Can your shopping change the world?

Consumers increasingly want their money to make a positive impact, so it’s time for businesses to step up to the plate, ethical companies have declared.

“Businesses need to behave like responsible, moral beings and governments need to regulate,” said Kresse Wesling, founder of Elvis & Kresse. E+K design and sell accessories made from rescued materials.

 “We live in a system where it is perfectly legal for a business to be exploitative and extractive, as long as it is great for their shareholders. This system is killing us.”

Eight in 10 shoppers are more likely to support brands that “reflect their beliefs”, a survey commissioned by Big Issue revealed last month. But as demand surges, dodgy companies are getting very good at greenwashing.

The B Corp certification system is one way of fighting back against untrustworthy sustainability claims. To gain B Corp accreditation – independently provided by non-profit B Lab – a business must meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. There are more than 1,500 in the UK – and the number is growing.

Here, three B Corp suppliers featured in the Big Issue shop tell us what the certification means to them.

Stand4 Socks is making a difference, one pair of socks at a time

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stand4Socks (@stand4socks)

Homeless shelters rarely receive donations of socks – but they are sorely needed.

Enter Stand4Socks. Since the company’s 2015 launch, they have donated more than half a million thick, antibacterial socks to homeless people – a pair for every single set of socks they have sold.

“Nothing will cause a faster change than consumer spend, supporting businesses changing the world for the better than not. Simple,” says founder Josh Turner.

The B Corp certification helps customers cut through “greenwashing noise.”

“[B Corp certification] matters because socks is a very competitive landscape, plenty of poorly made socks, or false virtue signalling. We need a mark that not only helps us stand out, but also gives consumers confidence in the business they are supporting,” he said.

Cafedirect helps coffee farmers make a fair living

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cafe Direct (@cafedirect_sg)

Cafédirect is the UK’s leading social enterprise coffee roaster, established to ensure that “drinking coffee today doesn’t destroy our chances of drinking coffee tomorrow.”

Currently, 80% of coffee farmers struggle to meet their basic needs. Cafedirect works in partnership with farmer cooperatives, selling coffee on their behalf and raising more than £30m over 30 years.

“We all want a healthier planet and fairer future to look forward to. And business has a huge influence on whether we can make this happen,” said founder John Steel. “We need to demand better from the companies that we buy from – and as consumers we have a choice.”

Steel encourages consumers to be suspicious of claims of ‘carbon neutrality’ or ‘net zero’, which may be based on questionable carbon credits schemes.

B Corp certification is “not an end point,” Steel said – ethical business is a continuing process.

“You always have to strive to do better. Every year is a chance for us to look at ourselves and think how we can improve,” he explained. “We’re currently score ‘Outstanding’, but there’s always room for improvement.”

Elvis & Kresse reclaims London’s fire hoses to make beautiful bags

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sustainable Luxury since 2005 (@elvisandkresse)

Ever wonder what happens to London’s decommissioned fire-hoses?

Elvis & Kresse was established in 2005 to save this sturdy equipment from landfill. Today, the company makes bags and homeware from 15 different reclaimed materials. Some 50% of profits from the Fire-hose Collection go to The Fire Fighters Charity.

“We do 3 things, we rescue, we transform, and we donate,” says founder Kresse Wesling.

B-Corp certification builds a “community” of businesses,” she added. “We can support each other, we can grow together, and we have a much bigger voice collectively.”

In the corporate world, profit is often the number one goal, but certified B Corporations are different. Although they want to make money, B Corp companies are equally concerned with environmental impact, employee wellbeing, and community transformation. This drive takes away competition and replaces it with a passion to work together with other like-minded businesses.  

“All B Corps want more B Corps,” Philip Everett-Lyons, founder of the B Corp Hattiers Rum, told The Big Issue. “We’re all changing the world one step at a time. We’re unified, singing from the same song sheet. That strong need [to change the world] eliminates competition regardless of what sector you’re in.” 

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

Since his company became B Corp certified in November 2020, Everett-Lyons has celebrated each announcement of a new B Corp in the drinks sector.  

“We pick up the phone to anyone in the spirits sector and say they’ve done amazingly in becoming a B Corp,” he said. He follows up his congratulations with his personal mobile number if support is needed.  

Last year, Everett-Lyons started working out how he could collaborate with other B Corps in his industry, deciding on a one-off, speaker-led event where eight different brands spoke about their company’s purpose alongside selling their drinks at the bar.  

This year, for B Corp Month, Everett-Lyons wanted to make it a bigger event. After seeing last year’s collaboration, 15 B Corp brands have opted in and will have their alcohol for sale during the month of March at X+Why, a B Corp flexible working space in London. There are two planned events during the month, with the space being offered out to other B Corps in the daytimes for away days,
meetings and socials.  

Although each of the brands selling their alcohol want to make profit through the month, they are participating for a “higher purpose”, and no one has mentioned being worried about their competitors, who will be selling from the same venue.  

