#Resource --- title: How ethical is Barclays Plc? source: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/company-profile/barclays-plc author: - "[[Ethical Consumer]]" published: 2018-05-13 created: 2026-02-01 description: Our ethical ratings and stories for Barclays Plc | Ownership structure and associated brands | Related shopping guides. tags: - clippings reviewed: 2026-02-21 --- - In April 2025, Barclays preemptively barred trans people from using correct bathrooms, citing interim EHRC guidance that was later withdrawn after a legal challenge—an unnecessary and premature leap onto the anti-trans bandwagon. The Key Headline Points: BARCLAYS: WHY IT MATTERS WHERE YOU BANK #### The Fairness Problem · Ethical banks exist (Co-op, Triodos, Nationwide, Monzo). They don't fund fossil fuel expansion. They don't invest in arms. They do pay fair tax. · Right now, Barclays competes unfairly—profiting from destruction while ethical banks play by different rules. · Switching levels the playing field. It says: "Good behaviour should be rewarded. Bad behaviour shouldn't." #### The Good Feeling Bit · Switching takes ten minutes. The feeling lasts. · Every pound in an ethical bank is a pound not funding climate chaos or weapons. · You're not just leaving Barclays. You're joining a growing movement that proves ethics and banking can mix. · People power works. Palestine Action proved it. Now let's prove it again. --- Headline Options "**If not you, who? If not now, when?**" "Your money does something. Make sure it's something you'd want to tell your kids about." "**You can't change the whole system. But you can change where your money sleeps.**" # **BARCLAYS SCORES** ## **WHY THIS MATTERS** Banks decide what gets funded. Fossil fuel expansion or renewable transition. Weapons manufacturing or social housing. Executive bonuses or community investment. Your money helps make those choices possible. --- # **ASK YOURSELF** - Do you know what your bank finances? - Are you comfortable with billions going to fossil fuels? - Does your bank reflect your values? --- BARCLAYS: SCORED ZERO Independent trackers checked where Barclays puts our money. Results: What They Checked Verdict Illegal settlements Funds companies linked to occupied land Rainforest destruction Refuses to protect forests Nuclear weapons Finances bomb makers Fossil fuel phase-out No plan. Zero. Final score 0/100 Why it matters: Ethical banks exist (Co-op, Triodos, Nationwide). They manage fine without funding this. Barclays chooses not to. Switch because: Your money works every minute. Make it work for something you'd actually choose. Feels better. Takes ten minutes. --- CLIMATE: SCORED ZERO Barclays claims to care about climate. Researchers checked the small print: What They Checked What They Found Past emissions cuts Talks a good game. Reports separately so real impact is hidden. Future targets No adequate plan. Targets don't cover its full portfolio. Fossil fuel funding $24 billion in 2024 alone. Still financing new projects. Independent watchdogs Called "greenwash" and "totally dishonest" by critics. Final score 0/100 Why it matters: "Sustainable finance" sounds nice. But Barclays uses it to fund fossil fuel expansion. That's not a mistake. That's a strategy. Switch because: Your money isn't "neutral". It's either funding the crisis or funding solutions. Barclays has chosen. Now you can too. --- COMPANY ETHOS: SCORED ZERO Researchers looked at who Barclays really is behind the logo: What They Checked What They Found Director pay £10.5 million for one person. While marketing itself as "Living Wage". Lobbying Funds lobby groups pushing against climate action. Arms & military Deep in weapons supply chain. Fossil fuels Major funder. See previous page. Nuclear weapons Finances bomb producers. Boycott call Targeted by BDS over Israel arms links. Ownership structure Not a co-op. Not a mutual. Not a B Corp. Just a plc. Final score 0/100 Why it matters: A bank's ethos isn't wallpaper. It determines where your money goes while you sleep. Barclays' choices are now on paper. Switch because: There are banks where "Living Wage" isn't undercut by £10.5 million bonuses. Where lobbying works for the planet, not against it. Feels better. Takes ten minutes. --- INVESTMENT POLICY: SCORED 10/100 Barclays offers "ethical" funds. Researchers checked what that actually means: What They Checked What They Found Fossil fuels Still invests. Just avoids the very worst (tar sands, Arctic). Arms Only bans "controversial" weapons (landmines, cluster bombs). Rest is fine. Worker rights No exclusions. Human rights No exclusions. Factory farming No exclusions. "Ethical" funds Just 3 out of 51 funds flagged as sustainable (6%). Transparency Won't fully disclose where it invests. Final score 10/100 Why it matters: An "ethical" policy that allows fossil fuels, arms, and human rights abuses isn't ethical. It's marketing. Switch because: Genuinely ethical banks exist. They don't play these games. They just don't invest in stuff you'd rather avoid. Your money can work that way too. Feels better. Takes ten minutes. --- LENDING POLICY: SCORED ZERO Where does Barclays actually lend your money? They won't say. What They Checked What They Found Transparency Refuses to disclose who it lends to. Fossil fuels Still