Ethical Consumer, the UK's leading alternative consumer watchdog, has recently declared the best and worst clothing retailers on our high street. 19 companies scored worse than Primark, who even toppled John Lewis to a higher rank. Read the story, tell your friends, then vote with your wallets.

Only last year Primark's name was in headlines screaming of child labour and low wages. Everywhere you looked, Primark was splashed across the front pages. Yet it seems Primark has either pulled up its socks, or 19 others have, up to now, been largely overlooked. Thanks to the hard-hitting, yet accessible watchdog, Ethical Consumer has done its homework and tabled the results. It's compelling stuff.

Monsoon made it to the top of the list. As London Fashion Week's Estethica sponsor we've learned a lot about their ethical roots. Close on their heels is Marks & Spencer. Having chatted at length with their CSR top dog, we reckon M&S is probably eyeing up the top position, big time. M&S is nothing short of ambitious in this ethical field. And in this respect, competition has to be a good thing, if it means everyone's trying to up their 'game'.

But it's not an even playing field. “There's a real gap between the best and the worst performers on the high street," says Ethical Consumer editor and report author Rob Harrison. Companies like Urban Outfitters, Moss Bros and BHS, score zero in our survey. They appear to have no policies in place to prevent abuses by suppliers. We urge consumers to vote with their wallets against the exploitation of the people who make our clothes.”

The overall scores are ranked on performance in 4 key areas: (1) Supply Chain Policy - working to the code laid down by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This makes sure folk are paid decently and the code is applied across the whole supply chain; (2) Stakeholder Engagement, an important element allowing workers the chance to anonymously contribute their thoughts on  labour standards, (3) Auditing and Reporting, as in vetting the whole supply chain and making their processes publicly available (some of them hide this completely!), and (4) Difficult Issues, in other words Ethical Consumer make sure the 'touchy' issues are addressed as well: Audit Fraud happens, and outworkers are neglected. In other words, the high street can't hide. Their efforts, or lack of, in many instances are documented and a shocking number of high street retailers apparently have no policies in place whatsoever.

Let's take Moss Bros, nearly at the bottom of the heap. Labour Behind the Label (LBL) interrogated the biggest players in the fashion industry and say Moss Bros warrant the most scepticism. They had no information publicly available, and time and time again, refuse to answer any of their letters.

As many retailers continue working with dubious ethics, it has created a niche for smaller companies offering ethical fashion. This fast growth was another element of Ethical Consumer's report and three companies took the limelight, performing the best on ethics: Bishopston Trading, The Natural Clothing Store and Gossypium. If only these 3 had the marketing spend of the giants to make their stores glossy and chic, and the giants had the ethics of the smaller eco shops. This would make for a much more interesting high street, don't you think? So let's vote with our wallets and support the leaders. BHS who?

For more information regarding Ethical Consumer, its reports, boycotts and magazine, visit the Ethical Consumer website.