Christmas shopping that delights family, friends and the planet

Whether we are snapping up online deals or hitting the high street, we all have the opportunity this Christmas to play our part in creating a better world through the simple choices we make.

People are realising that big change can be achieved by supporting companies that make decisions based on what is best for the environment, local communities, animal welfare and people across the world. You don’t have to join a campaign or become a political activist to make a difference. Our shopping habits are already making a difference to some large corporations; evident through the increase of fair trade and GM-free products in the major supermarkets, the Cadbury take-over of Green & Blacks and L’Oreal’s acquisition of The Body Shop.

How do your favourite retailers stack up?

The Good Shopping Guide each year reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of the world’s companies and brands, with a view to supporting the growth of social responsibility and ethical business as well as a more sustainable, just society.

The Good Shopping Guide awards ethical accreditation each year to worthy businesses. Beating household-name insurance companies such as John Lewis and the Co-op, we earned an ethical company index score of 89 – earning us joint-first place with Naturesave.

A better way to shop this Christmas

Websites such as Blue Patch offer a different shopping experience - putting customers, communities and the environment first with a colourful catalogue of products and services with a sustainability edge. They have ethical fashion, ethically designed furniture, organic beauty products as well as vegan products and so much more. All their products on sale are ethically sourced and from right here on the British Isles.

This incredible clock is built by Bruce Aitken. It takes him around 8 months to make each one and welcomes the purchaser to visit his workshop while it is being made. All the timber is grown in the UK including, cherry. Ash, Yew, Sycamore, Holly, Oak and Rowan.

UPSO offer unique gifts, making bags out of lorry tarpaulin. It makes them strong and easy to clean and you can use them anywhere.

Going one step further

While the products you buy are important, the way you travel to the shops can be equally significant. Cargo trikes, electric cars and using public transport are all ways we can help reduce our environmental impact this Christmas. Many products being delivered online in cities can be done by Cargo trike. We have seen companies like UPS testing cargo bikes to deliver small parcels around busy cities.

Your journey our world

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Twenty seven years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance, travel insurance and breakdown cover while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.