One of the brands joked with Everett-Lyons on a Zoom call when he initially proposed the idea. “Philip, you’re telling me I will be sharing a roof with my competitors and I’m using my marketing budget for this – I’m out,” she told Everett-Lyons. “Only joking! Don’t be silly – of course we’re in.” 

This cohort hopes the visibility they gain from working together means other brands and retailers will want to up their game. “We’re like a group of challenger brands,” he said. “We’re showing them that it’s this way forward.” 

He’s also hopeful that collaboration will help lesser-known brands get on the radars of consumers, who’ll be introduced to brands whose drinks not only taste great but are doing good.  

Collaboration isn’t just happening within the alcohol industry.  B Locals are geographical collectives of B Corps across the UK, working to support local community groups and charities. The B Corp Beauty Coalition is made up of 26 beauty B Corps with the aim of strengthening sustainability standards in the beauty industry. Travel by B Corp is a collective of hotel groups, holiday parks, small-group adventures, and tailor-made travel companies, all with the aim of helping UK consumers to travel better by choosing B Corp certified travel businesses. 

Rather than being fierce rivals, so many B Corps are keen to network with and support each other as they continue to make their world a better place.  

“We are all great friends with a common purpose,” Everett-Lyons concluded. “We have
a common purpose to do things greater than ourselves.” 

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy!

If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play

As a fellow B Corp, The Big Issue was proud to partner with giffgaff late last year – resulting in vendors across the country benefitting from the company’s high-quality refurbished phones. giffgaff announced its B Corp certification in April 2023, but the values behind the certification have been built into the brand since it was established as a digital-only company in 2009.

“The original operating model was always about considering the planet alongside everything we do,” explains Ash Schofield, who has been CEO of giffgaff since 2018. “Being digital-only enabled us to have a very light carbon footprint. We wanted to ignite the advocacy of the people who we were serving to spread the word about giffgaff, rather than open shops which contribute to an enormous carbon footprint.”

After the concept of B Corp came onto the company’s radar like a perfect fit. “We liked the idea of applying a higher level of standards to what we do,” Ash says. “Rather than just trying to do the right thing, we wanted to make sure that all the due diligence was embedded into the company – that we are committed to making decisions based on people, planet and profit.”

One of the most significant ways that giffgaff shares the principles of being a B Corp with customers is via its refurbished phone offering. giffgaff started selling refurbished phones in late 2014, and is now one of the top UK mobile phone networks for refurbs, accounting for around 70% of its overall hardware sales. Anyone can trade in their old phone with giffgaff, helping reduce e-waste and prolonging the life of unused tech.

“When you buy a refurbished phone, you’re extending the life of a handset and getting it for a really good price,” says Ash. “The phones are priced differently depending on whether you want one that looks like new, or you’re happy with something that looks like it’s had a bit of tough life. They all work well and we guarantee that each one has at least 80% battery health.” And it’s not just the phones themselves that are good for the environment – they’re sent in slimline cardboard packaging that’s made from 100% FSC-accredited MIX cardboard, a combination of sustainably sourced and recycled material.

“We’re proud that we’ve helped make refurb phones cool,” says Ash. “They’re a really smart, savvy choice – both because they’re significantly cheaper and because they have significantly less impact on the environment.”

“Being digital-only enabled us to have a very light carbon footprint. We wanted to ignite the advocacy of the people who we were serving to spread the word about giffgaff”

Ash Schofield

With all the technological advances happening in the telecom space, where does Ash see the future of sustainable phone use? “We launched our eSIM capability last year,” says Ash, of the new technology where SIM cards are embedded directly into phones. “It’s going to take a while for it to roll out because not everyone has an eSIM-enabled phone, but over time, it means we’ll be able to stop sending out physical SIMs altogether, and people can just switch to giffgaff directly through their phones.”

Because giffgaff is operating on a big scale, with over four million members in the UK, every adjustment contributes to a collective change. “With eSIMs, there’s no longer bits of plastic being produced and distributed,” Ash continues. “So we’re saving everything from the plastic itself, to the packaging, to the shipping – significantly reducing the carbon footprint. It sounds like it’s a little thing, but for a business like ours, it’s an enormous thing that we can make a contribution with. One customer at a time, we’re giving people better options and helping change the market for good.”

Becoming a B Corp isn’t just a one-time thing. Companies have to be reassessed thoroughly every three years to keep their certification – which means giffgaff is constantly making sure that environmental and social standards are being improved. “We love that tension, that nothing’s ever finished and you always want to make it better,” he adds. “It makes sure that it’s not a badging exercise; it’s cultural and it needs to be embedded right into the business, with all those checks and balances in place to keep you to account.”

Ash is proud that giffgaff is one of the 1,900+ B Corps in the UK, but stresses that he wants to use that influence to inspire other businesses to work towards the certification too.

“I think we’re all in the business of staying relevant as brands, and we need to make sure that we have a sustainable model,” he says. “Becoming a B Corp has to be right at the heart of your thinking. It’s not a bolt-on thing. We want to demonstrate that there is a better, more sustainable way of doing things that can deliver value for our individual customers, but also for society. We would urge all businesses to adopt a similar mindset.”

