Our Story
In 1985 our founder Jonathan Harrison started working for The General Welfare of the Blind selling the soap, toiletries and cleaning products the blind and disabled workers made to homes and small businesses across the North of England. Despite the challenges of this type of work, the concept that our working life can be spent in a way that includes supporting employment for some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our society can be extremely satisfying.
In the 1990’s The General Welfare of the Blind started trading as Clarity - Employment for Blind People. Changes in the market place and rising costs over the following 20 years made supporting disabled workers in supported employment increasingly difficult for Clarity as well as other similar but larger organisations such as Remploy.
From 2010 to 2020 Clarity – Employment for Blind People started to lose money on an annual basis and sadly in early 2020 it fell into administration. It was bought out of liquidation, however the new owners struggled with historic issues and were unable to re-start production.
Despite all of the above the desire of Jonathan and the staff employed at The Ethical Supplies Company to continue to support ethical trading remains strong, we are still supplying products that help to provide employment for disabled and disadvantaged workers.
Since 2020 over 90,000 units of our high-quality Ethical Supplies Hand Washes, Body Washes, Soaps & Shampoos have been packed & labelled by over 60 disabled staff at Yateley Industries for the disabled (Charity No. 229571) providing much needed and highly valued work.
This is what Yateley Industries expressed about our ongoing partnership "We are proud to partner with The Ethical Supplies Company, whose commitment to social impact and high-quality products aligns perfectly with our values. Since 2020, they have demonstrated a genuine dedication to ethical business practices by sourcing from social enterprises and small companies that prioritise inclusive employment and environmental responsibility. Their ongoing support of Yateley Industries has directly contributed to empowering disabled workers through meaningful employment opportunities and their positive influence is felt throughout the wider community. Ethical Supplies exemplifies how business can be a force for good and we wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone seeking products that truly make a difference."
We also sell products on behalf of;
Arthouse Unlimited (Charity No. 1177900) who employ approximately 90 autistic and disabled workers.
The Blind Soap Maker, a small business which produced high quality soaps and toiletries which was started by a Blind lady, Alexandra Charlotte Negoita.
In addition to the above we supply high quality soaps, toiletries and cleaning products that are made by small companies in towns and cities across the UK providing much needed manufacturing jobs to UK workers in these challenging times.
With the help of our generous customers we have also been able to donate over £10,000 worth of our products to Homeless Not Hopeless and Mayhew Animal Home in 2024 alone. We aim to continue donating to these noble causes.
Over 95% of the product lines we currently supply are actually manufactured in the United Kingdom.
Over 70% of the products we supply directly support employment for disabled and disadvantaged workers in UK registered charities, small business and social enterprises.
Jonathan and the team greatly appreciate your continued support as we continue our mission to supply only the very finest quality products and expand ethical trading in the UK.
Please accept our very best wishes from everyone at The Ethical Supplies Company