£4·25 185 July/Aug 2020 www.ethicalconsumer.org Who profits when life goes online? Guides to SHOPPING GUIDES TO shoes & l video conferencing trainers l ethical online retailers CAPITAL AT RISK. INVESTMENTS ARE LONG TERM AND MAY NOT BE READILY REALISABLE. ABUNDANCE IS AUTHORISED AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY (525432). Making money is great. But only if you’ve got a planet left to spend it on. abundanceinvestment.com Mobilise your money for good Over 200 mens and NEW womens styles! NOW IN KOMODO ECO SNEAKO’S NAVY GREY MINT WHITE Tel: 01273 691913 | [email protected] vegshoes.com ethical consumer 1/2 page ad 0520.indd 1 27/05/2020 13:11 2 Ethical Consumer July/August 2020 ETHICAL CONSUMER Editorial WHO’S WHO rom our lockdown bunkers we and was published in The Observer THIS ISSUE’S EDITOR Josie Wexler bring you the latest issue of Letters section on 24/5/2020. PROOFING Ciara Maginness (Little Blue Pencil) WRITERS/RESEARCHERS Jane Turner, Tim Hunt, Ethical Consumer, which features This letter calls for us to “bake-in” Rob Harrison, Anna Clayton, Josie Wexler, two guides – to video calls and positive changes like the increase Ruth Strange, Mackenzie Denyer, Clare Carlile, Fethical online retailers, which are in video conferencing, reverse the Francesca de la Torre, Alex Crumbie, Tom Bryson, inspired by the last few months’ shift marketisation of the healthcare system Billy Saundry, Jasmine Owens REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Simon Birch, Colin Birch into the virtual world. which undermined our ability to deal DESIGN Tom Lynton As we discuss in the guides, there with Covid, and for us to deal with future LAYOUT Adele Armistead (Moonloft), Jane Turner are both good and bad sides to this threats, like the ecological crisis. COVER Tom Lynton shift. There are many serious concerns However, the uniquely radical idea CARTOONS Marc Roberts, Mike Bryson, Paul about the companies who lurk behind in this letter is that it also calls for the Fitzgerald the screen. And yet, video conferencing establishment of a Citizens’ Assembly AD SALES Simon Birch SUBSCRIPTIONS Elizabeth Chater, offers the potential for forging for the Future, selected at random Francesca Thomas, Nadine Oliver international links with a tiny fraction from the adult population, so it would PRESS ENQUIRIES Simon Birch, Tim Hunt of the carbon impact of travel, and there not be subject to the same short term ENQUIRIES Francesca Thomas are many online retailers out there pressure to win elections, and would WEB EDITOR Sophie Billington who are much less unpalatable than focus on long-term issues like disaster THANKS ALSO TO Marlous Veldt, Merle Büter, Emma Kerrison, Katy Davies, Catherine Harbour, Jane Amazon. planning, institutional reform and the Darling However, we do think that it’s very low carbon transition. It would propose All material correct one month before cover date important to keep one foot in the a set number of bills to parliament, and © Ethical Consumer Research Association material world, and we did so quite which would then be subjected to a free Ltd. ISSN 0955 8608 literally this time, with guides to shoes parliamentary vote. Printed with vegetable ink by RAP Spiderweb Ltd, and trainers. c/o the Commercial Centre, Clowes Centre, Our conference goes online Hollinwood, Oldham OL9 7LY. 0161 947 3700 A just and resilient recovery This year our annual conference will PAPER 100% post-consumer waste, chlorine-free As Covid has torn up the rulebook take a slightly different format. We will and sourced from the only UK paper merchant supplying only recycled papers – Paperback and everything is now up for grabs, be hosting Ethical Consumption Week (www.paperbackpaper.co.uk) it is vitally important that we all start 2020 online from the 24th-30th October, RETAIL DISTRIBUTION is handled by Central Books clamouring for the recovery that we exploring the role of consumers, on 0845 458 9911. want – one that will give us the resilience business and NGOs in building more Ethical Consumer is a member of INK to deal with future crises, rather than resilient communities in the face of (independent news collective), an association of radical and alternative publishers. sinking into the hell of Austerity 2.0. Covid and the ecological crisis. The week www.ink.uk.com There are a plethora of such visions will include a series of online events We are a Living Wage employer, a multi-stakeholder being proposed. Read about some to explore the underlying issues, a co-op, and Fair Tax Mark accredited. of them on our tax and climate radically reimagined future and pages on pages 40 and 36. the actions that we can all take Ethical Consumer has itself to support just transitions. signed up to several proposals. We will gain inspiration from One is organised by 350. those exploring the answers org and can been seen and and already creating signed at https://350.org/ ripples of change. ABOUT THE ADVERTISERS just-recovery. It calls on But before then, Covid responses to put there will be our next ECRA checks out advertisers before accepting their people’s health first, to magazine, which is ads and reserves the right to refuse any advert. provide economic relief going to be a finance directly to the people, to special. See you then. COVERED IN PREVIOUS PRODUCT GUIDES Abundance help workers, to create (177), Cheeky Panda (179), Infinity Wholefoods (178), Kingfisher Toothpaste (165), Vegetarian resilience, and to build Shoes (185). solidarity across borders. OTHER ADVERTISERS Green Building Store, Green Another is called Krisis: JOSIE WEXLER Stationery, Investing Ethically, Moonloft, Safer a manifesto for the future, EDITOR Medicines. 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. 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Annual subscriptions start at £850 (+VAT) Screenings are available from just £150 (+VAT) 0161 226 2929 0161 226 2929 [email protected] [email protected] 4 Ethical Consumer July/August 2020 ETHICAL CONSUMER Contents 39 FEATURES SHOPPING GUIDES 42 Technology & Tax Video Conferencing Big Tech must pay more tax 10 Introduction 47 Online Events 12 Score Table & Best Buys How to make them more inclusive 14 Big Tech and the climate 50 10 NEWS 06 Food & Home Online Ethical Retailers KitKat cuts ties with Fairtrade, UK 17 Introduction food standards, the real solidaritea, fast food profiting from BAME REGULARS 18 Score Table & Best Buys workers 19 Which sell face masks? 35 Ethical Novice 08 Boycotts Trainers Black Lives Matter & racist company Shoes practices, BlackoutDay economic 46 Gift subscriptions 22 Introduction boycott Give a gift subscription to Ethical Consumer 24 Score Table & Best Buys 36 Climate 27 Recycling your shoes Green recovery, Carbon Coop column, 48 Letters StopFundingHeat media campaign A regular forum for readers’ views 38 Beyond Consumerism 50 Inside view 22 Kropotkin, mutual aid and local Veg box sales doubled production 08 39 Campaigns Ongoing support to migrant workers in Almeria , southern Spain 40 Tax Justice Covid bailouts must be conditional on ethical behaviour, Freeports in England, build back with a fair tax system 44 Clothes Brands must protect garment workers, gender justice, Boohoo Trainers expands 28 Introduction 45 Money 30 Score Table & Best Buys Sustainable funds fare better, Co-op 33 Reasons to avoid Sports Bank’s values and ethics Direct ethicalconsumer.org 5 NEWS Food & home KitKat cuts ties with Fairtrade The Fairtrade Foundation has called Nestlé’s move to stop sourcing cocoa for KitKats from Fairtrade farmers in West Africa “profoundly disappointing”. KitKat will join Nestlé’s other confectionery in being certified by the Rainforest Alliance, a weaker scheme that lacks Fairtrade’s crucial fixed minimum price and financial bonus. Michael Gidney, chief executive of the Fairtrade Foundation, said its cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast were “devastated” by the news. “It would never be good news, but to face this when the country is looking at one of the worst health crises imaginable makes things particularly difficult,” he said. “Nestlé’s relationship with farmers in Ivory Coast has been able to make a huge difference to village communities, helping them to receive electricity and water pumps.