Virgin

How ethical and sustainable is Virgin? 

Virgin is a low-ranking brand in The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Ratings & Comparison Tables.

Virgin is a mobile phone network jointly owned by Liberty Global Plc and Telefonica S.A. and receives a poor Good Shopping Guide score in our Ethical Mobile Phones Networks Ratings Table. Although Virgin has not yet met our Ethical Benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future.

In which areas does Virgin perform well? 

Virgin performs well for its Environmental Report, as Telefonica has an ESG Highlights Report which contains detailed sustainability targets.

Additionally, neither Liberty nor Telefonica have involvement in the nuclear industries.

In which areas does Virgin perform poorly? 

Despite Virgin’s progress, there is still significant room for improvement. The company receives a bottom rating in the Animal Welfare category, as its parent company, Telefonica has recently been criticised for broadcasting the slaughter of bulls in Spanish bullfighting on its television channels. Although the PETA campaign against this has resulted in Telefonica ceasing involvement in this activity, in line with our methodology, we still mark the company down for this, as the animal abuse occurred in the past five years.

Telefonica has also been found to be involved in supplying military technology and intelligence services, resulting in a middle rating for Armaments.

How can Virgin brand improve its Ethical Rating?

The Good Shopping Guide score results from multiple ethical criteria in relation to Virgin. To reach our minimum Ethical Benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Virgin and its parent companies have some issues to resolve. This includes being more rigorous in the ethics of its supply chains, its commitment to human rights and welfare, and its involvement in politics and the military.

If your mobile phone network brand values ethics and sustainability, why not check out The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation? Increase customer and investor confidence and stand out from the greenwash.