Sports optics are essential equipment for anyone with an interest in wildlife. This includes birdwatchers, naturalists, surveyors and tour leaders – but also sport hunters. Many optics companies market products at wildlife enthusiasts, conservationists and sport hunters simultaneously. This website highlights those companies who are distancing themselves from hunting, celebrating their pro-wildlife stance. It also highlights companies who endorse, encourage and actively support hunting.
This website provides optics customers with clear information so that you understand how your money is spent and what activities your brands endorse. The brands you use might be funding habitat restoration and species recovery work on the one hand – but also advertising in shooting magazines, sponsoring big game television programmes in the US and supporting (or even owning) trophy hunting destinations.
There are companies who are putting wildlife first
Of the 30 companies examined by Ethical Consumer in 2020, three are considered ‘ethical’ in their approach to hunting and animal welfare, with a further six showing weak links to the hunting industry. Find out how your preferred brands stack up.
As a consumer, it’s up to you how you spend your money. You are not just buying a product – you’re buying a brand and its advertising space, as well as buying into their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). You have the right to choose brands that align with issues you care about. You have a right to ask questions and be answered. You have a right to object to practices that you don’t agree with, either through switching brands or campaigning for change. Read more about why you should shop ethically. Thinking of switching? Here are the most ethical brands for you, so that you can make decisions that are right for you.