Ethical Consumer’s Best Buy Label scheme

What is the Best Buy Label?

The Best Buy Label is a certification label scheme for everyday products and services that Ethical Consumer recommends as being the best ethical choice for shoppers.

Whether you're looking for an ethical bank or coffee company, the Best Buy Label is the gold standard for guaranteed ethical shopping.

As a trusted name within the ethical business community, Ethical Consumer has now signed up almost 50 of the UK's most ethical companies to the scheme that helps shoppers make the best ethical choices.

How does a product or service become a Best Buy?

In each issue of Ethical Consumer magazine we examine the ethical and environmental track record of the companies behind everyday products and services from bread to banks.

Using the Ethical Consumer's extensive database, our researchers rate both the product and the company behind the product against a range of animal welfare, environmental and human rights criteria.

Based on these findings we recommend a number of Best Buys.

These recommended Best Buy companies are then eligible to sign up to our Best Buy Label scheme which enables them to use the label to show shoppers that they are a genuinely ethical company.

Find out more about our ratings system.

Best Buy Label brands

Here are the current ethical products and services which carry our Best Buy Label. 

Look out for them on the high street and online.

Energy

100 Green

An independent sustainable energy company, 100Green sells 100% Ofgem-certified green and renewable electricity and gas to homes, businesses and organisations in the UK.

Shopping guides: Gas & Electricity

www.greenenergyuk.com

Ecotricity

Launched in 1995, Ecotricity has built the most renewable capacity of any renewable energy company, mostly in wind.
Shopping guides: Gas & Electricity

www.ecotricity.co.uk

Heat Pumps

Kensa

Scoring well across all Ethical Consumer's ratings including carbon management and reporting, Kensa also made the first ground source heat pump small and quiet enough to be installed in flats.

Shopping guides: Heat Pumps

www.kensaheatpumps.com

Health & Beauty

Conscious Skincare

A skincare range which makes natural and organic skincare.

Shopping guides: Skincare, Shower Gel, Soap, Shampoo

www.conscious-skincare.com

Flaya

Family run business producing organic and vegan perfumes.

Shopping guides: Perfume & aftershave

flaya.co.uk

Friendly Soap

Handmade soap that's vegan and animal-friendly and because it doesn't use any palm oil it's also good news for orangutans. 

Shopping guides: Soap Bars

www.friendlysoap.co.uk

Georganics

One of the UK's leading ethical toothpaste companies which is top of our ratings table.

Shopping guides: Toothpaste

georganics.com/

Kingfisher Toothpaste

Produces natural toothpaste with no artificial sweeteners, flavourings, colourings or preservatives. 

Shopping guides: Toothpaste

www.kingfishertoothpaste.co.uk

Lucy Bee

One of the most ethical companies that Ethical Consumer rates, all Lucy Bee's coconut oil is organic and Fairtrade. All their health and beauty products are organic, vegan, cruelty free and fair trade.

Shopping guides: Deodorant, Skincare, Soap

www.lucybee.com

Odylique

The first UK brand to launch skin care products certified to both Fairtrade and organic standards, Odylique consistently scores well in our rating system across all categories including environmental reporting, palm oil and animal testing.

Shopping guides: Deodorant, Make Up, Shampoo, Soap, Sunscreens.

odylique.co.uk/

Queenie Organics

One of the first cosmetic companies not to use palm oil in any of its products, Queenie Organics is also 100% organic and vegan.

Shopping guides: Skincare

www.queenieorganics.com

Money

Big Exchange

Co-founded by The Big Issue, The Big Exchange is one of the UK's leading ethical investment companies and provides a genuinely ethical Stocks & Shares ISA.

Shopping guides: Stocks & Shares ISA

www.bigexchange.com

Charity Bank

One of Ethical Consumer's top scoring banks, Charity Bank uses its savers’ money to lend to charities and social enterprises.

Shopping guides: Savings Accounts, Cash ISAs

www.charitybank.org

Ecology Building Society

Building a greener society through sustainable mortgages, ethical savings, affordable housing and mutuals. 

Shopping guides: Ethical Mortgages, Savings Accounts, Cash ISAs

www.ecology.co.uk

Energise Africa

Launched by Ethex, Energise Africa is a crowdfunding platform that enables people to invest in projects that provide access to clean energy in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Shopping guides: Innovative Finance ISAs

www.energiseafrica.com

Ethex

Ethex is an ethical investment platform providing investment opportunities in a wide range of projects and businesses that have a positive impact on people and the environment.

Shopping guides: Innovative Finance ISAs

www.ethex.org.uk

Naturesave Insurance

A pioneering insurance broker, Naturesave offers ethical insurance for homes, businesses and charities.

Shopping guide: Insurance

naturesave.co.uk

The Path 

(Independent Ethical Financial Advisors)

The Path has been awarded the Best Buy Label for its ethical financial advisor services.

A leader in their field, The Path scored 100/100 for 'Focus on ethical investment advice' because this is the cornerstone of their work. Plus they scored 100/100 for Climate Change for having a clear focus on the impacts of their investments.

The Path gained the award under our expanded Best Buy Label scheme which now includes products that aren't covered in our regular product guides.

You can see how the scoring was applied in the screening report (opens as a .pdf).

www.thepath.co.uk

Triodos Bank UK

Triodos Bank is one of the world's leading sustainable banks and one of the most ethical companies that Ethical Consumer ranks and rates in its product guides. Its mission is “to make money work for positive social, environmental and cultural change.”

Shopping guides: Carbon Divestment, Ethical Investment Funds, Current Accounts, Current Accounts for Small Businesses and Charities, Cash ISAs, Savings Accounts, Innovative Finance ISAs

www.triodos.co.uk

WHEB

Ethical investment fund focused on the opportunities created by the transition to a low-carbon and sustainable economy.

Shopping guides: Ethical Investment Funds

www.whebgroup.com/

Retailers

Bookshops

xigxag

A small independent business providing audio books without subscription, xigxag take on the global domination of Amazon from their Cornwall base.
Shopping guides: Bookshops

xigxag.co.uk

Online retailers

Ethical Shop

New Internationalist's shopping site which helps charities and campaign groups raise money by selling ethical gifts and household goods.

Shopping guides: Ethical Online Retailers

www.ethicalshop.org

Green Stationery Company

One of the UK's first suppliers of recycled paper and green office supplies. Also sells some refreshments like tea, coffee, sugar (some fair trade and organic), and cruelty-free cleaning supplies.

Shopping guides: Ethical Online Retailers

www.greenstat.co.uk/

Veo World

A marketplace for consumers who care about the origins of the products they purchase, and a home for unique independent brands who create high-quality sustainable products.

Shopping guides: Ethical Online Retailers

Features: Q&A: Veo World

www.veo.world

Yoyo Grocery

Yoyo Grocery (previously Zero Waste Bulk Foods) sources ethical household food staples from pasta and pulses to coffee and cereal which are then delivered to your door in reusable bags.

Shopping guides: Ethical Food Supermarkets

yoyogrocery.co