“Becoming a B Corp has to be right at the heart of your thinking. It’s not a bolt-on thing.”

In the meantime, whether you’re a customer or not, Ash encourages you to do something for yourself and the planet by recycling your old phone with giffgaff – and getting some cash in return. “Let’s make sure that we get the maximum lifetime out of these devices. It’s good for your pocket and the environment.”

According to giffgaff’s research, more than 100 million old phones are lying unused in homes across the UK. “People kind of want a back-up phone – but when you’ve been through the upgrade cycle a few times, maybe you don’t need two back-up phones,” says Ash. When you trade in your old phone with giffgaff you get cash – and tech that might be otherwise hoarded or thrown away gets to be used again.

A step-by-step guide to what happens when you recycle your phone with giffgaff.

According to giffgaff’s research, more than 100 million old phones are lying unused in homes across the UK. “People kind of want a back-up phone – but when you’ve been through the upgrade cycle a few times, maybe you don’t need two back-up phones,” says Ash.
When you trade in your old phone with giffgaff you get cash – and tech that might be otherwise hoarded or thrown away gets to be used again. Here’s a step-by-step guide to what happens when you recycle your phone with giffgaff.

1. Find out how much your phone could be worth
   What’s great is that anyone can check the price of their old device and sell it via giffgaffrecycle.com.
2. Delete any personal data from your device.
   Remove your SIM and any memory (microSD) cards. It’s recommended that you send it via recorded delivery if it’s high value.
3. Get paid, fast
   On the same day that giffgaff processes and checks your old phone, they’ll send the money to your account.
4. Could your phone could be refurbished?
   To sell on to someone else so they get a great phone and save some pennies at the same time (you’ll both be contributing to a circular economy too).
5. Or used for parts?
   With the help of trusted partners the useful minerals, metals etc will be removed and the rest of the phone is disposed of responsibly.
   
   Find out more about how to recycle your phone with giffgaff at www.giffgaffrecycle.com

Going green has become non-negotiable for many consumers in recent years, with over half of us trying to make sustainable choices where we can according to Nielsen IQ. This has led to a series of brands announcing ethical changes, with companies from Tesco to TK Maxx implementing plans to reach net zero. But as almost every firm is promoting sustainable credentials, how can you identify businesses really prioritising planet over profit, rather than just creating a green-tinted smokescreen? 

Corporations that can’t back up their promises are often accused of greenwashing – the practice of making false or misleading claims about how sustainable a product or service really is. It’s become commonplace as shopping habits change but is also being exposed more readily. High-profile investigations into misleading claims have been launched by the Competition and Markets Authority at companies including Asos, Asda and Unilever, the firm behind brands including Persil, Magnum
and Hellmann’s. 

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

“These companies are misleading consumers” says Nusa Urbancic, CEO of the Changing Markets Foundation. “Often they are charging you a premium price for their so-called green products.” 

In reality green claims are often just a marketing tool. “A lot of people think that if you pay a little bit more for a greener product, you’re actually contributing to saving the planet,” says Urbancic. This isn’t true. If you buy from businesses with vague environmental claims “you are being ripped off”. 

Fortunately, there are straightforward ways of verifying whether environmental claims stack up. “Look at a company and see what its actual plans are,” says Matthew Cotton, Professor of Environmental Justice and Public Policy at Teesside University. 

“All major oil companies have signed up to meet net zero by 2050. But if they don’t have a plan for what they’re going to do to meet that target it just becomes a vague goal for the future. That’s a clear sign of greenwashing.” 

Urbancic agrees. “Brands will say something like sustainable, responsible, green or eco-friendly without really explaining.” Other buzzwords often used without evidence include carbon neutral, reusable and recyclable.  

Even when changes are made to products, they are often small and don’t come close to offsetting the emissions of the finished item. Urbancic says removing air from packaging to reduce plastic use is a common tactic. She explains that “Often the packaging is non-recyclable and contains products that are not very sustainable. 

“Amazon had beef jerky under their climate pledge, because they removed some air from their packaging,” despite beef being one of the most carbon-intensive foods available. 

• What is greenwashing and what can you do about it?
• H&M greenwashing is ‘disguising the reality’ of fast fashion

If you’re a novice at all this, sites like Greenwash provide a quick guide to the big brands’ records, detailing which firms are truly sustainable by documenting hundreds of cases of greenwashing.  

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy!

If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play

Do you know where your breakfast cereal comes from? How about your brand-new jumper? Or the metals in your iPhone charger? 

Ethical shopping is on the rise. Consumers increasingly want their money to make a positive impact – and are quick to shun businesses that fall short. 

Eight in 10 shoppers are more likely to support brands that “reflect their beliefs”, a survey commissioned by Big Issue has revealed. 

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

Some 70% of the poll’s 2,000 respondents said they were more likely to buy products from brands actively promoting their ethical and sustainable credentials, and 86% agreed that companies have a responsibility to set a good example in being environmentally aware. 

