MANUFACTURERS take note: the ethical consumer is on the march.

A new report reveals UK shoppers are increasingly aware of "ethical" issues - and many of them are ready to put their money where their morals are.

One in six people say they would buy or boycott a product because of the manufacturer's ethical or environmental reputation. A third of consumers say they are "seriously concerned" with ethical issues and a quarter have investigated a company's social responsibility at least once.

And it's not just with unleaded petrol or recycled paper - the so-called "easy" ethical choices - where consumers with a conscience are beginning to flex their muscles, according to a MORI poll for the new report commissioned by the Co-operative Bank.

Organic food, Fairtrade coffee, tea and chocolate, timber from sustainable forests, energy-efficient lightbulbs, Freedom Food eggs, renewable electricity and farmers' markets are all becoming part of the consumer's vocabulary.

There is even a growing interest in "ethical investment" - investment in funds which shun companies with a bad record on issues such as arms trading, gambling, alcohol and tobacco.

At the moment the market share for many such "ethical" products is comparatively low - hovering at about the one per cent level for products such as fair-trade goods, organic foods and ethical investments.

The report makes clear that being an ethical consumer is still a luxury - it is the richest people in the country who are most likely to make ethical choices when shopping - and that some younger people are more concerned with being seen to buy the "in" brand than whether goods are produced ethically or not.

But the overwhelming dominance of unleaded petrol - which achieved its market share with the help of tax incentives and regulation - proves the potential is there.

The main reason many ethical products have not taken off more quickly, the report says, is because many consumers feel their individual choices won't make much difference.

Nevertheless, the potential market share for ethical goods could be as much as 30 per cent, it says. "Seventeen per cent of consumers have frequently bought products because of a company's reputation: as many as 62 per cent have looked for at least one ethical label; a third of shoppers say they are seriously concerned about ethical issues," the report says.

It is easier than you might think to be an ethical consumer. Most supermarkets will have taken on board the growth in consumer interest, and will stock ethical "alternatives" to mainstream brands: organic or fair-trade produce, CFC-free goods and so on. Look at the labels, advises Dave Smith of the Co-operative Bank. Producers of ethical goods are keen to brand their products accordingly: and the label should be obvious. If a product doesn't make it clear it is fair trade or GM- or CFC-free, it almost certainly is not.

If you are interested in switching to ethical investment funds, tackle your bank manager. If your own bank can't help you, plenty of others will.

Do your research: the internet is a great source of information about ethical products and manufacturers. If you are not on the internet, read the papers or try your local library.