Ethical Butter and Margarine Brands
Which Butter and Margarine brands are the most ethical and sustainable? For the answer, see our Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ratings Table to compare brands’ ethical scores.
What are the ethical issues associated with butter and margarine brands?
With the cruelty that has come to be associated with the dairy industry, many consumers are turning to vegan butter, spread and margarine brands as cruelty-free alternatives. These alternatives such as vegan butter, however, are not without their own set of ethical issues. Oftentimes spreads and margarine brands will use soy as a dairy-free alternative. However, soy is sometimes genetically modified, treated with pesticides or being grown in areas of cleared rainforest, causing devastating environmental effects.
The key issues for butter and dairy-derived components are Animal Welfare. Male calves are raised for meat, while females are retained for milk production, and both are removed from their mothers within 24 hours of birth in the cow farming process. Dairy cattle can then expect a life of limited grazing space, intensive milking, and eventually being murdered four or five years later when their milk supply begins to dwindle.
What is the difference between margarine and butter?
Butter, margarine and spreads are categorised by the percentage of fat and oils that they contain. Butter must contain between 80-83% fat. Margarine follows similar fat guidelines, and anything below these amounts being considered a spread. Across all of these options, however, a myriad of ethical issues exist.
Is margarine vegan?
Though margarine is sometimes made from vegetable fats, vegans should be aware that margarine is not necessarily animal-product-free. Some margarine contains dairy, or even animal fat. Check for The Vegan Society logo on all margarines.
Our research into butter and margarine brands
Our research team’s independent analysis found that many butter and margarine brands are involved in many unethical practices. Of the all butter and margarine brands investigated, only 28% were found to pass The Good Shopping Guide’s ethical benchmark. Conversely, this means that 62% were found to be engaging in unethical behaviours, full details of which can be viewed in our Ethical Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ratings Table.
Some particularly prominent examples of butter and margarine brands involved in unethical activities include Bertolli, Flora, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Stork and Violife – all of whom are owned by the same private equity company, KKR & Co. Inc. As a result, all of these butter, spread and margarine brands score poorly across areas of our assessment, including having a number of public record criticisms including reportedly partaking in investments that involve rainforest eradication, harming indigenous communities and fossil fuels. KKR & Co. Inc. are heavily involved in fossil fuels, having even been recognised as the new majority funder of the Coastal Gas Link pipeline. This is an issue worthy of exploration in itself, but can best be summarised as a devastating example of fossil fuel acquisition and transportation being built, regardless of the cost to both the environment and indigenous communities.
How to choose vegan butter and margarine brands
As many vegan butter products appear on our supermarket shelves, there is still hope for more ethical purchasing options. We recommend ensuring that your purchase is ethical by choosing from a brand that passes the benchmark in our Ethical Butter and Margarine rating table. Particular issues to be on the lookout for in this sector include organic and animal welfare criteria. Vegan butter circumvents many animal welfare issues altogether. Despite this vegan butters are still subject to Environmental and People-related issues, so we advise considering a brand’s total ethical score.
See our Ethical Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ratings Table to compare brands
The Good Shopping Guide has researched butter, margarine and spread brands. Click on any of the brand names to read more about your favourite brands, and see exclusive research on the Environment, People and Animals.
Naturli’, Calon Wen, Yeo Valley, All Things Butter, Castle Dairies, Benecol, Insigny Sainte-Mère, Clover, Country Life, Utterly Butterly, Vitalite, Willow, Anchor, Arla, Lurpak, Pure, Kerrygold, St Helen’s Farm, President, Bertolli, Flora, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Stork, Trewithn, ProActive, Elmlea and Violife.
What ethical issues are linked to butter, margarine and spreads, especially for dairy products?
Dairy‑based butter raises ethical concerns primarily around animal welfare and industrial farming. Cows used for milk often have limited grazing space, undergo intensive milking, and male calves may be raised for meat while females are kept for milk production. Many consumers choose alternatives to reduce harm, though non‑dairy spreads have their own environmental issues.
Why might vegan butter or margarine not always be an ethical choice?
Although vegan spreads avoid animal welfare issues entirely, many use ingredients like soy that can be genetically modified, heavily sprayed with pesticides, or grown where rainforest has been cleared. This means vegan products can still have negative environmental impacts, so evaluating their full ethical footprint — not just animal welfare — is important.
What’s the difference between butter, margarine and spreads from an ethical standpoint?
Butter must contain a set percentage of milk fat and comes from dairy, meaning animal welfare is a concern. Margarine and other spreads may have similar fat content but can include plant‑based oils. However, spreads aren’t automatically ethical — some still contain dairy or animal fats, and their ingredients can have sustainability impacts.
How should consumers check whether a margarine is vegan and ethically better?