Morality matters to shoppers and businesses should take note, said Allyson Stewart-Allen, a retail expert and CEO of International Marketing Partners. “Increasingly, consumers – particularly Gen Z – are concerned with honesty, transparency, integrity, and that the deeds and the words line up,” she said. 

“Do you use child labour? Are you using forced labour? How polluting is your company? These things all matter.”  

Conscientious consumption is nothing new. In the 18th century, abolitionist campaigners boycotted sugar produced by slaves, torpedoing sales by a third. In the 1890s, the Salvation Army launched a fair trading tea company; dozens of alternative trade organisations followed. 

But the past three decades have seen ethical shopping and consumers with a conscience move to the mainstream. 

One in three UK consumers claim to have stopped buying certain products due to ethical or sustainability-related concerns, a 2023 Deloitte report found. 

In a 2020 McKinsey US consumer survey, more than 60% said they’d pay more for a product advertised as sustainable. 

“The ethical shopping movement is hugely significant,” said Rob Harrison, co-editor of
Ethical Consumer (EC) magazine. 

“[It] has, over the 35 years we’ve been reporting on it, helped to transform most consumer markets in the west.” 

Since 1999, the magazine’s EC Ethical Markets report has tracked year-on-year growth for ethical products and services in the UK. Over this time period, consumer spending on ethical products has increased from £17 billion to over £141bn in 2023. 

It’s partly been driven by the enthusiasm of young shoppers. Around 83% of Gen Z consumers want brands to take a stance on social issues, Merkle’s 2022 Next Generation of Consumer Behaviour report revealed. 

The cost of living crisis has stalled progress in recent years – but it’s also an opportunity. “Ethical options that cost less, rather than more, are more attractive,” Harrison explained. “And for Gen Z, buying second-hand clothes is a particular favourite.” 

Fittingly, up to 90% of users on the pre-loved fashion app Depop are under the age of 26. 

• Ethical shopping titan The Body Shop has collapsed into administration. What went wrong?
• The Big Exchange: Make an ethical investment for your child’s future this Christmas

But savvy companies are getting very good at greenwashing, co-opting the language of sustainability to boost their reputations. Fast fashion companies market limited ‘recycled’ ranges, while coffee chains linked to human rights abuses invent dodgy ‘Fairtrade’ alternatives. 

Vegan food company Vivera tells customers that they can save three animal lives by going vegetarian for a month, stating, “all these animals are sentient beings with social skills and the will to live”. Yet Vivera is owned by JBS S.A, the world’s biggest meat processor, a massive conglomerate that slaughters 77,000 cattle, 116,000 pigs and 13.6 million poultry birds every day. 

In the Big Issue survey, 69% of respondents agreed that “most companies don’t really care about the environment; it’s all for show and PR.”

A raft of certification schemes have been set up to abate bogus sustainability claims. But more is needed. The government should also “use tax or rebates to make ethical choices cheaper than non-ethical ones” and “force companies to disclose and take responsibility for their impacts”, Harrison said. “This is done a bit now, on carbon and energy consumption and in Europe on workers’ rights – but again, much more could be done,” he said. 

Most of us agree. The Big Issue survey suggests 56% of respondents want the government to prioritise stricter environmental regulations “even if it leads to higher costs for businesses and consumers.” 

It’s “naive” of companies to assume that they won’t get found out, Stewart-Allen said. “Corporate scandals can be exposed faster than ever. Social media has made transparency really easy.  Brands have to question: how do we make sure we are trusted, in an era of low trust? It’s about transparency, and ethics. They have to have both, because we will find them out.”

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy!

If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play

The Body Shop was once a titan of the high street.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the store ­– known for its exotic bath pearls, lotions and the famous ‘white musk’ aroma, which it still markets as the ‘scent of a generation’ – attracted millions of eager shoppers.

But the one-time bath behemoth is in a crisis. The Body Shop has appointed administrators, a process that is putting 2,000 jobs at risks and will likely cause dozens of shop closures and mass redundancies.

For staff at the chain’s 200 UK stores, it’s troubling news. What went wrong?

Poor sales over the vital Christmas period are partly to blame. But according to experts, The Body Shop has “lost touch with its consumers.”

“It failed to move with the times. The consumer has changed, but The Body Shop didn’t keep up,” says Allyson Stewart-Allen, a retail expert and CEO of International Marketing Partners.

“It’s heart-breaking, really, because the brand was at the forefront of shopping with a conscience. But they got lost.”

The Body Shop was founded in 1976 by the late Dame Anita Roddick. Operating out of a small shop in Brighton, it offered natural products and eschewed animal testing ­– a rarity at the time. Roddick even recycled her bottles, largely due to a shortage of containers.

The idea was a hit, attracting legions of young shoppers with its ethical credentials. By 1984, it was valued at more than £80m, up from its £4,000 initial valuation.

“The Body Shop was ahead of the curve. But now competitors have caught up and it’s a really crowded space; there is intense competition from brands like Lush,” added Stewart-Allen.

