More than 80 per cent of the British public believe that high street retailers are not still doing enough to tackle social and environmental issues, despite a blitz of “green” marketing initiatives this year.

The latest in a series of ethical reports compiled for The Times finds that shoppers are becoming far more concerned about whether retailers are using cheap labour and sweatshops than about recycling plastic bags. A survey of 1,185 adults about high street clothing retailers shows that 69 per cent believe that how the stores address social issues is deemed to be more important than environmental matters.

Nearly half - 47 per cent - feel that a store’s priority should be ensuring that workers in developing countries are treated fairly. Only 10 per cent maintain that they should first reduce their carbon footprint.

Marks & Spencer is seen as the clear leader in its peer group in addressing social concerns, in contrast to Primark, the budget fashion chain, Gap and Sir Philip Green’s Topshop.

The difference in fortunes reflects M&S’s successful launch this summer of Plan A, which contains 100 pledges that the retailer hopes will make it the high street’s leading ethical business. These include not only commitments to stop sending waste to landfill and to become carbon neutral by 2012, but also to source as much food as possible from Britain and Ireland.

In contrast, Gap and Topshop have been attacked over alleged use of cheap labour in the Indian sub-continent in a spate of recent media reports. At the weekend a Gap supplier was accused of illegally subcontracting work to a sweatshop in Delhi employing children as young as 8. Gap launched an investigation and said that the allegations were “deeply upsetting”.

Last month Sir Philip vehemently denied allegations that his Arcadia empire was one of several retailers profiting from using a supplier in Mauritius that paid workers less than £4 a day. He said that a series of independent audits of the factory were satisfactory and that Arcadia paid its staff at rates higher than those laid down under law by Mauritian Government.

Activists claim that Britain’s retailers are under growing pressure to use cheaper suppliers to fuel the boom in cut-price clothing. The Populus survey reflects that demand for ever-cheaper goods, with its finding that price is seen as the key determining factor, above service, range and commitment to social issues, in deciding where to shop.

However, industry experts claim that the tide may be turning. Sir Philip said this month that the “more fashionable shopper” was looking for better quality and superior fabric when making a purchase. The People Tree, the ethical clothing label stocked by Topshop and Timberland, is recording sales growth of 40 per cent a year.

Giles Gibbons, the managing director of Good Business, the consultancy, said: “Price is still the key factor, but others are becoming more important. It’s up to the retailers to find a way of addressing these concerns without the customer feeling that they are paying more as a result.”

— Nearly 60 per cent of shoppers believe that Tesco’s success is down to squeezing suppliers and dominating the high street, the Populus report shows. However, 43 per cent of those surveyed felt that Tesco’s clear lead in the grocery market reflected its ability to give customers what they want at reasonable prices, up from 37 per cent in April.

Times Recommends

• Food prices rise 8.3% on soaring fish and meat
• Car sales crash as economy hits skids
• House prices fall but Bank leaves rates on hold