Graduates boosting ethical business

Three Brighton Business School graduates have launched an online service that rewards people who buy from ethical shops.

Charlie Jordan, who graduated this year in Business Management with Finance BSc(Hons), and Matt Denford and Ryan Hudson (Business Management BSc(Hons), have set up Ethicul, an app which provides tokens to customers who buy from those ethical stores which are signed up to the scheme.

Collect 250 tokens and the customer can then claim as much as £5 off their next purchase if they spend £25.

More than 100 shoppers and 20 businesses in the Brighton area have already signed up to Ethicul.

Charlie said: “We all moved to the city to study at the University and we were amazed to find so many ethically-minded retailers and shoppers there were – it is one of the greenest places in the country.”

He explained more about how the scheme works: “We research shops and companies in the city and look across the industry and sector and see if the particular business goes beyond normal industry standards.”

The three check for businesses on a variety of issues including: cutting plastic waste, what impact on society in the city their business is having and ensuring the social wellbeing of workers in the business.

The trio studied at the University’s Brighton Business School and they all undertook a placement year which, Charlie said: “Was extremely valuable to us all. And we all thoroughly enjoyed our courses, in particular the hands-on nature of the modules.

“We found these to be most helpful in bringing Ethicul to life!”

For more information, visit www.ethicul.co.uk