 Green Homes Grant 08 Trump’s corporate connections 15 Alternative housing Home & Car Insurance 44 16 Introduction 16 Insurance companies and COVID 17 Climate change action 18 Score Table & Best Buys 21 Eco brokers and green transport insurance Ethical Pensions 09 Ethical Consumer Week 24 Introduction Programme for this year’s online 26 Score Table & Best Buys conference 28 ethical company pensions 22 Ethical Novice 29 Pensions and carbon Car Insurance 37 Tax justice 24 our new Tax Conduct rating, Amazon’s tax bill, Fair Tax Mark news REGULARS 38 Clothes Boohoo review, PayUp campaign, 46 Christmas gift H&M cuts ties with Xinjiang subscriptions Give a gift subscription to Ethical 38 Consumer 48 Letters A regular forum for readers’ views 50 Inside view Accounts for small solar powered trains businesses and charities 32 Introduction 50 33 Charity and community accounts on offer 34 Score Table & Best Buys 32 41 Beyond consumerism new clothing repair app 42 Climate heat pumps, oil companies co-opt COP26, coal mines in the UK ethicalconsumer.org 5 NEWS Food & Home DON’T MISS THE CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON RISKY What’s going NEW GMOS on with Oatly? Liz O’Neill, Director of the UK umbrella In recent weeks, Oatly campaign group GM Freeze tells us how.