lends. Bans "direct" expansion funding but allows it via loopholes. Arms No adequate exclusion policy. Worker rights No policy. Oppressive regimes No policy. Factory farming No policy. Charities/co-ops No preferential treatment. Environmental lending Not its core purpose. Final score 0/100 Why it matters: "We won't tell you who we lend to" is a choice. So is "we lend to everything we haven't explicitly banned." Barclays chooses both. Switch because: Other banks publish their lending policies. They compete on being clear. You can choose clarity over smoke. Feels better. Takes ten minutes. --- LOANS & INVESTMENTS: SCORED ZERO Independent trackers checked where Barclays' money actually goes. Results: What They Checked What They Found Fossil fuels Top 30 global funder. Banking on Climate Chaos named them. Illegal settlements Top 10 creditor to companies linked to occupied land. Deforestation Scored just 2/5 on protecting rainforests. Animal welfare Scored below 50%. No adequate policy. Nuclear weapons Direct financing of bomb producers. Final score 0/100 Why it matters: This isn't one bad report. It's every report. Climate. Human rights. Animals. Forests. Settlements. Weapons. Barclays appears in all of them. Switch because: Other banks manage to stay out of these reports. They choose different investments. You can choose a bank that makes different choices. Feels better. Takes ten minutes. --- TAX CONDUCT: SCORED ZERO Barclays says it pays its fair share. Researchers checked where its money actually lives: What They Checked What They Found Tax haven subsidiaries Multiple. Cayman Islands. Luxembourg. Monaco. Mauritius. Switzerland. Local customers? No. These aren't high street branches serving locals. Fair Tax Mark Doesn't have it. Public reporting Doesn't fully explain what these subsidiaries are for. Independent criticism Guardian investigation: Barclays avoided nearly £2bn tax via Luxembourg scheme, paying under 1% on profits for over a decade. Final score 0/100 Why it matters: These aren't accidents. Complex offshore structures cost money to maintain. They exist for one reason. The money schools and hospitals are missing has to come from somewhere. Switch because: Other banks manage to operate without a maze of tax havens. They pay where they operate. You can bank with them instead. Feels better. Takes ten minutes. --- ALL SEVEN AREAS: COMPLETE Area Score Bonds & Underwriting 0 Climate 0 Company Ethos 0 Investment Policy 10 Lending Policy 0 Loans & Investments 0 Tax Conduct 0 The overall picture: Seven independent assessments. Six scored zero. One scored ten. This isn't a pattern. It's a business model. The good feeling bit: You don't have to fix the whole system. Just move your money. One ten-minute switch. Then it's not your problem anymore. Feels better immediately. --- ### A complete A5 leaflet layout: FRONT PAGE BARCLAYS: THE CASE FOR MOVING Your money works every minute. Make sure it's working for something you'd actually choose. --- INSIDE LEFT THE BOTTOM LINE Independent researchers track where banks put our money. Across seven categories, Barclays scored: Area Score Climate 0/100 Tax Conduct 0/100 Company Ethos 0/100 Lending Policy 0/100 Loans & Investments 0/100 Bonds & Underwriting 0/100 Investment Policy 10/100 Seven assessments. Six scored zero. --- INSIDE RIGHT WHAT THAT MEANS Climate – £24bn fossil fuel financing in 2024. Called "greenwash" by critics. Tax – Subsidiaries in Cayman Islands, Luxembourg, Monaco, Switzerland. Avoided nearly £2bn via Luxembourg scheme. Arms – Finances nuclear weapons producers. Billions in companies supplying Israel. Settlements – Top 10 creditor to companies linked to illegal Israeli settlements. Deforestation – Refuses to protect rainforests. Scored 2/5. Animal welfare – Scored below 50%. No policy. Director pay – £10.5 million for one person. Markets itself as "Living Wage". Lobbying – Funds groups pushing against climate action. --- BACK PAGE THE "SOMEONE ELSE WILL DO IT" TRAP Ethical banks exist. Co-op, Triodos, Nationwide. They manage fine without: · Funding fossil fuel expansion · Financing weapons producers · Complex tax haven structures · Refusing to disclose who they lend to Barclays chooses this path. Other banks choose differently. WHY SWITCH FEELS GOOD · Ten minutes. That's all it takes. Free. Online. Done. · Your money stops working against things you care about. · You join a movement that proved it works. Barclays sold shares in Elbit Systems after boycotts. · Every pound in an ethical bank is a pound not funding climate chaos or weapons. You didn't cause the problem. But you can choose not to fund it. WHERE TO START Compare accounts at: ethicalconsumer.org/banks --- A5 FOLDED LEAFLET LAYOUT ``` ┌─────────────────┐ │ │ │ FRONT │ │ │ │ Headline + │ │ hook │ │ │ ├─────────────────┤ │ │ │ INSIDE LEFT │ │ │ │ Scores table │ │ │ ├─────────────────┤ │ │ │ INSIDE RIGHT │ │ │ │ What that means │ │ (bullet points) │ │ │ ├─────────────────┤ │ │ │ BACK │ │ │ │ "Someone else" │ │ Why switch │ │ feels good │ │ Where to start │ │ │ └─────────────────┘ ``` ##### Links - [[Artists target Wimbledon’s ‘strawberries and cream image’ over link to Barclays]] - [[Boycotts and sanctions helped rid South Africa of apartheid – is Israel next in line?]] - [[A Threshold Crossed]]