Ethical consumerism UK
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| Location | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 54° 42' 8.48" N, 3° 16' 35.67" W |
Ethical consumerism refers to buying things that are made ethically i.e. without harm to or exploitation of humans, animals or the natural environment. This generally entails favoring products and businesses that take account of the greater good in their operations.[1] An extension of the idea, doing more with less, overlaps with the first part of Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle. This article considers ethical consumerism for all including UK community groups wishing to advocate for more responsible consumerism for example in response to climate and biodiversity crises.
News
Legal challenge begins against Gatwick expansion, BBC News (Oct 15, 2025) - UK plastic waste exports to developing countries rose 84% in a year, data shows, theguardian.com (Oct 08, 2025) — Campaigners say increase in exports mostly to Malaysia and Indonesia is ‘unethical and irresponsible waste imperialism’
- UK’s richest set to produce 13 times more transport emissions than poorest by 2035, theguardian.com (Aug 27, 2025)
Events
Oct 6 - 12, 2025 (Mon - Sun) — Good Money Week, campaign to raise awareness of sustainable, responsible and ethical finance to help people make good money choices
International
- Nov 28 & 29, 2025 — Buy Nothing Day
Citizens data initiative
- Ranking UK supermarkets on pesticides, 2021, pan-uk.org, added 14:56, 4 February 2022 (UTC)
Other resources
- Brought By Bike, on twitter.com, directory to help find companies delivering goods or services by bike and cargobike across the UK. added 16:01, 4 February 2022 (UTC)
- Buy Social Directory
- Encouraging businesses to manage their impact on the environment, information from gov.uk
Past events
- September 13, 2014, Social Saturday, part of a campaign to boost the number of consumers buying from social enterprises
Campaigns
Break The Bag Habit - Buy Social, boosting the number of consumers buying from social enterprises - Move Your Money
See also: Localism UK, Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle UK
local information can be found, or shared, via our many UK location pages
External links
- Buy Nothing Day UK
- Ethical Consumer, a not-for-profit UK magazine and website which publishes information on the social, ethical and environmental behaviour of companies and issues around trade justice and ethical consumerism.
- Fairtrade Foundation (UK)
- listings from gardeningwithoutplastic.com
- Make Holidays Greener, The Travel Foundation. Consumer facing campaign aiming to help holidaymakers understand what 'green' or 'sustainable' holidays mean.
- My Green Directory
- Natural Death Centre
- Social Enterprise Cafe Directory on goodnewsshared.com
- Tourism Concern, non-governmental organisation with charitable status, based in the United Kingdom, advocating ethical tourism. Its stated aims are 'to increase understanding of the impact of tourism on environments and host communities among governments, industry, civil society and tourists; and to promote tourism development that is sustainable, just and participatory, and which is founded on a respect for human rights'.
| Authors | Phil Green |
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| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Cite as | Phil Green (2014–2025). "Ethical consumerism UK". Appropedia. Retrieved November 28, 2025. |