How we score the companies
We are currently updating our scoring system.
Companies will be rated using this new system going forward, but some companies are still rated using the old system.
Regardless of which system is used, all companies and brands now score out of 100.
New system
In the new system, companies and brands start with 0 marks and gain or lose marks depending on their policies and practices.
Each company will be rated on Climate, Workers, Animals, Tax and Company Ethos and bespoke categories depending on the markets in which they operate — for example, a Materials category for companies in the clothing sector.
Old system
For companies still scored under the old system, the score displays out of 100, but this will be a percentage score based on its raw score out of 15.
In the old system, we used a negative-based scoring system where a company starts with 14 and then gets marks taken away for unethical practices.
Companies can score 1 positive mark under Company Ethos if they commit to certain things (e.g., all products are Fairtrade or vegan) across their whole company group or if they have a positive trading structure (e.g., is a co-operative).
The scoring is based on five criteria: Environment, People, Politics, Animals and Product Sustainability. Under these categories, 19 sub-categories, are divided into 300 topics. See all the categories here.
We rate companies, brands, and products based on the brand owner, known as the ultimate holding company (UHC). This reflects the fact that the UHC ultimately has power over a subsidiary company's actions.
We are rating companies every day, and scores update every 24 hours.
Ethical Consumer is the only organisation that provides fully transparent rankings of the companies behind the brands.
Subscribers to our research database can see which companies own each brand and their ethical records across all the different categories.
Each story we add to the database affects the company's score for five years. After this period, it remains on the database but no longer impacts the company score.
Information sources
Most of our information comes from previously published sources. These sources include publications and reports by campaign groups like Oxfam, Friends of the Earth and War on Want.
We look at the daily newspapers, public records on pollution and health & safety prosecutions and use directories on the defence and nuclear industries.
We also request information directly from the companies on their environmental policies and reporting, and other policies, such as their attitude towards animal testing and to workers in their supply factories.
The old ratings categories
Our ratings cover around 300 topics in 19 areas in 5 main categories:
Environment
As 'Environment' is a very broad area, we use five different categories:
- Environmental Reporting
- Climate Change
- Pollution & Toxics
- Habitats & Resources
- Palm Oil
People
Our 'People' category is divided into five areas of research:
- Human Rights
- Workers' Rights
- Supply Chain Management
- Irresponsible Marketing
- Arms & Military Supply
Animals
Our research on animals is divided into three main areas:
- Animal Testing
- Factory Farming
- Animal Rights & Cruelty
Politics
Our research into a company's politics is divided into five areas:
- Anti-Social Finance
- Boycott Calls
- Controversial Technologies
- Political Activity
- Tax conduct
- Company Ethos (positive mark)