On our maps page, we've pinpointed some of the shops, cafés, music venues and shops near us that we thought our customers might like.
And below you'll find links to some other great websites that may also be of interest.
CERTIFICATION, LABELLING & UNIONS
B Corps- Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy and works to measure a company’s entire social and environmental impact.
World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) - A global network of producers, marketers, exporters, importers, wholesalers and retailers that demonstrate 100% commitment to Fair Trade. The WFTO supports member Fair Trade organisations with learning and provides credibility and identity by way of an international guarantee and labeling system. The WFTO label doesn’t guarantee a certified product, but signifies that a company is making efforts to improve working conditions in its supply chain. In 2013 People Tree became the world’s first clothing company to carry the WFTO company mark.
Vegan Society - Established in 1944 and coined the term vegan, they still work to promote veganism as a concept and help consumers by certifying products with their Vegan Trademark.
Soil Association - The main charity which houses the Soil Association Certification body - the UK's largest organic certification body, responsible for certifying over 70% of all organic products sold in the country with the Soil Association organic logo.
Social Accountability International (SA8000 Label) - SAI's stated mission is to advance the human rights of workers around the world. The SA8000 standard was one of the world’s first auditable social certification standards for decent workplaces.
Oeko-Tex Standard 100 - The OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is an independent certification system testing for harmful substances, legally regulated substances and known harmful (but not legally regulated) chemicals in textiles, raw materials and end products, including all types of clothing.
Labour Behind the Label - Labour Behind the Label is a campaign that works to improve conditions and empower workers in the global garment industry, and coordinates the UK platform of the Clean Clothes Campaign.
Industrial Union - Represents 50 million workers in 140 countries, and brings together affiliates of former global union federations, including the important International Textiles Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF).
ILO - International Labour Organisation (United Nations) - A specialised part of the United Nations which has defined the international MINIMUM labour standards upon which are almost universally used as the basis for any non-sweatshop certification and monitoring. Aimed at promoting opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and dignity, the unique tripartite structure of the ILO gives an equal voice to workers, employers and governments to ensure that the views of the social partners are closely reflected in labour standards and in shaping policies and programmes.
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) - Recognised as the world's leading processing standard for textiles made from organic fibres. It defines high-level environmental criteria along the entire organic textiles supply chain and requires compliance with social criteria too, for example, that no forced or child labour is used and workers are paid a living wage during the textile processing and manufacturing stages. .
Global Exchange - An international human rights organisation dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice around the World.
Garment and Textile Workers Union (India) - A small (5000 member) grassroots union that organises and fights for the rights of garment workers in Karnataka, India, the majority of whom are migrant women and the sole bread-winners of their households.
Forest Stewardship Council - An international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. The FSC's “tick tree” logo on product labels allows consumers to identify, purchase and use timber and forest-based products from well-managed sources that are not contributing to the destruction of the world’s forests.
Fair Wear Foundation - An independent, non-profit organisation that works with companies and factories to improve labour conditions for garment workers, verifying the efforts made and results achieved by affiliate companies towards the implementation of their Code of Labour Practices. The FWF label doesn’t certify products, but signifies that a company is making efforts to improve working conditions and has at least 90% of its factories under monitoring.
Fairtrade Foundation - They work to empower disadvantaged producers in developing countries by tackling injustice in conventional trade, in particular by promoting and licensing the Fairtrade Mark. Although they state that it is a guarantee that products retailed in the UK have been produced in accordance with internationally agreed Fairtrade standards, it doesn’t mean that a garment has been manufactured under Fairtrade guidelines, but rather the raw material (i.e. cotton) has been farmed and processed under those guidelines.
Fair Labor Association - A collaborative effort of socially responsible companies, universities, and civil society organizations, FLA creates lasting solutions to abusive labour practices by offering tools and resources to companies, delivering training to factory workers and management conducting due diligence through independent assessments, and advocating for greater accountability and transparency from companies, manufacturers, factories and others involved in global supply chains. The FLA does not offer certification, and does not accredit brands or factories. Rather, FLA specifically accredits a company’s compliance program.
Ethical Trade Initiative - A leading alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs that promotes respect for workers' rights around the globe.
Eco Label - A recognised eco standard that reviews the entire process chain for growing and harvesting through the manufacturing and treatment processes are needed. The European Union 'Eco Label' helps customers identify products that have a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle, from the extraction of raw material through to production, use and disposal, and usefully this can include regenerated fibres (such as Tencel) that would not qualify for organic certification.
Clean Clothes Campaign - An alliance of organisations in 16 European countries. Members include trade unions and NGOs covering a broad spectrum of perspectives and interests, such as women’s rights, consumer advocacy and poverty reduction dedicated to improving working conditions and supporting the empowerment of workers in the global garment and sportswear industries.
PLACES TO GO
Sam Smiths (London) - Nearly all of the beer from this Yorkshire brewery is made with no animal ingredients. They have pubs all over the country, but this is a link to a map of all of their pubs in London!
