How to Switch to an Ethical Bank: Complete UK Guide (2026)
Last Updated: January 30, 2026
Why Your Bank Choice Matters
Every pound in your bank account is working, and whilst it does it could either fund factory farming and fossil fuels, or support the food and energy transitions. Luckily for you, switching to an ethical bank can be a powerful way to reduce your impact on the planet: in the UK, switching to an ethical bank can reduce the carbon footprint of your money by up to 86%.
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The Hidden Problem: Banks Finance Factory Farming
While you might be making positive moves to recycle and avoid meat consumption, your bank could be using your deposits to finance industrial animal agriculture. The numbers are stark:
• UK banks provided $77 billion to the 55 largest livestock companies between 2015-2022
• Barclays alone financed $28.2 billion to industrial livestock, including £5 billion to JBS - the world's largest factory farming company
• HSBC provided $23.6 billion to livestock corporations and £19 billion to animal feed companies
Why this matters: Factory farming is responsible for at least 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions, drives 41% of tropical deforestation, and is the leading cause of biodiversity loss. When your bank finances this industry, your savings may directly fuel environmental destruction.
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The Good News: Switching Is Easy
The Current Account Switch Service makes changing banks remarkably simple, supporting over 12 million people to successfully switch since 2013. The entire process takes just 7 working days, and everything transfers automatically.
UK Banks Compared: Factory Farming & Environmental Impact
Which banks finance factory farming vs. which are truly ethical?
Want detailed profiles? Explore full environmental assessments at bankfornature.org
How to Effortlessly Switch to an Ethical Bank
The Current Account Switch Service (CASS) handles everything automatically. Here's the complete process.
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Step 1: Choose Your New Ethical Bank (10 minutes)
Visit bankfornature.org to compare:
• Factory farming exposure (does the bank finance industrial livestock?)
• Impact on nature and climate
Top recommendations:
• Most ethical: Triodos Bank (£3/month fee, complete transparency)
• High street convenience: Co-operative Bank (fossil-free since 1998)
• In-branch services: Nationwide (country-wide presence)
• Green mortgages: Ecology Building Society (specialist environmental lender)
Step 2: Apply for Your New Account (15-20 minutes)
What you'll need:
• Photo ID (passport or driving license)
• Proof of address (utility bill or council tax statement)
• Current bank details (sort code and account number)
Most applications are approved within 1-2 days.
Step 3: Sign Up for the Switch Service (5 minutes)
When opening your account, you'll be asked if you want to use CASS. Select yes and provide:
• Your current account details
• Your preferred switch date (must be at least 7 working days away)
That's it. Everything else happens automatically.
Step 4: Let the Banks Do the Work (Days 3-6)
During this time, both banks coordinate behind the scenes to transfer:
✅ Your entire account balance
✅ All Direct Debits (utilities, subscriptions, insurance)
✅ Standing orders (regular transfers)
✅ Saved payees (people you've paid before)
✅ Incoming payments (salary, benefits)
You don't need to do anything.
Step 5: Switch Completes (Day 7)
On your chosen date:
• Your new account becomes active
• All payments transferred
• Old account automatically closes
• Old debit card stops working
Safety net: Any payments accidentally sent to your old account are automatically redirected for at least 3 years.
What's Protected? The Current Account Switch Guarantee covers you completely: ✅ If Direct Debits aren't transferred correctly → Your new bank fixes it immediately
✅ If payments go wrong → All fees refunded
✅ If you lose interest → You're compensated
Total time investment: Just 1 hour 36 minutes spread over 10 days, as discovered by someone that timed each step of the process. That’s less than watching two TV episodes.
For this minimal effort, you could reduce your money’s carbon footprint by 86% and stop your money being used to finance factory farming and other harmful industries.
The Golden Rule if You’re Switching to Have a Positive Impact
The positive impact of switching will only go so far. To really make a difference, you need to tell both banks why. It’s what turns a private account change into a signal that banks can’t ignore: customers are leaving because of their factory farm finance and its impacts on nature and climate.
When you begin the switch send both banks a message on their Bank for Nature page:
• Your old bank: “I’m leaving because I don’t want my money supporting industrial animal agriculture / factory farming and associated deforestation and emissions.”
• Your new bank: “I joined because I want my money aligned with nature-positive finance and away from factory farming.”
Just select your bank and hit send on the message!
Why it matters: banks track churn reasons, complaint themes, and customer messages. Clear, repeated feedback on their factory farm financing pushes the issue onto internal risk and policy agendas in a way that silent switching just won’t do.
Best Ethical Banks for UK Customers
🥇 Triodos Bank - Most Transparent
Trustpilot: 4.3/5 | Current account: £3/month
Why choose Triodos:
• Publishes every organisation it finances (complete transparency)
• Zero investment in factory farming, fossil fuels or weapons.
• Scored 92% on its policies to mitigate animal welfare risks - joint highest globally
• Deposits finance the energy and food transitions and social housing
Products:
• Cash ISA: up to 3.35% AER tax-free
Customer feedback: "Great to know you can bank without being part of the problem" | "They actually answer the phone and speak knowledgeably!"
