Ethical shopping

Ruth Rosselson shows how to buy into a greener lifestyle, complete with solar-powered cappucino whisk.

When I tell people that I am an "ethical consumer", they often raise their eyes skyward. They then mutter something about how virtuous I am, as if it was a bad thing, or say apologetically that they would like to be more ethical if it wasn't so difficult/expensive or time consuming.

In fact, with a wealth of ethical shopping sites on the web, it is neither time consuming nor difficult to shop and stick to your principles. I am not promising that it will be cheap, but it doesn't always have to be more expensive either. The web also allows access to those smaller companies whose products are not easily found outside the main cities, or even in them, for that matter.

For consumers who need to be convinced about the power of ethical shopping, the first stop online should be www.ethicalconsumer.org, which explores some of the major achievements brought about by consumer pressure over the years, and the philosophy behind ethical consumerism. It also has information on all the latest consumer boycotts.

If you would like to know more about the issues surrounding your purchases, check out www.greenchoices.org, which has introductory articles on the issues of each shopping category and links to some of the best ethical companies and organisations on the web selling everything from food to holidays.

Visiting other shopping sites through portals such as Green Choices also relieves you of worrying about the credentials of each company, as all sites have already been carefully screened. Similar, but less extensive portals include www.ethicalexchange.co.uk and www.ethicaljunction.co.uk.

For one-stop ethical shopping there are a few websites from which to choose. The small independent Greenshop offers a mail order service through www.greenshop.co.uk. It stocks a range of essentials of its own and many well-known ethical brands.

The most extensive one-stop ethical shop online is most probably the Natural Collection catalogue at www.naturalcollection.com, a trading partner for Friends of the Earth. It has a good environmental approach and stocks everything you could possibly need for an ethical lifestyle and a few things you probably don't, such as the solar-powered cappucino whisk. Food products are organic and largely suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and all wood is FSC certified.

You could also try the Big Issue and Red Pepper's www.getethical.com, which stocks products from a wide range of ethical companies and donates some of its profits to charities.

Your shopping can also help a good cause if you buy online by visiting the links on Christian Aid's www.fish.co.uk/shop. If workers' rights are your priority, then you can get a range of fairly traded goods from oxfam.org.uk/shop and a wider range of fairly traded food from www.traidcraft.co.uk/retailonline.html.

While few of us manage to make it out to Wales to visit the Centre for Alternative Technology, its website (see www.cat.org.uk is much more accessible. For consumers who wish to take their ethical credentials one step further, there are courses and books on how to make your life more sustainable, and a range of energy-saving products, such as radiator insulator panels and solar battery rechargers.

If you would prefer to wear those credentials on your sleeve, you could do worse than visit greenfibres.co.uk which sells clothes made without exploitation from organic fabrics. And speaking of fabrics, you cannot get more ethical than the new fabric of choice, hemp. It grows without the need for pesticides, is biodegradable and is even being used in plastics. Motherhemp not only sells hemp clothes, but oils and papers too.

Being a parent is an ethical minefield in today's world of disposable nappies, plastic bottles and PVC toys, but alternatives to these and more are found at the online shop of www.greenbabyco.com And cat owners can appease their consciences about all the birds being killed at the paws of their moggy by making ethical pet purchases, including vegetarian dog food, homeopathic pet remedies or organic cat litter from www.bluepet.co.uk.

Many vitamins are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans and are supplied by large multinationals. To find information about the first vitamin company marketing itself as "ethical" visit www.viridian-nutrition.com. The company donates 50% of its profits to charities.

Finally, remember that being ethical doesn't mean being a dour-faced killjoy.

For a principled tipple, visit www.vinceremos.co.uk or vintageroots.co.uk , which both sell organic wines and spirits, or www.ecovin.com/sedlescombe, which sells organic British wines, juices and ciders.