Ever wondered how ethical and environmentally friendly our high-street shops are? Ethical Consumer have put together an interactive table of ethical high street shops, rated on their environmental, ethical, and political performance. I’ve personally found that it is really useful when making decisions about where to shop.
Ethical High Street Shops?
I strongly believe that as consumers it’s our job to be as informed as we can, so I’ve found this table on ethical high street shops quite enlightening and surprising.
Here’s the full rundown:
I do have an updated version of this ethical guide to the high street here.
As far as ethical high street shops go, I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that Sainsbury’s fairtrade clothing would be rated lower than Primark. That is a huge surprise.
I also wouldn’t have guessed that John Lewis would be rated only 0.5 points above Primark. Again, John Lewis is one of those shops that I would have expected more from.
And most surprising of all – that New Look would be one of the most ethical performers on the High Street. And Bon Marche? I don’t think I’ve ever stepped foot in a Bon Marche shop.
Where Is The Best Place to Shop?
Of course, this isn’t to say that New Look is ethical. Ethical Consumer say any score below 10 is considered poor. This suggests that the high street is still has a very long way to go on ethics. I personally would try to stick to shopping for secondhand clothes, or for ethical brands, where possible. Although I do realise ethical clothing isn’t always the most accessible – both in terms of inclusivity and in terms of price. If you do need to shop on the high street then it’s certainly not something to feel guilty about.
Were there any surprises here for you?
PS: Found this post useful? Since I initially put this post together back in 2013 I’ve written extensively about shopping ethically. Here’s a guide on how to shop ethically, a guide to men’s ethical clothing companies, and a guide on how to shop ethically on a budget. I’ve also got information on where to buy ethical sleepwear, ethical tights and socks, ethical shoes, and even men’s underwear and women’s underwear!
I am so glad I discovered your blog – exactly what I have been looking for!
On the long road towards sustainability, I am finding it very difficult to buy sustainable clothes that are still affordable AND to my taste (taking into consideration, where and how they are made as well as what with). How do you even decide whether a brand makes the cut?
Also, how do you deal with more specific purchases such as underwear, shoes, sports clothes or even outfits that look professional enough to wear on a job interview/at the office? Second hand doesn’t always work for that and the range of clothes sustainable brands offer feels quite restricted to me… unless I’ve been looking at the wrong places? And it’s so easy to fall back into old habits and go for the brands listed above… A few tips on these issues would be more than appreciated! (this is getting long – sorry)
Thanks for the help you’ve given me already: I am really enjoying reading through all your posts!
Hi Manuela,
Glad you’ve found my blog, and are enjoying it/finding it useful!
I know the feeling – it can be difficult to find clothing that is sustainable, affordable and to taste. Most of my clothes (about 80%) are secondhand as my clothing budget is quite small. I use eBay a lot, as I find it easy to find exactly what I want. eBay can be a bit difficult as people/businesses list a lot of brand new, but you can refine your search to find used items only, and I’ve had a lot of luck finding smart work/interview clothes and shoes in very good condition. When I get the time I also like a good rummage in charity shops – it sounds terrible but I always seem to discover my best charity shop finds in more affluent areas.
With regards to buying new, I like to buy British brands, but I also buy brands that pay their workers a good wage and have good working conditions. It can be difficult to find these, so I’ll blog about them as and when I find them. There are also useful websites like http://www.fashion-conscience.com/, and http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/category/fashion/womens/ that stock ethical brands, often at reasonable prices. There are a lot of summer sales on just now so it’s a good time to pick up a few key pieces! With underwear I haven’t made the switch to sustainable to be honest: I’m still breastfeeding and so have specific bra requirements (not to mention a large size) and sadly I haven’t yet found anything that meets my needs and comfort level outside of Marks and Spencer. However this is quite a useful pointer of companies: http://www.mswandas.co.uk/2012/06/04/14-of-the-best-ethical-lingerie-collections/ that I plan to look into once I’ve stopped breastfeeding.
Hope this is useful! If you need any more advice, or more specific advice do let me know!
Thank you so much for all these tips! I’ll have a look through all this… And I look forward to any future posts on the issue!
All the best to you and your baby
I found this surprising as The Good Shopping Guide has rated Zara and New Look very highly. It’s hard to know what advice to trust and much easier to shop ethical brands online.
I know, it is hard to know what’s right and what’s not. I think it’s a case of being as informed as you can be, and yes, supporting ethical retailers where you can.