Not all margarine is vegan because some include dairy or animal fats. To ensure a spread is free from animal products — and potentially more ethical for animal welfare — look for recognised vegan certification like The Vegan Society logo, which confirms absence of animal‑derived ingredients.
What are examples of more ethical butter or spread options based on industry ratings?
Some brands with higher ethical performance include vegan and organic options like Naturli’ and Yeo Valley, which score well on environmental criteria and ethical ratings. Others such as Calon Wen and Isigny Sainte‑Mère also score strongly for organic and environmental standards. In contrast, many mainstream spreads perform poorly on ethical measures.
Why do some well‑known butter and spread brands score low on ethical and sustainability evaluations?
Many popular brands fall short because they lack organic certification, use genetically modified ingredients without clear policies, or are owned by companies involved in activities with negative environmental records. These brands also often have weak public reporting on ethical and sustainability practices, leading to lower ratings overall.
Is Naturli’ an ethical spread brand?
Naturli’ sits above the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table, performing well in areas such as environmental reporting, opposition to GMOs, and lack of poor public record criticisms, although its lack of Ethical Accreditation means it hasn’t yet been formally recognised with an independent ethical mark. If Naturli’ applied for ethical accreditation, this could further demonstrate its commitment to ethical and sustainable business practices.
Is Calon Wen an ethical spread brand?
Calon Wen sits above the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in areas such as organic certification, GMO‑free status, clear environmental reporting, animal welfare and strong scores for political donations and armaments, and it holds Ethical Innovator recognition for its ethical ethos, although it has not yet obtained formal Ethical Accreditation. If Calon Wen applied for ethical accreditation, this could further demonstrate its commitment to ethical and sustainable business practices.
Is Yeo Valley an ethical spread brand?
Yeo Valley sits above the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table, performing well in areas such as being fully organic and GMO‑free, strong animal welfare, and positive scores for political donations and armaments, and it has Ethical Innovator Status for its clear ethical ethos, although it has not yet gained formal Ethical Accreditation. If Yeo Valley applied for ethical accreditation, this could further demonstrate its commitment to ethical and sustainable business practices.
Is All Things Butter an ethical spread brand?
All Things Butter sits above the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table, performing well in areas such as environmental reporting, animal welfare, public record and people‑related criteria, and it is noted for its ethical innovator status, although it lacks formal Ethical Accreditation. If All Things Butter applied for ethical accreditation, this could further demonstrate its commitment to ethical and sustainable business practices.
Is Benecol an ethical spread brand?
Benecol sits above the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table, performing well in areas like environmental reporting, opposition to GMOs, fossil fuel policies and lack of public criticisms. However it falls short in organic and vegetarian/vegan verification. If Benecol applied for ethical accreditation, this could further demonstrate its commitment to ethical and sustainable business practices.
Is Isigny Sainte-Mère an ethical spread brand?
Isigny Sainte-Mère sits above the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in areas such as organic certification, fossil fuels policy, animal welfare and responsible political donations, although it falls short in vegetarian/vegan verification and has not pursued ethical accreditation. If Isigny Sainte-Mère applied for ethical accreditation, this could further demonstrate its commitment to ethical and sustainable business practices.
Is Castle Dairies an ethical spread brand?
Castle Dairies sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in areas such as fossil fuels policy, animal welfare and responsible political donations, yet falls short in environmental reporting, organic certification and vegetarian/vegan verification. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is St Helen’s Farm an ethical spread brand?
St Helen’s Farm sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in areas such as fossil fuels policy and lack of public criticisms, although it falls short in environmental reporting, organic and vegetarian/vegan verification. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Trewithn an ethical spread brand?
Trewithn sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in areas such as fossil fuels policy, animal welfare and people‑related criteria, yet falls short in environmental reporting, organic and vegetarian/vegan verification and lacks ethical accreditation. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Pure an ethical spread brand?
Pure sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in areas such as environmental reporting and has no public criticisms relating to nuclear, fossil fuels, political donations or armaments, although it falls short in organic certification, animal welfare and overall ethical performance. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Kerrygold an ethical spread brand?
Kerrygold sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in areas such as fossil fuels, armaments, political donations and has no major public criticisms, although it falls short in organic and vegetarian/vegan verification, lacks strong environmental reporting and has not sought ethical accreditation. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Lurpak an ethical spread brand?
Lurpak sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in environmental reporting and has no public criticisms relating to nuclear, fossil fuels, animal welfare or armaments, although it falls short in organic certification, vegetarian/vegan verification and has not pursued ethical accreditation. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Anchor an ethical spread brand?
Anchor sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table, indicating it currently does not meet the minimum ethical standards. It performs well in areas such as environmental reporting and has no public criticisms relating to animal welfare, fossil fuels or armaments, yet falls short in organic certification, GMO transparency and other key criteria. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Arla Butter an ethical spread brand?
