With non-essential shops closed during lockdown, business is booming for Amazon. But not all of the deliveries coming to doorsteps are from the online retailer. Some consumers are making a conscious effort to support small businesses and are buying direct or through websites which support independent sh ops.
“Now there are a lot more people in general looking for sustainable and green things,” says Sam Attard of Ethical Revolution, an online hub for alternative ways to buy books, films, food and electronics.
The site has seen spikes in interest from consumers throughout the last year as people have more time to think about their purchases, he says, and are more attuned to other options when shopping. “Most people would like to do the right thing, weighing up both the financial and time constraints. In normal life, convenience is key. Maybe the pandemic has made more time.”
For consumers who want to shop away from the online giants there are a lot of options.
Beauty and personal care
The beauty industry is under constant criticism for the negative impact it has on the environment but there are plenty of independent companies with ethical priorities which can provide an alternative. The Detox Market describes itself as a “green beauty marketplace” with cruelty-free standards and a list of banned ingredients that products it lists must not contain.
Online plastic-free shop Plastic Freedom sells skin, face and body products and accessories in a bid to give people options where plastic is not used.
Greenbeauty Market sells vegan, natural and organic products and says it only works with independent brands.
For those who find the cost of cosmetics excessive, one option is Beauty Pie, a “beauty buyers’ club”, where customers pay a monthly subscription and then get access to a range of own-label luxury make-up and skincare at factory prices (achieved through bulk buying and the removal of retailers). A £20 lipstick can cost members just £2.24.
Clothes
Social Supermarket says it works with businesses that “put more into the world than they take out” and has more than 1,000 products from 80 different sellers across the UK, from the London-based social enterprise Cafédirect, to the ethically made Stand4Socks. As well as food, drink and cosmetics, there are clothes, backpacks and jewellery illustrating each product’s social and environmental impact, such as if they are handmade or from a female-led business.
People Tree has been described as the defining Fairtrade fashion label since it was founded 30 years ago. It works with producers, garment workers and farmers to make environmentally and sustainable clothes. Natural materials are used where possible and dyes are free from harmful chemicals. Among the latest pieces are a lightweight denim skirt for £89 and a jumpsuit for £125.
Thought clothing uses sustainably sourced materials for its collections crafted from natural yarns.
Ethical Superstore aims to find alternatives to everyday fashion items and has a supplier code of conduct, which stipulates that employment is freely chosen without discrimination or child labour. It stocks suppliers such as Thought and People Tree and champions fair trade.
Music and books
Among the success stories in this sector is Bookshop.org, which describes itself as a socially conscious way to buy books. The website allows independent booksellers to create a virtual shopfront to make sales as if they were making them directly.
It recently announced it had generated a £1m profit for independent bookshops in the UK just four months since it launched, with 200,000 customers going through its virtual doors.
Among the other options for readers is Hive.co.uk, a British-owned online bookshop which has been operating since 2011 and is connected to hundreds of independent stores around the UK. At least 10% of the value of an order goes back to the bookshop the customer chooses. It also sells music and films on DVD, Blu-ray, CD and vinyl.
Wordery was set up by five friends who felt that online retailing had taken away the soul of buying books. It claims to offer more than 10m books with free delivery to more than 100 countries, and works with literacy charities to promote reading among schoolchildren.
Hampshire-based Books etc is a family business which says it has 20m books on sale, and is credited with often offering better deals than Amazon. And don’t forget about charity shops’ online presence. Oxfam has a wide selection of books, CDs and vinyl, for example.
Groceries
View image in fullscreenFarmdrop uses a fleet of electric vans to deliver its groceries. Photograph: Farmdrop
Doing the weekly shop online with the big retailers is not the only way to fill your shelves. Ethical Superstore offers a wide variety of groceries with free delivery on orders over £50. Biona Organic, Doves Farm and Dorset Cereals are among the many brands stocked.
The online ethical grocer Farmdrop delivers to the London area. Having started by delivering produce from local farmers to libraries, community centres and pubs, it now uses a fleet of electric vans to deliver directly to homes.
It says producers get a bigger share of profits than from supermarkets, by keeping costs low and using high-tech apps to make ordering and delivering as efficient as possible.
Electronics
Richer Sounds, the high street stalwart founded by Julian Richer in 1979, is well regarded for its after-sales service. Two years ago, the founder handed over control to his staff while also giving employees a large cash bonus, winning plaudits from business leaders, trade unions and politicians in the process.
For computers, parts, monitors, cables and the like, Yorkshire-based Ebuyer.com has grown from being a site for PC enthusiasts to one for all consumers looking for electrical goods. Trustpilot gives it a four-out-of-five rating from customer reviews.
A company which has stood out as a pioneer of ethical electronics is Fairphone, which makes the most ethical and repairable smartphones on the market. Started in Amsterdam in 2013, the company aims to source as many materials as possible in a human and environmentally kind way, as well as having a modular design in which parts and can be repaired and replaced.
The latest version of the smartphone, the Fairphone 3+, comes in at £399.
View image in fullscreenRicher Sounds has won plaudits when its founder handed over control to staff. Photograph: Peter Summers/Getty Images
Buying better
Don’t be surprised if you have to pay more for ethically sourced goods, such as clothes, as workers are likely to be paid a higher wage. When buying books, there are alternatives to Amazon offering similar prices. Ethical Revolution has a books search tool which lists alternatives. Check how high street stores rank in terms of their ethical and environmental records on the Ethical Consumer website.
