Ethos magazine

28/11/2025

Today is Colour Friday! Created by the wonderful Holly & Co, encourages us all to shop with small businesses to support them instead of falling for Black Friday hype.

You can find out more about Colour Friday and how the movement helps small, local, independent businesses here: https://holly.co/campaigns/colour-friday

It’s a campaign we like to get behind - and, to do our bit, we’ve created a Christmas guide featuring innovative small businesses, the incredible products they provide and more.

If you want to shop slowly, whether it’s treating yourself or browsing for the perfect gift for somebody else, there’s something for everybody - from festive candles, adaptive clothing and ethically-sourced treats.

So, for a more sustainable Christmas, how about:

- Colourful and fun cards created by talented artists with learning and physical disabilities from Arthouse Unlimited

- Regenerated denim jeans made from 100% recycled cotton by MTTR

- Biodegradable jumpers, hoodies and more that use wool from farms with carbon-negative practices from sheepincluded

- An Ethos subscription for those who love long reads and discovering more about ethical, innovative businesses doing it better.

All of this and so much can be found in our sustainable Christmas gift guide. Read it here now: https://ethos-magazine.com/ethos-2025-christmas-gift-guide/

✍️ - Faaiza Akbor

🎨 - Rebecca Strickson, Holly Tucker, Holly Carter

26/11/2025

Now that our landmark 23rd issue is wandering in the wilds (with a decade of other mags at its side) we wanted to ask you something.

What’s been your favourite Ethos story from the past ten years? 🤔💖

Share it with us below – we’d love to know! 👇

(And, if you need inspiration, you can get our latest issue and discover ten years' worth of stories in our shop! https://ethos-magazine.com/shop/)

24/11/2025

“As launch editor of the print magazine, I revelled in telling stories of ethical businesses around the globe.

“I still hold a lot of those stories close to my heart. Like the story of Chatterbox, a translation business, created in response to the 2015 migrant crisis.

“I’m looking forward to reading Ethos’s take on the disruptive business innovators yet to come, over the next ten years, as it has so deftly told the stories of them over the past ten.”

– Lucy Chesters, editor - launch issue

You can read more of the thoughts of our founders from our special tenth anniversary issue here: https://ethos-magazine.com/ten-years-later-there-are-no-quick-fixes/

And get your copy of Ethos 23 here: https://ethos-magazine.com/product/ethos-23/

21/11/2025

Storm Claudia floods the UK. And, 7,513km away at in Belém, indigenous leaders call out a world still burning fossil fuels.

As Samoan Brianna Fruean told the BBC: “We know all too well what it's like to live on the frontline of climate change.”

Holly Carter spoke to Publicis Kitchen for Ethos 20, about its bold UN logo rebrand – a reminder that climate action needs more than a new look.

Design can spotlight the crisis. But only action will stop the water from rising 🌍🔥🌧️

Read all about it here! https://ethos-magazine.com/design-for-a-better-world-flood-warning/

And get a copy of Ethos 20, other back issues, and our tenth anniversary landmark issue Ethos 23 here: https://ethos-magazine.com/shop/

19/11/2025

Ten years. 23 issues. Countless stories worth sharing. A decade of better, not more.

Inside our landmark issue of Ethos 23 you’ll find future-focused stories, honest insights and practical wisdom from people who are doing, who are innovating and inspiring 🤩

- Our exclusive chat with cover star Chilly's explores how they’ve transformed the humble water bottle for 15 years, blending sleek design with rigorous responsibility.

- Designed and prototyped in east London, Ventete’s inflatable cycle helmets far exceed UK and EU safety standards and have the style to match their substance.

- Best-selling author and happiness research expert Meik Wiking reveals the stats, facts and concepts we all need to know about in his latest book, The Art of Danish Living.

- We reflect on ten years of Ethos and what we’ve learned - with contributions from our founders.

- We spend 48 hours in Kampala discovering what life is like in Uganda’s capital.

- Design for a better world highlights Shado and the importance of protecting the protest.

- Jonathan Berry discusses the impact of The Kindness Forecast’s social experiment in amplifying acts of kindness to people and planet.

- We meet Michael Gah, a Ghanaian artist using recycled fabric as a catalyst for change.

- We raise a glass to consciously-curated wines with the sustainable specialists at Wonder.

- And so much more!

Ethos 23 is more than just our 23rd issue, it's a decade of experiences (not only ours, but everybody who’s been a part of our journey), delivered to you.

Order your copy of our tenth anniversary issue today here: https://ethos-magazine.com/shop/

And thank you for being with us the entire way 🙏

17/11/2025

With COP30 in full swing, we’ve been thinking about some of the amazing people and stories we’ve previously featured in Ethos about those doing things that make a big difference for our planet and the wider green transition.