Arla Butter sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table, indicating it does not currently meet the minimum ethical standards. It performs well in areas such as environmental reporting and has no public criticisms related to fossil fuels or armaments, although it falls short on organic certification, GMO transparency and animal‑welfare‑related criteria. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is President an ethical spread brand?
President sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table, meaning it currently fails to reach the minimum ethical standard. While it avoids public criticisms relating to fossil fuels, nuclear and armaments, it falls short on issues such as animal welfare, organic certification and transparency around political donations. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Vitalite an ethical spread brand?
Vitalite sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table, performing well in its Environmental Report, Vegan Society certification, and some animal welfare and corporate governance areas, but falling short in Organic certification, GMO policy, animal welfare and other ethical criteria. If Vitalite applied for ethical accreditation, this could further demonstrate its commitment to ethical and sustainable business practices.
Is Clover an ethical spread brand?
Clover sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in environmental reporting and areas with no public record criticisms, but falls short in Organic certification, GMO policies, vegetarian/vegan verification, and other ethical criteria. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Country Life an ethical spread brand?
Country Life sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in environmental reporting and shows no public record criticisms in some areas, but falls short in Organic certification, GMO policies, vegetarian/vegan verification and other ethical criteria. You can find other brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Utterly Butterly an ethical spread brand?
Utterly Butterly sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs relatively well in areas such as environmental reporting and certain people‑related criteria, but falls short in key areas including organic certification, GMO policy, animal welfare and vegetarian/vegan standards. You can find brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Willow an ethical spread brand?
Willow sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs adequately in environmental reporting and avoids some public controversies, but falls short in key areas including organic certification, GMO policy, animal welfare and vegetarian/vegan standards, with limited ethical transparency. You can find brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Stork an ethical spread brand?
Stork sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs acceptably in vegetarian/vegan verification and environmental reporting, but falls short in critical areas including organic certification, GMO policy, fossil fuel and animal welfare concerns, and several people‑related criteria. You can find brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Violife an ethical spread brand?
Violife sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in vegetarian/vegan verification, reflecting its certified plant‑based products, but falls short in key areas including organic certification, GMO policy, fossil fuel investment and animal welfare concerns linked to its parent company’s wider activities. You can find brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Flora an ethical spread brand?
Flora sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs acceptably in environmental reporting and vegetarian/vegan verification, but falls short in crucial areas such as organic certification, GMO transparency, fossil fuel investment and animal welfare due to links with its parent company’s practices. You can find brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is ProActive an ethical spread brand?
ProActive sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs relatively well in avoiding irresponsible marketing and has acceptable vegetarian/vegan verification, but falls short in key areas including organic certification, GMO policy, fossil fuel investment, animal welfare and broader people‑related concerns. You can find brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Bertolli an ethical spread brand?
Bertolli sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs well in environmental reporting and nuclear power criteria, but falls short in key areas including organic certification, GMO policy, fossil fuel investment, animal welfare and people‑related concerns linked to its parent company’s wider activities. You can find brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is Elmlea an ethical spread brand?
Elmlea sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs acceptably in avoiding irresponsible marketing, but falls short in key areas including organic certification, GMO policy, fossil fuel concerns, animal welfare and vegetarian/vegan verification, with limited ethical transparency overall. You can find brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
Is I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter an ethical spread brand?
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter sits below the benchmark on The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table. It performs reasonably in environmental reporting, but falls short in critical areas including organic certification, GMO transparency, fossil fuel involvement, animal welfare and several people‑related concerns linked to its parent company’s broader activities. You can find brands that do reach the ethical benchmark on the Butter, Margarine & Spreads Ethical Ratings Table.
How does The GOOD Shopping Guide's Ethical Accreditation complement other accreditations?
The GOOD Shopping Guide doesn’t replace existing certifications, it ensures your ethical credentials are clearly recognised so they are trusted by consumers. By appearing in our comparison tables, your brand reaches an audience that is actively seeking genuinely ethical options, while also being referenced by Google and AI search tools to enhance credibility and discoverability.
How is The GOOD Shopping Guide's Ethical Accreditation different from other accreditations?
Unlike many accreditations that focus mainly on compliance or internal audits, The GOOD Shopping Guide provides scored, research-led assessments across environment, people and animals. Our tables are consumer-facing and freely accessible, making it easy for shoppers and AI tools to compare brands based on verified performance, not just promises.
How does The GOOD Shopping Guide choose who is eligible for accreditation?
The GOOD Shopping Guide audits brands for their ethical impact across a variety of criteria in the human, animal and environment categories. We research the records of brands and their parent companies, and rate them across those criteria. If they are found to be above our benchmark, they are eligible to apply for Ethical Accreditation.
How can I apply for Ethical Accreditation?
You can apply for Ethical Accreditation if your brand is assessed as above our benchmark. Click on this link to fill out our online form, and our researchers will assess your brand’s viability for Ethical Accreditation.