What it does
Ethical Consumer publishes product and service buying guides with ethical ratings, recommendations and issue explanations. Some guides and narrative are public; full ratings and company-research access require an annual subscription.
Start with the product type and the ethical concern that matters to the purchase. A battery guide and a clothing guide use different criteria, so compare brands within the relevant guide rather than carrying a score straight across sectors. Ratings and Best Buy labels are Ethical Consumer's own research judgments; the explanations show what informed them.
Check access before relying on a particular comparison. A few sample guides are fully open, while other guides expose narrative or selected scores. New guides initially reserve their scores for subscribers, and the full research stories behind scores remain subscription material. The annual subscription provides the complete tools and company profiles. Use the public material to understand the method and product issues, then decide whether that fuller research is useful for the purchase.
Strengths
- Product-specific issue explanations accompany brand ratings
Watch out for
- Full access to ratings and the research stories behind company scores requires an annual subscription.
Best for
- Researching ethical concerns before choosing a consumer brand
Sources
- Ethical Consumer: the alternative consumer organisation (Oct 26, 2026)
- Ethical Shopping Guides 2026 | Ethical Consumer (Oct 26, 2026)
- About Ethical Consumer | Ethical Consumer (Oct 26, 2026)
- Shopping Guide Table FAQS | Ethical Consumer (Oct 26, 2026)