Rough Trade East (Shoreditch) - Great independent record shop just off Brick Lane who really know their stuff. While you're there you can grab a coffee, browse their books and DVDs, or sometimes even watch a live band.
Prince Charles Cinema (Leicester Square) - A great independent cinema, and the best value in West/Central London. Films from £1 for members!
Our Black Heart (Camden) - Tucked away just off Camden High Street you'll find this cool little alternative pub.
Jazz Café (Camden) - Not just jazz!. Omnivorous food, with vegetarian and vegan options marked. Musically you'll also find blues, hip hop and alt-country in the mix here.
Housemans (Kings Cross) - Even if they do say so themselves, they're London's premier not-for-profit radical bookshop, specialising in books, 'zines, and periodicals of radical interest and progressive politics.
Cookies and Scream (Holloway) - Wonderful animal-free and gluten-free bakery. Scrumptious cookies, cakes and shakes served by a lovely crew too.
Black Cat Café (Hackney) - A really great 100% animal-free workers' co-operative in 'ackney. A firm favourite with us. A great place to meet and eat. Hot food, cold food, snack, drinks, books, wifi. The food is amazing, but they put something in the sausage rolls that make them irresistible!
All Ages Records (Camden) - London's only punk rock/DIY record shop. It also happens to be great! Pick up new unknown gems, old classics, a 'zine, flyers and tickets for a gig.
GENERAL RESOURCES
Wildlife Photographer of the Year - For over fifty years the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has provided a showcase for the world’s very best nature photography. Every year the competition captures the wonders of the natural World, but also often highlights the highs and lows of humanity's interaction with the planet.
Vegetarian Visitor (London) - Vegetarian-friendly accommodation, restaurants & eating out.
Vegan London - A great resource page for vegans living and visiting London. Covers eating, drinking, shopping and socialising in London...
Treehugger - News, commentary and advice about green-living and design.
Transport for London (Journey Planner) - If you're new to town, you might find this site helpful. It will give you directions and info on getting between locations, with real-time updates on transport issues.
TimeOut London - Find out what's new in London, as well as links to all the classic museums, galleries, theatres, clubs, pubs and restaurants.
Raptitude blog: #1 'Reasons', #2 'Diary', #3 'Discovery' - We've included these three blogs written before, during and after one omnivorous guy's experiment with being a dietary vegan for 30 days as we thought it might be useful for those people considering giving it a try.
Peta: 'The Skins Trade in India' - A short video highlighting the issues with the common practices involved in leather production in India, a major global producer of leather.
National Geographic: 'The Ganges - Inside An Indian Tannery' - Another short video, this time by the world-renowned National Geogrpahic, giving further insight into leather production. (Please note, we wanted to link to a video which provided an holistic view of the issues associated with leather production, particularly in developing countries, but we couldn't find any! As such, we've provided a couple of links to give more insight, and they happen to be focussed on India, but could have been a number of countries.)
London in Stereo - A great resource for gig listings, gallery information, interviews and music reviews.
London Gigs - You guessed it... A pretty comprehensive list of gigs in London.
Human Rights Watch - A nonprofit, nongovernmental human rights organisation of some 400 staff consisting of human rights professionals including country experts, lawyers, journalists, and academics of diverse backgrounds and nationalities. Known for its accurate fact-finding, impartial reporting, effective use of media, and targeted advocacy.
Human Rights Watch: 'World Report 2015' - The latest World Report from HRW.
Human Rights Watch: 'Bangladesh Leather Tanneries' - Short documentary from HRW highlighting issues with a major global supplier of European leather.
Happy Cow - Set up in 1999 to assist travellers and people everywhere find vegan, vegetarian, and healthy food, it now has blog posts and reviews too. They also have an app for your phone to locate places of interest nearby.
Friends of the Earth - The world's largest grassroots environmental network with 76 national member groups.
Fat Gay Vegan - Aside from writing about all things Vegan, FGV organises a superb range of events across London.
Ethical Consumer Magazine - That's right Sherlock, you solved it again! As they say themselves, they provide tips on ethical buying, consumer reports on a wide range of goods and information on UK and worldwide boycotts.
DIY Space for London - It's a co-operatively run venue in south London set-up to host gigs, meetings, events and is somewhere you can get involved and contribute to how it runs (that's not compulsory though).
Corporate Watch - Since 1996 they've been investigating and reporting on everything from the arms trade to UK housing problems, Greek national debt to individual human rights abuses.
Barnivore - On the off-chance that you like a tipple, this useful site tells you which drinks are free from animal ingredients.
56a Infoshop - Radical social centre and bookshop in South London that shares with a whole-foods co-op and a free D.I.Y. bicycle repair space.
PLEASE NOTE: As we don't actively monitor or manage the content of these sites, we don't necessarily endorse all of the views expressed in them.