My choices as an ethical consumer

Electricity

I left Southern Electric for Juice from npower who offer a wind power-scheme, which costs no more than my old supplier's standard electricity. For every unit which I take out of the grid, they ensure that one is contributed from their wind-power scheme.
» switchtojuice.com

Household cleaning products

Washing-up liquid, dishwasher tablets, multi-purpose surface cleaner - as much as possible now comes from Ecover because of their environmentally conscious production & product design.
» ecover.com
» littlegreenmachine.co.uk

Tea and Coffee

I will not buy tea or coffee that is not Fairly Traded. I think it essential that producers are paid a fair price for their goods. I am also very much into tea, and demand a high quality. CaféDirect and Percol produce some amazing coffees. I am also convinced that Whittard are a very good (and ethical) source of tea. I no longer buy from Taylors of Harrogate, Lavazza, Yorkshire Tea and Twinings because I do not know what their fair trade policy is.

Chocolate

I choose to buy fairly traded chocolate for two reasons: the producers are paid a fair price for their goods, and the quality is often much higher than the major label products. Green & Blacks were pioneers in fair trade and in my opinion make the perfect chocolate (a darker shade of milk). I also buy Divine Chocolate and Co-Op own brand. You won't find Cadburys or Nestlé in my house!

Beer

I'm a huge fan of proper beer, by which I mean Real Ale. The campaign for real ale have much to say on the subject. Locally produced beer is an excellent choice - and I am always keen to support my local breweries! I buy a lot of Belgian beer, and while some comes from the huge international companies like InBev (Leffe, Hoegaarden etc..) the best can be had from the small producers. I am a huge fan of the trappist ales from the Abbey of St Sixtus at Westvleteren (the least commercial of the trappist brewers).

Groceries (Rice, Pasta, Sugar, cereals, etc.)

I always look for Locally Produced (or UK grown) produce, but I also I keep an eye out for FairTrade branded food while in the supermarket. A comprehensive selection of fair trade goods is available from fairtradeonline.com. Take a look at their range offairly taded rice, pasta, sugar, etc.

Fruit and Vegetables

Many supermarkets including Waitrose, Safeway and Sainsbury's are offering Fairly Traded Bananas, Mangoes, and even apples as part of their normal selection of groceries. Buying here shows your support for paying the producers a fair price too!

We have a regular delivery of (relatively) locally produced vegetables from Riverford, a 'vegbox' company that we met at the Southampton Festival this year. We asked them plenty of questions covering ethical and environmental issues (reuse, recycling, organics, wildlife, fair prices, pollutants etc) and were very impressed with their responses. So far we have been very impressed with the food (everything tastes so good!) and the service.
» www.riverford.co.uk/en/

We also visit the local farmers' market, where we found a large selection of local produce (some organic). It is good to buy locally, particularly at a market like this which provide smaller local producers an outlet direct to the public which enables them to become less reliant on wholesalers and supermarkets.
» hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk
» farmersmarkets.net (find one near you).

Meat

We took the time to find a good butcher who source locally. It makes no sense to have your food shipped around the world and back, and the supermarket prices and quality leave a lot to be desired! We now buy from a company called R. Owton because it is very high quality, and cheaper than the supermarkets!

Batteries

Batteries are quite environmentally unfriendly and while some manufacturers offer recycling schemes they are still a throwaway solution. Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) contain Cadmium (not easy to dispose of) and don't last long enough anyway. The Good Shopping Guide recommends using Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) batteries which are commonly available for Digital Cameras, mp3 players etc.. They are all-round better batteries, lasting far longer than other cell types (especially if you get the >1700 mA/h ones) and recharge quickly (you will need a NiMh fast charger though).