Ski

How ethical is Ski?

Ski is a brand owned by Nestlé S.A. which has a below-benchmark score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Yoghurt Ratings Table. Although Ski has not yet met our ethical benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future.

We would have extra confidence in Ski if it submitted itself to apply 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 Yoghurt sector.

What does Ski do?

Ski was founded by Express Dairies in the UK in 1963 and was the first yoghurt to contain fruit pieces.

In which areas does Ski perform poorly?

Ski was marked down under our criteria for GMO as its parent company, Nestlé S.A., states that it believes GMO ingredients are safe to use.

Nestlé states that it still uses animal testing where required by law, so Ski receives a bottom rating for Animal Welfare. Nestlé donated over $548k in recent election cycles which is above our threshold, so Ski gets a poor rating for this criterion.

Find out more about how we rate by exploring our ethical criteria.

Past Criticisms of Ski’s record

In 2023 an investigation revealed that some pesticides that are banned in the EU are being used by farms in Brazil supplying Nestlé. In the same year a report by Rainforest Action Network called on brands including Nestlé to cease using palm oil sourced from the Harita Group, due to the group’s destruction of indigenous communities in Borneo. Nestlé was also criticised in early 2023 for failing to cease trading in Russia.

In 2022 a consumer watchdog filed a complaint against Nestlé and Ferrero relating to E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks involving the companies. In the same year a report by Mighty Earth also revealed that a number of chocolate companies, including Nestlé, had failed to uphold their previously-stated commitment to end deforestation in West Africa.

In 2019, Nestlé was named by Break Free From Plastic, along with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, as the top plastic polluters for a second year in a row. In the same year Nestlé announced that they couldn’t guarantee their chocolate was free from child slave labour due to only half of their purchasing being fully traceable.

In which areas does Ski score well for its ethics?

Ski’s parent company, Nestlé, published its ‘Creating Shared Value and Sustainability Report’ which includes a number of environmental targets relating to carbon reduction, deforestation-free supply chains and recyclable packaging. Therefore Ski scores well for its Environmental Report.

We found no criticisms of Ski relating to Nuclear, Fossil Fuels or Armaments so it scores well for these criteria.

How can Ski improve its ethical rating?

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

To reach our minimum ethical benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Ski has some issues to resolve, including  its use of GMO ingredients, support for animal testing and political donations. If it applies for Ethical Accreditation, The Good Shopping Guide will be able to give Ski 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.