An interesting finding came up in a new survey released recently by beauty retailer The Body Shop, indicating that in spite of the tough economic climate, ethics are as important as price with today’s increasingly eco-conscious consumers.

In Canada the findings revealed that 77% of consumers are making more purchasing choices based on the corporate behaviour and ethics of a company than they were five years ago and 40% of those polled say that they make those decisions on a weekly basis.

Other findings included:

• 68% of respondents cite quality of goods and trust in the brand as their criteria for buying a product

• 34% say they purchase based on the ethical reputation of a company

• 35% say price and value is their criteria for purchase