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I pledge to walk more locally, rather than use the car for a 5 minute journey to the shops and also to eat less meat! I will recycle food and give leftovers to the foxes rather than throwing it away, giving it back to the food chain!

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I pledge to ride my bike to work, reduce food waste, and use all appliances on eco settings

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I pledge to stop buying bottled water bring a water bottle to work every day, to reuse plastic bags for shopping and to have 2 meat free days / week

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I pledge to have meat twice a week and almond or oat milk regularly  , do intermittent fasting two days a week, use the herbs from the garden , continue using public transport and hybrid car on eco mode on weekend , continue using my bio-friendly bag. I will replace all lights with energy saving , let my kids to switch their off devices at night and do not wast any food .  I will invest into solar system at home when made substantive and buying my own house.
AMidani  Renal transplant / access RFH /honorary  UCL

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I will reduce meat and milk consumption, reduce use of the car and tumble drier and propose that we have UCL electrical guardians switching off machines and lights at the end of the day organised by departments

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I will reduce meat and milk consumption, reduce use of the car and tumble drier and propose that we have UCL electrical guardians switching off machines and lights at the end of the day organised by departments

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Alan salama
UCL Dept of Renal Medicine

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I vow to never drive to work again, and to only have one child.
Ben Walsh. Nephrologist.
UCL/Royal Free

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I pledge to have three meat free days a week, continue to use household appliances on eco cycles and always with a full load, never use the tumble dryer, and FINALLY switch to an ethical bank.
Sally Hamour. Nephrologist. Royal Free/UCL

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I pledge to stop using non recyclable disposable cups. PO Fluids via own tea cup only. Tamara Renal Reg 

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I pledge to stop using non recyclable disposable cups. PO Fluids via own tea cup only. Tamara Renal Reg 

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I pledge to continue to work on reducing health care emissions by reducing anaesthetic gas use, pushing back against single use instruments and promoting sustainable hospital builds. I will use my voice to continue to pressure our leaders to continue to mitigate against the significant public health threat that is the climate crisis.

Jonny Groome
Anaesthetic Registrar and Founder of GASP - Greener Anaesthesia & Sustainability Project

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WHO WE ARE

Back in 2018 we were two anaesthetic trainees fed up with the clear impact our day to day work was having on the planet. Now we are a nationwide, non-profit, multidisciplinary movement made up healthcare professionals, students, managers and sustainability consultants working together to enact change.

FIRST, DO NO HARM.

​

It is time to take a step back. In order to enact our duty of care to our patients, we have to acknowledge and act on the duty of care we have to our planet. The time for change is now.

WAYS WE HELP

To act effectively we need to educate, collaborate and elevate the importance of sustainable practice.

​

Click on the boxes to learn more.

CONSULTING

How can GASP help you?

ADVOCACY

Reinforcing our Commitment

IMPROVEMENT

Be the Change You Wish to See

EDUCATION

We are Here to Help You.

"We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it."

Barack Obama

CONTACT GASP

Get in touch with GASP to learn more about our work and how you can get involved.

All references can be found by clicking on the hyperlinks (hover over the highlighted words). This should link you in to the relevant journal so you can access the article through your preferred method.

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WHO WE ARE Back in 2018 we were two anaesthetic trainees fed up with the clear impact our day to day work was having on the planet. Now we are a nationwide, non-profit, multidisciplinary movement made up healthcare professionals, students, managers and sustainability consultants working together to enact change.

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I pledge to cease milk consumption and switch to oat milk; to reduce meat consumption and swith to plant based alternatives; to continue to cycle to work; turn off heating at home unless genuinely needed; use less plastic.

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I pledge to cease milk consumption and switch to oat milk; to reduce meat consumption and swith to plant based alternatives; to continue to cycle to work; turn off heating at home unless genuinely needed; use less plastic.

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I pledge to continue to cycle to work at least 4 days per week. Only use electricity at home that comes from renewable sources. Eat less meat. Buy food from bulk sources that uses less plastic. Use water bottle not plastic.

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I pledge to only charge my electric car at night, walk more, stop using plastic bottles, recycle more packaging in the cathlab, shut down my PC and lights in the department daily and only ever chair paperless meetings. Roby Rakhit Cardiologist RFH & UCL

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I pledge to only charge my electric car at night, walk more, stop using plastic bottles, recycle more packaging in the cathlab, shut down my PC and lights in the department daily and only ever chair paperless meetings. Roby Rakhit Cardiologist RFH & UCL

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I pledge to always turn my computer off at the end of the day and switch off room lights that are not in use.