Roddick was passionate about social issues. Her husband Gordon Roddick helped Lord John Bird establish the Big Issue in 1991, providing the initial funding to get the magazine off the ground.

“He gave me the idea – from the United States – of a street paper, and encouraged me and provided funding and wouldn’t take no for an answer; meaning we invented The Big Issue,” Lord Bird wrote last year.

Gordon and Anita and continued to nurture and support the company in subsequent years. On the 10^th anniversary of her 2007 death, Lord Bird paid tribute to his “extraordinary” friend, “one of the most important people in social and ethical trading”.

“She had deep wells of energy and curiosity, and even deeper wells of commitment. She made business an increasingly useful tool for political and social action,” he said.

Stewart Allen continued: “A series of incremental things meant they essentially stood still. Their products, their in-store experience, their activism – they are stuck in the middle with no perceived points of difference.”

The Body Shop was known for its ethical campaigning. But in 2006, the chain was bought out by L’Oreal for more than £650m.

• John Bird: When you buy, leave a trail of good behind you
• Feral, The Body Shop, Bath

The deal was controversial; Roddick had always campaigned against the ‘monstrous’ practises of the beauty industry. The founder claimed the sale would allow The Body Shop to act as a ‘Trojan Horse’ against Big Beauty, but tragically died just 18 months after the sale.

The sale marked a turning point for the chain.

“If the owners at the top don’t have the ethical stance that the brand is trying to represent, the consumers see through the mismatch straight away,” said Dr Amna Khan, a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University and consumer behaviour expert.

“It doesn’t build trust, it doesn’t build credibility. The sale to L’Oreal diluted the brand, it commercialised it. The consumer started pulling away and looking for alternatives.”

Consumers had always bought into this ‘activist vision’, explains Stewart-Allen. The founder was the ‘soul’ of the operation.

“[After the L’Oreal sale], Anita Roddick was no longer the face of the brand. That’s a nail in the coffin,” she said. “Buying The Body Shop was buying into the views: into the no-animal testing, and the activism about slavery and trafficking. It’s perhaps lost that.”

After a decade, L’Oreal decided to sell The Body Shop to Brazilian brand Natura; in November 2023 Aurelius – a private equity firm ­– purchased it.

The brand no longer has a monopoly on the natural and sustainable beauty space. Lush, Neal’s Yard, Boots, Superdrug and supermarket chains offer their own alternatives.

But they’re all following in the vision of The Body Shop’s founder. With restructuring and redundancies imminent, the chain is at a key crossroads. If it is to succeed, its original ethical shopping vision must be prioritised, Stewart-Allen said.

“Ethical shopping is in the Body Shop’s DNA. If it drops that, it has a much smaller likelihood of surviving,” she added.

“Let’s hope it will reinvent itself around honouring that.”

Have you done your Christmas shopping yet?

It’s a question that strikes fear into the heart of tardy gift-buyers nationwide. But don’t fret – there’s still plenty of time to find beautiful, original, and sustainable presents for your loved ones.

Check out our advertisers below and help support ethical businesses.

Complete Unity Yoga products

Complete Unity Yoga’s collection of sought-after sustainable yoga products are made specifically for yoga and meditation popular with yoga teachers, yogis and people worldwide.

They sell everything you need for yoga and meditation from beginner to advance. Check out their popular Essential Yoga Sets a fantastic complete yoga kit that will bring a smile to any yoga lover, yourself or loved ones.

Shop here and save 15% with this exclusive Big Issue reader discount code: BIG15 Limited availability valid until 26 December 2023.

Animal Aid cards and gifts

Animal Aid campaigns peacefully against all forms of animal abuse. Our shop is packed full of wonderful cruelty-free and vegan-friendly products to help you celebrate a compassionate Christmas.

Choose from beautiful festive cards, delicious chocolates and wine, inspiring cookbooks, wildflower seed gift boxes and much more!

Your support will help us continue our 40-year history of speaking out for Animals.

To thank Big Issue readers for their support, you will receive a free mystery festive treat with your order using code BIC23. Visit the online shop here.

Valley Mist ethical wellness

Handmade & ethical natural skincare & wellness company Valley Mist was established in 2016.

Premium handmade, natural and organic wellness products to nurture your body and mind, we use glass bottles, not plastic and have a national glass return system with rewards. We up-cycle waste butter and oils from skincare manufacturing into natural essential oil candles.

We don’t use conventional emulsifiers in our moisturiser and so reduce our carbon footprint by eliminating the requirement for heating and high speed mixing. No plastic is used to pack and send our orders in our shop or our lab. Natural fibre raffia wrapped gift boxes ready to gift – no wrapping required! Our physical shop is a zero waste shop for our local community.

Shop here & Use code 20BigIssue for 20% discount store wide on orders over £30.

Redwings Adoption Scheme

Sponsor a rescued horse or donkey from Redwings this Christmas. From just £2 a month they’ll receive a wonderful adoption pack including a special certificate, stunning photo of their new friend and their story. They’ll also receive regular updates with stories and photos of their life at the Sanctuary!

