Lucozade

How ethical is Lucozade?

Lucozade is a soft drinks brand which has a below-benchmark score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Soft Drinks Ratings Table. Although Lucozade has not yet met our ethical benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future.

We would have extra confidence in Lucozade if it applied for Ethical Accreditation, whereby The Good Shopping Guide would make further detailed assessment and recommendations for ethical improvement. Find out more about the ethical issues facing the Soft Drinks sector.

What does Lucozade do?

Lucozade is a British soft drinks brand now owned by Japanese company Suntory. Lucozade was originally created in 1927 by a pharmacist in Newcastle, and known as Glucozade. It was mostly sold in pharmacies as a recovery aid until the 1980s when it began to be available as a sports drink.

In which areas does Lucozade perform poorly?

Lucozade was marked down under our criteria for Organic and Vegetarian due to a lack of certification for either category. It also gets a bottom score for GM, as parent company Suntory has a research department that works with GMOs.

Lucozade is also given a bottom rating for Political Donations, as parent company, Suntory, donated above our threshold amount in recent election cycles. Find out more about how we rate by exploring our ethical criteria.

Past Criticisms of Lucozade’s record

Lucozade’s parent company, Suntory, has been recently criticised for failing to address the issues of forced labour and human trafficking within its supply chains. Suntory also received Ethical Consumer’s worst rating for its use of palm oil.

In which areas does Lucozade score well for its ethics?

We found no criticisms relating to; Nuclear, Fossil Fuels, Animal Welfare (Suntory ended its use of animal testing in 2018) or Armaments, therefore Lucozade scores well across these criteria. Lucozade also gets a top score for Environmental Report, as Suntory has a page containing detailed targets. Find out more about how we rate.

How can Lucozade improve its ethical rating?

The below-benchmark score that Lucozade is awarded with on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Soft Drinks Ratings Table is the result of an evaluation of multiple ethical criteria.

To reach our minimum ethical benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Lucozade has some issues to resolve, including its support for GMOs. If it applies for Ethical Accreditation, The Good Shopping Guide will be able to give Lucozade some guidance to improve on these areas.

Were you aware that your brand could benefit from Ethical Accreditation? Brands accredited by The Good Shopping Guide can display our Ethical Mark, showcasing to consumers that it is an ethical and sustainable brand. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact us or complete a Free Initial Assessment form.