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I pledge to always turn my computer off at the end of the day and switch off room lights that are not in use.

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Less meat! I pledge to eat at least two vegetarian meals a week. It will help lower my creatinine at least.  Thuvaraka Ware Renal SpR UCL

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Less meat! I pledge to eat at least two vegetarian meals a week. It will help lower my creatinine at least.  Thuvaraka Ware Renal SpR UCL

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Jenny Cross  I pledge to invest in photovoltaics & a battery at home, use my electric car to augment storage capacity, 4 meat free days, walk to work 2 x weekly, wash clothes at 30 not 40 degrees, always use the dishwasher on an eco cycle overnight.

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Jenny Cross  I pledge to invest in photovoltaics & a battery at home, use my electric car to augment storage capacity, 4 meat free days, walk to work 2 x weekly, wash clothes at 30 not 40 degrees, always use the dishwasher on an eco cycle overnight.

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I pledge to create less food waste by ordering takeaways twice a month or less (usually order many more) and to use the food I have before I buy more.

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water in plastic bottles has 500x the carbon footprint of tap water; I pledge to stop buying bottled water and only order tap water in restaurants. Mark UCL

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Paul Dilworth. UCLMS Sub Dean. I pledge to drive less, walk more, turn off the lights and support others to achieve their sustainable objectives 

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Paul Dilworth. UCLMS Sub Dean. I pledge to drive less, walk more, turn off the lights and support others to achieve their sustainable objectives 

# data[].attributes.body
I pledge to - time the dishwasher and washing machine to run on solar power or at night (and only when full), to wear extra layers at home and in the office instead of turning up the radiator, remember to turn the lights and PC off whenever I leave the office for more than 30min, to try a new vegetarian dish every week (already cut meat and fish intake). Persist with reducing single use kitchen roll and tissues! Dr Kin Yee Shiu, Consultant Nephrologist and Acute Physician, RFH and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Renal Medicine UCL.

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I pledge to learn how to configure our servers to go to a low-energy state ("sleep") when not in use.

# data[].attributes.body
I pledge to finally learn how to ride a bike. To buy fresh produce loose and locally whenever the option is available. To do more batch cooking and to use less paper towels. Winnie Langner, UCL.

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I heard the phrase ‘decarbonise and decolonise’ recently and it resonated with me!

# data[].attributes.subject
I heard the phrase ‘decarbonise and decolonise’ recently and it resonated with me!

# data[].attributes.body
Ali Al-Rashed: PhD student DoRM, UCL.
I pledge to turn down my thermostat by 1C and to cut down on eating meat and dairy products

# data[].attributes.body
I pledge to turn off heating & lights in areas of house not being used. I will try to cycle to work 1-2 days per week.
I will try to get sensor switches installed that turn off lights in toilet areas in Sheila Sherlock Education centre @ RFH!

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I pledge to lobby and challenge governments and businesses that benefit from or contribute to deforestation.
Mark

# data[].attributes.body
Sir David Sloman: NHS Regional Director for London,
“I pledge to drive less and use public transport more to reduce carbon emissions. I also pledge to walk more, in turn increasing my step count”

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I pledge to use my own bags when shopping and wash my clothes at lower temperatures

# data[].attributes.body
I pledge to try at least one new vegan recipe a week.

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I pledge to switch my accounts to a more ethical bank

# data[].attributes.subject
I pledge to switch my accounts to a more ethical bank

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Is there an ethical bank? Rating the ethical and environmental record of 32 UK current accounts, with recommended buys.

We also look at app-based banking, which banks own which brands, fossil fuel investments, tax avoidance, and how to switch accounts.

About Ethical Consumer

This is a product guide from Ethical Consumer, the UK's leading alternative consumer organisation. Since 1989 we've been researching and recording the social and environmental records of companies, and making the results available to you in a simple format.

Learn more about us →

What to look for when choosing an ethical bank account:

Is it an ethical investor? Make sure that your chosen bank is clear about how it will invest your money. Keep an eye out for bank's ethical investment policies.

Does it pay its fair share of tax? Tax avoidance is a big issue in this sector with many banks operating subsidiaries out of known tax havens such as Switzerland and Luxembourg. Look for a company that is paying its fair share of tax.

Subscribe to see which companies we recommend as Best Buys and why

What not to buy

What to avoid when choosing an ethical bank account:

Is it financing climate change? All of the big banks have extensive investments in fossil fuels, including the most damaging ones like tar sands and ultra-deep sea drilling. Also be aware of investments in the fracking industry.

