Consumers need detailed and reliable information to make ethical purchases
By Dan Swartz
The Ethical Consumer Research Association (ECRA), a not-for-profit organisation run as a worker cooperative, has been churning out green buyers' guides and reports for more than 20 years. Many of these reports, published in the concern's Ethical Consumer magazine, are available online, with roughly six new ones added each month. ECRA's website has recently been divided into two connected portals: www.ethiscore.org (which contains the buyers' guides) and where Boycott News and other sustainable production and consumption-related information can be found.
Of course, several other NGOs and watchdog organisations compile information on companies and their environmental records (such as Corporate Watch and Multinational Monitor), but Ethical Consumer is likely the only group to have systematically researched more than 10,000 companies and created product-issue matrices to rate such a wide range of product groups. Ethical Consumer "looks at the companies behind the brands." For example, does a company manufacturing recycled paper also clear-cut virgin forests?
Utilising newspapers, public records, health and safety-related court proceedings, and reports from such NGOs as Friends of the Earth, Oxfam, and War on Want, Ethical Consumer examines 19 criteria before giving a company and/or product a rating of anywhere between 1 and 20, with 20 being the most environment friendly. Some of the criteria include: environmental reporting, nuclear power, workers' rights, human rights, armaments, irresponsible marketing, animal testing, energy-efficiency rating, political activity, and whether or not products are organic or Fair Trade. So it's really a good idea to consult these reports before buying anything, whether it's an MP3-player, toothpaste, baked beans, mobile phone, vodka, fridge, toilet paper, baby carriage, bread, make-up, tent, or even internet banking services.
Many of the reports are available free of charge, but if you want the entire range, they're available for a small yearly subscription fee. In addition, with Boycott News you can discover why companies like Shell (destruction of Nigeria's environment), Tesco (use of chips embedded in products that collect personal data), Nouvelle (use of virgin forests to make toilet paper), Adidas (kangaroo skin used in some football boots), Caterpillar (bulldozers to the Israeli army), Nestle (irresponsible marketing of baby milk formula) and Starbuck's (Ethiopian farmers earn only about 2p/cup) are the targets of consumer boycotts.
Embracing change
Another multi-format resource offering a wide range of interesting environmental information is www.treehugger.com. The resource is available as treehugger tv, treehugger radio, and a set of 32 "How to Green Your ..." guides. Some examples of the latter include How to Green Your: Book (for both authors and publishers), Public Transport, Baby, Wedding, Meals, Heating, Summer, Car, Gardening, Clothing, Coffee and Tea, Work, Furniture-and, yes-even Sex. Did you know, for example, that 60-100 million condoms are improperly disposed of in the UK alone? This creates problems for rivers, plumbing and sewerage treatment plants.
Some of treehugger's tamer recommendations include: buying undergarments made from organic and Fair Trade sources, purchasing organic Fair Trade chocolate and organic massage oils, showering together to save water (though I suspect this might actually increase the length of time in the shower!), and using silky smooth bamboo sheets, which are manufactured using a rapidly renewable resource, naturally contain anti-microbial properties, and wick away moisture.