Visit their website here.

Hand Me Down Book Club

Unlock the joy of reading with Hand Me Down Book Club! Indulge in the magic of stories with our monthly book subscription. Each box is a curated treasure trove of pre-loved fiction, handpicked just for you.

Delight in the surprise of new authors and titles, expanding your literary horizons. It’s a win for you, a win for the environment. Plus, with the holidays approaching, our subscription makes an ideal Christmas gift. And here’s a special gift: Get a FREE tote bag when you sign up for a year! Don’t miss out on this reading adventure. Subscribe here today!

Soho Juice non-fizzy soft drinks

The Soho juice co produce the UK’s premium still soft drink. Full of flavour and free of fizz the drinks come in three exciting and unusual flavours

• Cucumber, mint, lemon and lime
• Blood orange, raspberry and ginger
• Apple, Honey and lemon

Some 9-15% of people do not like fizzy drinks. The Soho Juice Co cater for those people. Exciting, fresh and unique flavours in 100% recyclable cans. Freedom from fizz in a can. No bubbles were harmed in the making of these drinks.

Olive & Joyce Skincare

Here at Olive & Joyce Skincare, we believe it is possible to be both gentle and powerful. Built on a philosophy that ‘less is more’, we source and blend the earth’s most magical ingredients to craft skincare that naturally promotes healthy skin and builds up confidence.

We created a two product method, that lasts twice as long as other skincare brands.  Saving you the customer money and the planet landfill.

Our products are vegan, palm-oil free, cruelty-free, with sustainably sourced 100% natural ingredients, because all beauty, both yours and that of our wondrous planet deserves to be celebrated and protected.

Southdown wool duvets

Southdown wool duvets tick all the boxes. Deliciously cosy, healthy sleep. 12 months return/exchange. 13 years of 100% 5 star Trustpilot reviews. Fully biodegradable product which doesn’t cost the earth. Naturally flame retardant. Hypoallergenic. Reduces eff ects of night sweats. Fair annual prices to British sheep farmers. Small family business who really care about their duvets – all the way from the ewe to you. Proud sponsor of the next generation of British sheep shearers.

Only one problem – they are too big for us to shove down your chimney, but they will fit perfectly under your tree.

Wearing a hot-pink sweatshirt with wide, black-rimmed glasses, Olivia Colman is in possibly the last place you might expect to see her – behind the till of a bustling shop on Carnaby Street. 

Perhaps even more surprisingly, the Oscar-winning actress is joined by Jamie Dornan, expertly holding out a card machine to the next customer in a snaking line. 

This was the scene at the Choose Love store on 22 November, a pop-up shop that does things differently. Inside the pink-and-white, glitter-filled store you’ll find games, a sleeping bag, sanitary products and coats laid out around the open plan shopfront, but none of these items are for sale. 

Change a Big Issue vendor’s life this Christmas by purchasing a Winter Support Kit. You’ll receive four copies of the magazine and create a brighter future for our vendors through Christmas and beyond

Instead of buying a product for yourself, the shop invites customers to buy an item or support service for a refugee in need somewhere in the world. Items available range from mental health support to funds to reunite families, to warm clothing. You can buy someone living in a refugee camp or under the threat of air raids access to life-saving medical treatment for £40. A sea rescue comes in at £50. 

The organisation is supported by a host of famous faces, and some of them have turned up to the shop’s launch to work behind the till. I’ve come along to volunteer too. 

“Choose Love started with a few friends at a boozy Sunday lunch wanting to do something,” writer, presenter and co-founder Dawn O’Porter says, as she meets me outside the shop on a chilly November afternoon. “In 2015 we collected one truckload worth of donations for refugees and sent those to Calais. And now eight years later, Choose Love is the biggest source of aid to refugees across the world.” 

Gesturing behind her to the storefront, decorated with giant printed letters spelling out the organisation’s name, O’Porter says, “Rather than buying tat this Christmas, you can come in and buy something for somebody who really needs it. And then detail what you bought into a cute little card and give it to someone and say you did this in their name.” 

Customers tick the items off the list available and then pay at the till for what they would like to donate. 

Each year the UK spends £700 million on unwanted Christmas gifts, and recent statistics by GWP have found that just 1% of all gifts given on the big day are still being used six months later. So the idea of giving supplies that could truly change someone’s life is an attractive one, and an idea that resonates with young shoppers. 

Studies show that Gen-Z shoppers in particular are more likely to buy from brands with strong ethical and sustainable credentials. And Choose Love’s half-a-million-strong Instagram audience suggests an engaged youth following. 

Still, spending the opening day of the store on the shopfloor serving customers, I see only diversity in the room. Guests of all ages approach me to buy something or ask a question. One of the other volunteers tells me that children often come into the store and hand over their pocket money to help buy young refugees school supplies or games. 

After an hour walking around the shopfloor with a card machine,  I’m summoned to the till – a task I’ve been nervous about. How am I supposed to follow Colman’s performance in the same role? But the energy in the shop is infectious, and next to the till actors Lily James and T’Nia Miller are boogieing to Laura Whitmore’s DJ set, alleviating my fears. 