Is it funding the Israeli military? War on Want released a report detailing the relationship between UK financial institutions and companies that sell arms and military equipment to Israel which have been used in the oppression of Palestinians.

Subscribe to see which companies to avoid and why

Score table

Updated live from our research database

← Swipe left / right to view table contents →

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Banks have long been known for their unethical practices. They sit behind some of the most controversial industries in the world - from nuclear weapons to the exploration for new fossil fuels.

Many of the mainstream banks are trying hard to reform their image and some have made steps in the right direction, but in recent decades there has been little true change in their practices. Fortunately, a handful of alternative banks can properly claim to be ethical.

What is ethical banking?

In our Ethical Markets Report we estimated the size of the UK 'ethical money' sector as £41.1B as of 2018. With high street banking still dominated by the big five, switching to an ethical bank is the next step many could make towards more ethical spending.

The biggest ethical impact that banks make on the world comes from the companies and projects to which they provide capital, loans, and insurance.

In recent years, many mainstream banks have developed some kind of ethical guidance for their lending and investments, excluding the very worst sectors such as financing of new coal-fired power stations.

This is a step in the right direction, but we don't think a bank can be considered ethical overall without more comprehensive policies. To be considered ethical in 2020, at the very minimum, banks should not be providing new funding for fossil fuel projects and companies.

While big banks ( most of those scoring below 10 on our scoretable) finance multinational companies and projects, many of the smaller banks won't provide this kind of corporate investment and lending. They instead focus on loans and mortgages for individuals or small companies, while building societies focus on financing homes and other buildings.

They therefore won't be funding dirty global conglomerate, arguably making them more ethical by default.

There are still steps that these banks and building societies can take to improve their impacts.

The most ethical banks not only prohibit the financing of dirty industries, they help fund the transition to a fairer, more sustainable economy. For example Triodos finances everything from green-energy projects to sustainable community-led housing.

Banking groups and banking brands

There are several banking groups in this guide, owning multiple brands:

The Co-operative Bank - The Co-operative Bank, Smile

Lloyds Banking Group - Lloyds, Bank of Scotland, Halifax

HSBC Holdings - HSBC, First Direct, part owns M&S Money

NatWest Group (part owned by the UK Government) - NatWest, Coutts, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank

Virgin Money - Virgin Money, Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank

Santander - Santander, Cater Allen

Many of these also feature in our guide to ethical savings accounts.

Ethical Banking Issues

Tax avoidance

Many of the banks in the table score poorly for likely use of tax avoidance strategies.

A best rating was achieved by only Triodos, Cumberland, Monzo, Nationwide, Starling, Metro Bank, Handelsbanken, The Co-operative Bank, ICICI, Virgin Money, M&S

Revolut got a middle rating, and the worst rating was given to Al Rayan, Lloyds Banking Group, Banco Santander, Citigroup, NatWest Group, HSBC, Barclays, and Tesco.

Financing and investments

Where dodgy investments - for example in companies like Nestlé or Amazon - were found, we marked banks down. Often, though, companies do not publish information of this kind. It's even harder to find information on the projects and companies for which banks provide other financial services like loans and insurance.

We therefore also rely on the huge number of reports from civil society organisations like BankTrack and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament that monitor banks' financing for and investments in problematic industries.

Climate Change

Our new Climate Change rating means that we now not only look for dodgy practices (such as investments in fossil fuels), but also at how a company reports on its own carbon impacts and its commitment to reduce these.

Most banks scored a worst rating in this category, including any investment bank which had not prohibited investments in fossil fuels. Triodos was the only company in this guide to score a best rating in this category. Cumberland and the Co-operative Bank scored a middle. All the rest scored a worst.

Human rights abuses

By funding environmental breakdown, UK banks also show a disregard for human rights.Climate change is already having a devastating effect, disproportionately affecting those in the Global South.

Environmentally damaging projects and companies also often directly harm local communities. Unsustainable palm oil plantations, deforestation, and mining and extraction frequently displace communities and violate Indigenous rights.

In our feature on banks and their environment impact, we look at some of the specific fossil fuel projects funded by UK banks and their devastating impact on local populations.

For years, banks have also been criticised for their role in the arms industry. They have provided financing for companies involved in everything from nuclear weapons to the supply of arms to countries involved in the war in Yemen. We write more about this in our feature on banks' investments in nuclear weapons.

They have also been criticised for backing companies that supply military equipment to the Israeli government.

Environmental breakdown

By investing in fossil fuel companies and funding new fossil fuel projects, banks lock us into a high climate impact future for many years to come. Some banks claim to be making improvements.