Jessie Stevens contributed to Ethos 15, for instance, with her story about her 570-mile bike ride from her home in South Devon to Glasgow, for COP26.

The journey took 12 days to make, with Jessie arriving in Glasgow on a Sunday - as COP26 started – with the last leg taking in a group of fellow cyclists who all arrived in Glasgow together.

“I believe it is so important for people of all ages and backgrounds are represented at these talks,” she told us in 2021.

“With this in mind, I began researching the best way I could travel to the summit from my home in Devon. This was the moment I got ‘stumped’. It became clear to me that we still live in a society where the most polluting modes of transport (aeroplanes, cars etc.) are the cheapest.”

So, she set off on her bike, documenting her incredible journey. It’s live on our site, and you can read it here: https://ethos-magazine.com/pedal-power/

You can also get a copy of Ethos 15 here, and subscribe to read more fantastic stories of people around the world : https://ethos-magazine.com/shop

📸 - Images by Catherine Dunn & Jack Reed.

15/11/2025

“It wasn’t all plain sailing in running the mag – nothing is.

“Printer’s delays, ad revenue, online shop tech issues, myriad other issues – they all combined to cause headaches and tension.

“But most things worth doing are hard. The more worth doing it is, the harder it is.

“We’ve all changed over the last decade; I moved to new challenges, but Ethos remains a piece of work that I’m overwhelmingly proud to have been a part of. I hope you think my pride is well placed.”

- Patrick Hurley, co-founder.

You can read more of the thoughts of Patrick and our founders from our special tenth anniversary issue here: https://ethos-magazine.com/ten-years-later-there-are-no-quick-fixes/

And get your copy of Ethos 23 here: https://ethos-magazine.com/product/ethos-23/

13/11/2025

As COP30 kicks off in Brazil, there’s a real opportunity to chart a clear path to cleaner air, warmer homes and cheaper, more secure energy.

The good news is that we’re already well on the way. Renewables have overtaken coal as the world’s biggest source of electricity and, in the UK, over half our power now comes from clean energy.

The sector is growing three times faster than the wider economy and supports nearly a million jobs – from home retrofitters and wind technicians to innovators and community projects. This is a great opportunity.

And – while it’s often the loudest voices we hear the most – public opinion is TOTALLY on side with this transition:

- 74% of people care about climate change – only 4% of people don’t care because they think climate change isn’t real. Much as we hear in the news, CLIMATE DENIAL ISN’T ON THE RISE.

- And 64% are proud of renewable energy including wind and solar. Only 11% of people don’t like seeing solar panels on roofs.

There’s strong support for climate leadership that delivers real, lasting change.

At Ethos, we’re proud to share stories that show what this looks like in practice – people and businesses leading the way towards a cleaner, fairer and more connected future.

That’s because, when we tackle climate change, we can look forward to cheaper bills, cleaner air, flourishing nature and good jobs.

This makes our neighbourhoods better places to live and it creates opportunities for future generations.

This COP is a chance to build on that momentum and make sure everyone shares in the benefits of the green transition.



📸 - By Lula Oficial - 07.11.2025 – Fotografia oficial da Cúpula do Clima (COP30), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=178001010

11/11/2025

Do you know if your business is up to standard? 🤔

Certifications can be complicated: expensive. Exclusionary, even. But what if they could be practical, affordable and designed for the businesses that make up almost all of the UK economy?

Hannah Cox is a sustainability strategist, and is the creator of The Better Business Standard – a framework that helps businesses demonstrate their impact, strengthen community value and compete effectively in procurement chains designed for UK businesses.

We’ve worked alongside Hannah for a number of years and watched her grow the network – and its annual Better Business Summit – so we know she sits at the heart of so many insights from businesses that are trying to do things better.

Hannah tells Fiona Shaw more about the Better Business Standard and how it complements global frameworks like B Corp, creating a credible, practical way for small businesses to prove that good business really does add up.

Read the full story in Ethos 23, or on our website here: https://ethos-magazine.com/setting-the-standard/

The Better Business Standard has arrived, designed to create better way for businesses to share the good they’re doing and improve positive impacts.

08/11/2025

“If the past ten years have taught us anything, it’s that the fight for a fairer, greener, more humane way of doing businesses is never linear.

“Progress stumbles, but it doesn’t stop.

“Each story told, each new commitment made, each leader who dares to do things differently – they matter. They accumulate. And they keep us going.”

- Fiona Shaw, Ethos publisher

You can read more of the thoughts of Fiona and our founders from our special tenth anniversary issue here: https://ethos-magazine.com/ten-years-later-there-are-no-quick-fixes/

And get your copy of Ethos 23 here: https://ethos-magazine.com/product/ethos-23/