By my side at the till is Pearl Mackie, best known for being companion to Peter Capaldi’s Time Lord in Doctor Who. After I lean over the counter to serve a lovely gentleman who buys £125 worth of support services, Mackie turns to me and compliments the speed of my transaction. I ask what convinced her to give up her time to serve in the shop.  

“I think the work Choose Love do is absolutely essential,” she states simply. “It’s just so important. And I think a lot of similar projects don’t necessarily work with partner organisations that are on the ground in the same way.” 

Choose Love has been able to reach over 4.8 million people across 41 countries through their 476 partners. They have provided 1.2 million items of clothing to refugees, 3.2 million nappies, 594,000 shelter items, and funded 156,000 legal cases, leading to family reunifications. 

“This is such a crucial way of getting the direct aid to refugees,” Mackie says. “Rather than filtering through lots of different systems. And this store shows that there can be joy in even the bleakest situations.” 

And joy is the word to sum up the atmosphere. The pop-up shop will remain open until Christmas Eve, and Choose Love’s partnership manager Sabira informs me that as well as selling much needed support for refugees, the store will also be hosting live recordings of podcasts, DJ workshops, poetry readings, acoustic gigs, stand-up comedy events and film screenings.  

After coming off my till shift, I buy a t-shirt for myself and bump into O’Porter again. 

“Christmas is about giving,” she says, “and giving to people who really, really, really need help is the best kind of giving.” 

The Choose Love store is located at 57 Carnaby Street, London, and open every day from 10am-7pm, except Thursdays (10am-8pm) and Sundays (12pm-6pm) until Christmas Eve. If you can’t get to London, all of their items are also available to buy online here

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy!

If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue or give a gift subscription. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play

The UK is lucky to have countless charities with shops, but the abundance of choice means it can also be hard knowing where’s best to search for bargains.

While a day-long rifle through rails and shelves might be appealing for some, you might just want the certainty of knowing where you’ll find the items you want.

So if you’re looking for the UK’s best charity shops, and for the top charities running shops, we’ve got you covered.

Where are the UK’s best charity shops?

Scope’s Cambridge shop is the UK’s best charity shop, according to the Charity Retail Association.

It won the Shop of the Year award at 2023’s Charity Retail Awards.

If you’re looking for the other best charity shops in the UK and Ireland, the Air Ambulance Trading Company’s Alfreton shop and NCBI’s shop in Finglas were also shortlisted for the accolade.

Elsewhere, the best charity retailers were Acorns Children’s Hospice, British Red Cross, and Salvation Army Trading Company.

What makes the country’s best charity shop?

Staff at Scope’s Cambridge shop, which raises money for the disability charity, had a customer satisfaction score of 82%. The shop’s ideas include private shopping for transgender customers with a trans night, which offers a more “accessible and agreeable environment”, boosting sales and the connection with the shop’s community.

Your support changes lives. Find out how you can help us help more people by signing up for a subscription

Which are the biggest charities with shops, and where can I find them?

Oxfam

Once upon a time, the UK didn’t have charity shops. That changed in 1947, when Oxfam opened the country’s first. Fast forward 75 years and the charity now has 560 shops and its green logo is immediately recognisable on the high street. Their shops stock a huge range of items, with some shops that are book and music specific.

There’s even an Oxfam shop at Glastonbury.

Money raised for Oxfam goes towards its work around the globe trying to end poverty – including through providing water and pushing for gender equality.

Find your local branch here.

Mind

Recognisable by their all-blue exteriors, Mind offers classic but dependable charity shops with a good range of books, clothes, and bric-a-brac. Money raised through sales goes towards Mind’s work supporting those experiencing mental health problems.

There are over 160 Mind shops across the country, and you can find your nearest one here.

Your support changes lives. Find out how you can help us help more people by signing up for a subscription

Traid

Frustrated by fast fashion and wasted clothes? Traid could be for you.

It might be a bit more pricey, but with good reason. It’s one for the fashion heads, and somewhere you’re likely to find some designer brands.

There are 12 Traid shops throughout London, with some stocking a “substantial range of children’s clothes, linen, saris and African clothing” alongside vintage second-hand finds.

Traid is dedicated to reducing clothing waste and if you fancy donating, Traid runs 1,500 clothes banks across the country.

• Which charities are fighting homelessness in the UK?
• These are the charities that collect furniture from your home to help those in need
• These are the charities helping refugees in the UK

Mary’s Living and Giving

Mary’s Living and Giving is a chain of boutique shops set up by Save the Children.

And there’s one obvious question: who is Mary? It’s “Queen of the shops” Mary Portas. The first shop opened in 2009, and they’ve managed to raise over £30million.

Branded as “charity shops with a difference”, they’re located mostly in London but with one in Bristol and one in Edinburgh.

Find your local branch here.