Yet, since the 2015 Paris agreement, 35 of the world's major private banks have provided a total of $2.7 trillion in lending and underwriting to the fossil fuel industry - with fossil fuel financing increasing each year.

Banco de Sabadell (owner of TSB), Barclays, Citigroup (Citibank), Danske Bank, Deutsche Bank (part owner of ICICI), Handelsbanken, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, Santander and Virgin Money all continue to provide finance for or invest in fossil fuel companies. The Co-operative Bank was the only high-street bank that had expressly prohibited support for fossil fuels.

We look at banks' financing of fossil fuels in more detail in our feature on banks and the environmental crisis.

The environmental impacts from these banks don't end there. From funding factory farming and palm oil plantations to the mining and extractive industries, the banks remain behind some of the most environmentally destructive practices in the world.

Amazon Watch has said

Today, the Amazon's irreplaceable ecosystems are under immense threat, driven primarily by a handful of industrial interests, industry-beholden governments, and organized crime ... big banks and large investment companies play a critical role.

In our feature, 'Banks and the Environmental Crisis', we run through some of the key reports on banks' roles in environmental destruction which are reflected in our score table

Positive marks for ethical banks

We award positive marks in the scoretable to banks taking an ethical lead for their transparency and for the clarity of their ethical lending policies.

The Co-operative bank received half a Product Sustainability mark for its lending policy.

Triodos received a Company Ethos mark for being certified as a B-Corporation and providing a social and environmental alternative, and a full Product Sustainability mark for having an ethical lending policy and being transparent about its investments and engagement.

App-based banks

25 million customers - equivalent to half the country's population - now use mobile banking. While many mainstream banks offer their own apps, the shift has also seen a rise in mobile-only app-based banks.

These banks offer traditional services such as current and saving accounts, mortgages and credit cards. The only difference is that they exist solely as an app on your smartphone or tablet.

Three app-based banks are included in this guide: Monzo, Revolut and Starling.

What they offer

Once you have downloaded their banking app, you can access a range of financial services. Monzo, Revolut and Starling all offer personal and business current accounts.

Monzo also now offers savings accounts and cash ISAs, which can be managed through the app but are held at other financial institutions, such as Investec.

Revolut offers 'savings vaults' also held at other banks and the option to trade stocks, commodities and cryptocurrencies through its app. Starling and Monzo also offer loans. Secondly, the apps all offer analysis of your spending and help track money spent in real time.

The Monzo app, for example, tells you how much money you can spend each month; notifies you when bills increase or are due to be paid; and helps to reduce your bills by suggesting cheaper alternatives.While this used to be somewhat unique, more and more mainstream banks are offering similar options.

It is also easy to download a free budgeting app like Emma, Yolt, Money Dashboard or Tandem (none of which have yet been rated by Ethical Consumer).

Are they ethical?

Like building societies, these app-based banks do not currently make large corporate loans or investments, and therefore are not directly funding destructive industries like arms and fossil fuels.

However, unless they tell us clearly otherwise, they may do so in the future. When we asked them about this, only Starling appeared to have any kind of ethical policy for its lending services, and this was pretty vague.

It states: "We do not provide banking services to organisations that use excessive power to systemically promote public behaviour that is harmful to individuals, groups or to the whole of society in order to maximise their own profits. This may include, for example, arms manufacturers and tobacco companies ... We lend to UK-based individuals and small businesses and, as a policy, don't lend to companies involved in extracting fossil fuels."

In addition, many new app-based banks are backed by individual investors and venture capitalists who may hold investments across a wide range of industries that have ethical issues of their own.

For example, Monzo is almost 25% owned by Passion Capital - a company that was co-founded and is jointly owned by Stefan Glaenzer, who pled guilty of sexual assault in 2012. (Monzo's other major investor is owned by the brother of Jared Kushner, senior advisor and son-in-law to Donald Trump.)

The financial services these companies offer may also be linked with banks and investment funds doing dodgy deals. For example, Monzo provides savings accounts and cash ISAs through other banks (listed in our Savings Accounts and Cash ISAs guides). When Monzo was recently asked by a customer on Twitter whether it considered ethical issues when choosing its banking partnerships, it responded: "It's not something that we consider at the moment."

Although we haven't marked the companies down for these links, they are not quite as problem-free as they first appear to be.

Is your money safe?

With regards to the protection of money, Monzo and Starling have the full £85,000 Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection. This means should anything happen to your bank you are protected up to £85,000.

However, doubt has been raised about the security of funds held through Revolut which is not covered by the FSCS.

