often overlooked. How many times do you buy something on impulse and then realise that you could have done very well without it? This may seem a bit puritan to people who like shopping without boundaries, but the first step to ethical living is think before you engage credit card.
Can I make it at home? In Chapter one I rattle on about a garden bench I made. It’s not a particularly amazing bench but, because I made it, it’s the best thing since unsliced bread. Making stuff yourself is the best ecological option. You can choose the materials yourself and put it together in the least energy wasteful way.
If I can’t make it myself, can one of my friends or swap buddies make it or offer me another solution? Check out www.freecycle.org for a national network of swapcrazed freeloaders.
If I have to buy something, can I buy recycled, secondhand or reused?
If I have to buy new, can I buy products that are sustainable, local, natural and carry an approved symbol? (Be it a Soil Association, Forest Stewardship Council or other ethical standard.)
If I can’t buy local or natural, can I buy sustainable from the UK or Europe and from an ethically minded national company?
If I can’t buy from Europe, can I buy fair trade, organic and sustainable from developing countries?
If I can’t buy within these criteria, should I bite the bullet and buy it or is there another solution I hadn’t thought of?
This sounds like a laborious process but actually after a while you can make these decisions quite quickly. It’s just another skill to learn.
Buying new products
If you’re buying new stuff how do you know what you’re getting is really green, organic or ethical? There’s a whole host of different symbols and standard-setting organisations out there but which are the ones that ensure the highest standards? I’ve tried to pull together the best symbols and organisations here, give you an idea of what each of them stands for, and a contact point to make further enquiries.
Understanding ethical symbols
Soil Association. The Soil Association symbol covers things such as food, compost, liquid fertilisers, seeds and plants. A full list of organic certifying bodies is available from www.defra.gov.uk/farm/organic/standards/index.htm. The Soil Association is the most widely recognised symbol, and comes from the grass roots organic movement: www.soilassociation.org.
Organic Farmers and Growers. One of the other main organic symbols. Check www.organicfarmers.org.uk for full standards.
Vegan Organic Network. This symbol guarantees that your food comes from a supplier that does not use animal products to grow food. Support Vegan Organic Network to combat climate change and for help in growing your own food the green, clean and cruelty-free way: www.veganorganic.net.
Vegan Society. Guarantees products are free from animal products and have not been made using any processes that might have harmed animals: www.vegansociety.com.
Vegetarian Society Approved. Signifies products have met the following criteria: free from animal flesh, contains only free-range eggs, GMO free, cruelty free and no cross contamination with non-vegetarian ingredients. www.vegsoc.org.
Leaf Marque. Affordable food produced by farmers who are committed to improving the environment for the benefit of wildlife and the countryside: www.leafmarque.com.
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Internationally recognised standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries: www.msc.org.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Indicates products which contain wood that comes from a forest that is well managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards: www.fsc-uk.org. See also page 48.
European Energy Label. Manufacturers of certain household electricity products must label these products with information on energy consumption and performance: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consumerprod/mtp.
European Ecolabel. Europe-wide award for non-food products that minimise impact on the environment: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consumerprod/ecolabel.
Rainforest Alliance. Goods from farms and forests that are managed in an environmentally and socially responsible way: www.rainforest-alliance.org.
Energy Saving Recommended. This logo is your guarantee that the product will save energy, cost less to run and help the environment. Managed by the Energy Saving Trust: www.est.org.uk/recommended.
UK Fuel Economy Label. Shows how much carbon dioxide a car emits: www.lowcvp.org.uk.
VOC Labels. Indicate the relative content of harmful VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in paints and associated products. VOCs cause air pollution and may be harmful to human health: www.coatings.org.uk.
Mobius Loop. Indicates that part of a product can be recycled where facilities are available. The inclusion of a figure shows the percentage of recycled material that has been used to make a product. www.biffa.co.uk/getrecycling/symbols.php.
FAIRTRADE Mark. Products that meet international Fairtrade standards. These include long-term contracts and a price that covers the cost of sustainable production and living. Some money also goes to community groups: www.fairtrade.org.uk.
Reading between the symbols
Organised standards are almost always the best way to ensure that products are ethically up to scratch. However, there are some exceptions. Many local suppliers in my area have not been through the certification
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