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

British Heart Foundation

We’ve had green and blue, so now for red: British Heart Foundation. If you’re looking for furniture, this is a great bet. The BHF is the UK’s biggest charity retailer according to a 2017 study.

Check out our full guide of where to find charity furniture shops here, and on how to donate here.

Crisis

Homelessness charity crisis runs a chain of shops across the country, offering vintage clothes, jewellery, and furniture. There are currently 10 Crisis shops, all in London – with some featuring a coffee shop. You can see their locations here.

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

Do charity shops wash clothes?

It varies. Some do wash clothes before they sell them, some don’t.

We asked some of the country’s biggest charity retailers what they do.

Oxfam doesn’t wash clothes before they go on sale. But the charity told us it does request that people donate items that shoppers would like to buy, and that it’s “very unlikely” their shop teams would put unclean items on sale.  

However, Mind, Crisis, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation steam all clothes before putting them out for sale. Mind donates anything dirty or stained to a rag company for recycling.

Which charity has the most shops in the UK?

According to Civil Society’s Charity Shops Survey 2022, the charities with the most shops in the UK are:

• British Heart Foundation: 691
• Cancer Research: 589
• Oxfam GB: 564
• Sue Ryder: 407
• Age UK: 299
• Salvation Army: 228
• Mind: 156

These figures include some shops that are not reconcilable with the figures in charities’ most recent accounts.

Where are the most charity shops in the UK?

According to home-building company Barratt, the cities with the most charity shops per capita are:

• Newcastle (101 charity shops per capita)
• Lincoln (91)
• Oxford (81)
• Dundee (79)
• Brighton (77)
• Exeter (76)
• Norwich (73)
• Portsmouth (67)
• Bradford (60)
• Peterborough (56)

The Big Issue’s #BigFutures campaign is calling for investment in decent and affordable housing, ending the low wage economy, and millions of green jobs. The last 10 years of austerity and cuts to public services have failed to deliver better living standards for people in this country. Sign the open letter and demand a better future.

As part of our Meet the Maker series, we speak to the people behind the creations in the Big Issue Shop – a platform for buying ethical products which put people and the planet first. This time, we speak to Rebecca Dallimore, founder of Scintilla.

What can we find on your part of the Big Issue shop?

Under the Scintilla part of the Big Issue Shop you’ll find small batch, plant-based skincare products. Our products are handmade in small batches, using rich, sustainably-sourced natural ingredients to create skincare that’s as good for the planet as it is your skin. 

Our collection includes skincare basics such as lip balms and hand creams, as well as more targeted products such as cleansing milks and serums.

How do your products make a positive difference in the world?

By design, our products are made to be as sustainable as possible, from the sourcing of natural ingredients that have a minimal environmental impact, to ensuring our formulations are created to ensure that a little goes a long way, reducing the regularity with which you need purchase them – saving on resources and our customers’ money! 

However, our social impact is as important to us as our environmental impact, and we donate 10% of our profits to two fantastic charitie.

The first is Mind, England & Wales’ leading mental health charity where our funds help to provide resources and support for both those struggling with mental health issues, and those who are supporting people with mental health issues.

The second is SEED Madagascar, a small sustainable development organisation based in Madagascar delivering projects that include school building, healthcare and livelihoods which aim to reduce poverty, create resilience against climate change and increase access to basic human rights in rural communities there.

What inspired you to start your company and how did it start?

When moving from the glorious British countryside to busy London several years ago for work, I found that within weeks my skin suffered. I had break outs, rashes, inflammation, and I really struggled to find skincare products that ticked all my personal boxes: effective, plant-based and vegan, minimal plastic, and affordable.

Instead of compromising, I got stuck into some research and began by making a few basic skincare remedies at home. I spoke to a friend and colleague about how I was struggling to find the “perfect” skincare brand, and when she expressed the same need, realised there might be a niche.

With a background in sustainability (having previously worked as a business sustainability consultant) and experience in perfumery and retail, I decided to test a few products predominantly in the sustainable skincare sector and had a brilliant response to the first range of products.

When building a customer base and audience, I also wanted to use the brand to support causes that are important to me, and so we have donated that 10% of profits to Mind and SEED Madagascar since the day we launched.

What is the biggest issue everyone should know about at the moment?

It’s impossible to pinpoint just one issue at the present time with unrest, natural disasters, and a cost of living crisis to name a few. At Scintilla, we focus on the impact of climate change as it can create or impact all of the other crises we’re currently experiencing.

I believe it’s important to be aware of the climate crisis and collectively make small changes to drive positive change for our world. By educating ourselves on what the short-, mid- and long-term effects of climate change are, we can make informed decisions about our every day lives, and support causes and actions that protect our planet, and our future. 

What is one thing anyone can do to make a positive difference?

 Be kind. It can seem like an over-used phrase but treating people and nature with kindness truly makes a positive difference.

Kindness can be as simple as saying “thank you” or volunteering your time for a good cause; or it can be a bigger actions like making a donation or sending supplies to those in need. Making a point of undertaking acts of kindness, however simple, impacts those around you.