This essay takes its starting point from a communication perspective and analyses three different brands with ethical profiles: Levi Strauss, Body Shop and Swedish fund company KPA. The main question is how the ethical message is composed and communicated in these case studies. Here, the focus is on the different formulations on core values, ethical values and criteria and on motivations behind their ethical standpoints. Different communication strategies and media channels are also taken into consideration. Instead of speaking of ethical brands as a clear category, here another phrase is proposed: ‘brands communicating social responsibility’. The concept of ‘social responsibility’ is a better description as it carries room for both the global and the local, the society and the individual, and the verb “communicate” tells of a determination to actively make this responsibility wide known. As social responsibility also includes an economic responsibility, it clarifies that these brands also has an economic purpose. The importance of integrating the ethical message throughout the whole organisation in order to manage the reputation is also stressed. Therefore, concepts such as democracy and politics become important to bring into the process.