Policy Development

Work with us to enhance your existing ethical and environmental policies or create new ones from the ground up. We can help you create robust policies that reflect your company’s values and demonstrate how you’re putting those values into practice.

We work with companies of all sizes, tailoring our approach to your goals and your ethics, and providing practical advice to get you where you need to go.

This can include:

scoping of company values.
evaluation of any existing policies.
engaging with staff, customers and other relevant stakeholders.
drafting policies and compliance procedures.
developing these with your organisation to reflect your specific business concerns and sector.

Our independent perspective and collaborative approach will enable you to create policies that are both meaningful and effective. We’ve seen enough greenwash to know how to avoid it.

To find out how or to discuss your project, call Alex Crumbie on 0161 226 2929, or email consultancy@ethicalconsumer.org

With over 25 years experience of offering flexible and creative solutions to businesses and NGOs, our research team can help your organisation to manage risk, get ahead of the curve on sustainability issues, and work with consumers to have real impact.

Free Ethical Sponsorship Policy framework

Developed to provide charities and other values-led organisations with some basic tools to develop policy and practice on fundraising and commercial partners, we have made this Policy Framework freely available for anyone.

It comprises:

a discussion of some of the key issues.
other types of ethical policies.
a free template for creating your organisation's ethical sponsorship policy.
implementation and practical issues.
references and links to other organisations working in the field.

Find the Policy Framework here

Example work

Company sustainability policies and practices

In 2018, we were approached by Alpkit to work with them on developing and communicating their policies and practices.

The client’s directors felt that the company was ahead of the curve on many issues, including the environment and workers’ rights, but wanted support to accurately and honestly communicate this to consumers.

We have helped the client consolidate their actions into policy documents that will inform consumers on the positive work they have done, as well as the difficult choices that need to be made to ensure economic feasibility.

Our skills in communicating complex issues to wide audiences and our grasp of ethical standards mean that we are well placed to support businesses in communicating their individual approach and give them the confidence to be bold on ethics.

Developing a conflict minerals policy at Richer Sounds

Richer Sounds have always been interested in doing things slightly differently to other companies, and have been long time supporters of the Fair Tax Mark.

In 2019 we worked with Richer Sounds to help develop a cutting-edge conflict minerals policy for a company in the UK electronics retail sector.

We conducted research to benchmark policy on this subject at UK retailers and then used our experience of ranking companies in our own electronics shopping guides to help design a policy that was meaningful for a company of its size at the far end of the supply chain.