Open account: triodos.co.uk | Learn more: bankfornature.org/banks/triodos-bank
🥈 Co-operative Bank — High Street Ethical Banking
Trustpilot: 4.5/5 | Free banking
Why choose Co-op:
• Customer-led ethical policy
• Excludes factory farm finance
• Fossil-free since 1998 - longest UK track record (27 years)
• Nationwide branches for face-to-face banking
Customer feedback: "Love that Co-op answers the phone with British operators who know what they're doing" | "Staff consistently friendly and professional"
Open account: co-operativebank.co.uk | Learn more: bankfornature.org/banks/the-co-operative-bank
🥉 Ecology Building Society — Green Mortgages
Trustpilot: 4.3/5 | Specialist lender
Why choose Ecology:
• Only finances environmentally positive properties
• Up to 0.75% mortgage rate discount for energy efficiency
• 78% of projects achieve EPC B or above
• Member-owned building society
Best for: Green mortgages and sustainable property finance
Customer feedback: "Love that they were green before it was trendy" | "Great to talk to real humans"
Open account: ecology.co.uk
🏅 Nationwide — Best Mainstream Alternative
Trustpilot: 1.9/5 | Free banking | £175 switching bonus
Why choose Nationwide:
• Building society (member-owned, not shareholder-driven)
• Must hold 75% of assets in residential mortgages - limits corporate lending to polluting industries
• Full branch network nationwide
• £175 switching incentive (requires £1,000 deposit + card payment within 31 days)
Best for: Those wanting better ethics than other big banks without sacrificing mainstream convenience
Open account: nationwide.co.uk | Learn more: bankfornature.org/banks/nationwide-building-society
What Happens to Your Money When You Switch?
If you bank with factory farm bank, your deposits provide capital for loans to expand industrial animal agriculture and fossil fuel production. But with Triodos, Co-op, or Ecology, your deposits can finance:
✅ Renewable energy (solar, wind, hydroelectric projects)
✅ Organic and sustainable farming (not factory farms)
✅ Affordable housing and community projects
✅ Energy-efficient building renovations
✅ Social enterprises and cooperatives
✅ Education and healthcare initiatives
Same banking services, radically different environmental impact.
Start Your Switch Now
Step 1: Compare banks in detail → bankfornature.org/banks
Step 2: Choose your ethical bank:
• Triodos Bank - Maximum transparency
• Co-operative Bank - High street fossil-free
• Ecology Building Society - Green mortgages
• Nationwide - Better mainstream option
Step 3: Apply online (15-20 minutes)
Step 4: Use CASS to switch automatically (7 working days)
Step 4: Send them each a message on bankfornature.org in under two minutes.
That's it. In less than 2 hours total time, you'll have transformed your banking from funding environmental destruction to supporting nature restoration.
About Bank For Nature
Bank for Nature is working to unlock the collaborative power of banking customers and their savings to create a nature, climate and animal-friendly financial system.
We aim to drive this change through:
• Increasing accountability, showing whether banks invest in factory farming and helping consumers find nature-friendly banks, with transparent data available in a few clicks.
• Enabling consumer engagement, making it easier than ever for customers to send a powerful message to their banks to demonstrate the risks associated with factory farm finance.
• Increasing industry standards, growing public and competitive pressure to ditch factory farm finance and raising the profile of the issue with up-to-date news, research and guidance.
Learn more about Bank for Nature.
Questions? Contact hello@bankfornature.org
Share this guide to help others discover ethical banking and stop financing factory farming.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to switch banks?
7 working days from the date you begin the process, unless falling on a weekend or banks holiday. Account opening takes 1-2 days before that.
Does it cost anything to switch banks?
No. The Current Account Switch Service is completely free.
Will switching banks affect my credit score?
Switching banks does not impact your credit score directly. However, your credit score could be affected if:
• You apply for an overdraft with your new bank (as this may trigger a "hard" credit check).
• You miss any payments due to delays in updating direct debits, although CASS should prevent this.
Can I switch banks if I currently have an overdraft?
You can, but you should apply for an overdraft with your new bank before switching. If approved, it transfers automatically.
Can I switch banks if I'm overdrawn?
Yes, if your new bank approves an overdraft that covers your current balance. Otherwise, you should clear it first.
What happens to my Direct Debits when I switch banks?
If you use the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) , then all Direct Debits will transfer automatically. The banks coordinate this, so you don't need to contact anyone.
Do I need to tell my employer when I switch my bank account?
The switch service notifies them automatically, but it's good practice to inform payroll directly too.
Are ethical banks financially safe?
Yes. All banks mentioned are FCA-regulated and FSCS-protected, which protects your money up to £120,000 per person, per institution. So if the bank, building society or credit union failed, you would be automatically compensated.
Can I keep both accounts open when looking to switch banks?
No, not if you use the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) then it automatically closes your old account. If you want both, don't use CASS, just open the new account and manually move payments.
Further Resources
Bank Assessments:
• Bank for Nature - UK banks' factory farming exposure
Switching Information:
• Current Account Switch Service - Official CASS site
Environmental Research:
• Stop Financing Factory Farming - Financial flows to industrial livestock
• Friends of the Earth - Factory Farm Finance - Development bank lending information
• Global Canopy - Deforestation finance tracking
Carbon Impact:
• MotherTree Bank League Table — UK bank carbon rankings
• Make My Money Matter — Pension climate impact