Introducing Conscious Picks: your guide to everyday ethical choices

conscious picks: helping you buy what you believe in

Our brand new product-led content series kicks off in October 2025.

Making ethical choices shouldn’t feel like detective work. Yet, with so many brands shouting about being “sustainable”, “green” or “planet friendly,” it’s hard to know which ones to trust - and exactly what we’re buying into.

Most people don’t have the time or headspace to research a brand’s ethics. Labelling is confusing; marketing is clever, and we’re often having to make snap decisions which lead us away from our values.

Enter Conscious Picks, a new product-led content series that aims to help you wield your consumer power, and buy what you believe in. For each home living category, theethicalguide will spotlight products across three tiers — giving three clear options to suit different budgets, lifestyles, and levels of commitment.

THE THREE TIERS

  • ‘Better Than The Rest’: Supermarket-accessible and budget-friendly. These are ethical step-ups from the mainstream. They balance accessibility with meaningful improvements and, crucially, still perform well or taste great.

  • ‘Great Find’: A mid-tier option you’ll probably need to order online or seek out in niche stores. These products come with stronger ethical credentials, more trustworthy sourcing, and that added spark of enjoyment - whether it’s flavour, feel, or function. Might cost a bit more.

  • ‘Top Notch’: The premium choice. This is what we view as the leading ethical option in the category, backed by exemplary transparency, fair practices, and a proven track record of customer satisfaction. These are the products setting the gold standard for environmental and social impact.

HOW IT WORKS

Every product featured in Conscious Picks goes through a simple filter. We evaluate by:

  1. Ethics - a deep-dive into the brand’s approach to sourcing, fair pay, sustainability, labour rights etc. (depends on the product category, of course!)

  2. Effectiveness / enjoyment - because ethical choices also need to deliver.

  3. Brand trust - checking for greenwash and evidence they walk the talk.

The aim isn’t perfection. It’s about progress and practicality, helping you make better choices that fit your real life.

CORE RESEARCH SOURCES…

  • official standards (eg Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, trade certifications)

  • independent watchdogs/NGOs

  • industry/labelling data

  • cross-checked with credible resources that share up-to-date, verified research - such as the brilliant Ethical Consumer 🤩

Keep an eye out on the blog and Instagram page. We’ll start listing them here as and when they’re published, so you can always check back.

Here’s to a future of considered shopping, that leaves us with allll the good vibes, minus the guilty ones.

Zoe Smith