News • 12/05/23

How to shop ethically as a business

Large monstera deliciosa leaves in a wild setting
Large monstera deliciosa leaves in a wild setting

As a B Corp comms agency that values people and planet as much as profit, we like to think of ourselves as ethical consumers.

We’ve boycotted buying from Amazon because it does bad by the planet and people.

Buying fair trade means opting into a fairer world for everyone, from small-scale suppliers to employees, communities and animals. But buying ethically can take a bit more time because you sometimes have to battle through quite a bit of business bluster (less diplomatically known as greenwashing).

Here’s what we look for to make sure we shop ethically as a business:

✅ Labels: look for logos like Fairtrade to ensure a product or company is ethical. If you’re not sure about the label, cross reference with…

✅ Ethical consumer: a veritable bible for fair trade consumers. You can also check out B Corp for loads of other ethical brands

✅ Supply chain: this one is key. A product might be environmentally friendly, but the supply chain needs to hold up too to be fair trade. How does the company treat its employees, what are working conditions like and does it use ethical suppliers? How does it support its local community? Check a company’s website for info on this, the reputable ones normally have lots of detail (and hard evidence, like impact repots) about the positive influence of their practices. If it’s not easy to find, we generally think twice about buying

Want a head start? Here are our ethical office (home or actual) essentials, which obviously includes chocolate:

Treats, including aforementioned cacao-based confectionary 🍫

Tony’s Chocolonely and Karma Drinks are pioneering companies showing respectively that chocolate and fizzy drinks can be produced ethically (we can also attest to their tastiness.)

Tea and coffee 🍵

We personally love Taylors, but you take your pick from lots of other Fairtrade certified coffee producers. When it comes to the other murky brown hot drink, all Co-op’s own brand teas are Fairtrade too. And for carrying around tea and coffee on the go, Chilly’s reusable thermos are unbeatable!

Energy and electricals ⚡

Ecotricity is a renewable electricity and gas supplier and Fairphone is an ethical alternative to other mobiles.

Stationery ✍️

Traditional office stationery might be a bit old school, but there are still ethical options out there. Take a look at The Green Stationery Company and Paper On The Rocks.

Clothes 🥻

Going to the office and need to wear something other than a tracksuit? Got an important virtual meeting and need something smart for your top half? Buying second-hand is much more sustainable. You should be able to find something on Vinted.

Looking for an ethical comms partner? 🤝

Jack & Grace is at your service. Drop us a note: hello@jackandgrace.co.uk

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