With regards to the security of your data, they all offer similar security settings to those you get with traditional banking apps such as using passwords or passcodes.

Starling and Monzo offer security measures such as Touch ID/Fingerprint scan. If you particularly want to switch to an app-only bank, Starling appears marginally more engaged than the others on ethical issues.

How to switch to more ethical banking

Government regulation designed to reduce monopoly in the UK banking sector has forced banks to make switching accounts quick and easy, taking just seven working days.

When you open a new bank account, it will usually ask you during the application whether you want to switch. If you do, by providing the details of your old account, the switching service will move your money, direct debits and standing orders across, and close your previous account. It will also transfer any payments meant to go into your old accounts, for example your salary.

For at least three years, any money paid into the old account or wrongly down to come out of that account will be moved across into the new one. We asked about our readers' experience.

Sarah, who recently switched from HSBC to a more ethical option, said that she was motivated to switch accounts by:
"The knowledge that my investments and any interest gained by the bank was ultimately being used (at least in part) to fund things/activities that I find abhorrent: Amazon rainforest destruction and other global warming/ecologically damaging companies. I did not previously know this. It couldn't have been easier. The switch guarantee service was as easy as switching electric or Wi-Fi supplier. Remortgaging is always hard but it wasn't any harder moving banks. My only concern was why didn't I do this sooner."
If you are switching accounts for ethical reasons and want to write to your previous bank to let them know why, we have published a template letter for you to use.

Campaigning for change

In 2020 has seen a groundswell of activism, much of it targeting high street banks - see our feature ' Banks, climate change and the environmental crisis'.

HSBC has faced protests at its AGMs from campaign group Market Forces for its ongoing investments in the coal industry. "The bank continues to serve as the financial lifeblood of the most climate-wrecking industry on the planet," the organisation says. Customers and shareholders have written to the bank telling it to align its investments with the Paris Agreement.

Barclays and HSBC face ongoing campaigns. Following a long-running People and Planet campaign, the National Union of Students (NUS), Young Labour and students unions at universities including Sheffield, Bristol and Surrey have all voted to boycott Barclays.

In May, Extinction Rebellion (XR) sprayed fake oil onto the Barclays headquarters in Canary Wharf, as well as branches in other cities." It is unconscionable that Barclays Bank is using Britons' bank accounts to invest in the very fossil fuels destroying us. Barclays must end all new fossil fuel investments immediately and instead fund the renewable green COVID-19 recovery that will give the millions of Britons losing their jobs due to the pandemic, hope for a positive future," XR spokesperson Donnachadh McCarthy said.
You can make an individual pledge to boycott Barclays here.

Company profile

The Co-operative Bank has long been hailed as the mainstream ethical option for current accounts.In 2013, the bank was forced to look for private capital to stay afloat.

Since then, it has been owned by a number of hedge funds and equity investment firms. The buy-out has raised concerns about how ethical it can really be and has impacted its score in our table. Working with Ethical Consumer, its customers organised to keep the bank on track, forming The Customer Union for Ethical Banking, also known as Save Our Bank.

Despite concerns, the bank continues to have a leading ethical policy amongst the high-street banks. For example, it prohibits the financing of companies involved in the extraction or production of fossil fuels, and of companies involved in the manufacture or transfer of indiscriminate weapons.

There is more information about Save Our Bank and how to join the Customer Union on our website.
Want to know more?
If you want to find out detailed information about a company and more about its ethical rating, then click on a brand name in the Score table.

This information is reserved for subscribers only. Don't miss out, become a subscriber today.

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Ethical Bank Accounts | Ethical Consumer

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Is there an ethical bank? Rating the ethical and environmental record of 32 UK current accounts, with recommended buys. We also look at app-based banking, which banks own which brands, fossil fuel investments, tax avoidance, and how to switch accounts.

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I pledge to walk journeys where I can, instead of motorised transport.

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I won't turn on heating this winter.

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I will go vegetarian 5 days a week and cut down on dairy products.

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I will pledge to eat less meat and fish. To wash my clothes on a low heat and hang dry them. To walk short journeys instead of using a car.

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I will join the ER and block motorways to raise awareness

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I am going to be make more effort to switch off lights and appliances when not in use.

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I will put on a jumper before turning up my thermostat 

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I will put on a jumper before turning up my thermostat 

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I pledge to have 2 meat-free days each week

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I pledge to have 2 meat-free days each week

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I will visit a charity shop or swap shop when looking for clothes before buying new

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I will visit a charity shop or swap shop when looking for clothes before buying new