42% of U.S. and UK consumers say products that use sustainable materials are important in their day-to-day purchasing. There’s no denying it, sustainable business is good business. Green businesses are the colour in demand right now, mainly due to society’s changing purchase habits and behaviours. As our climate continues to change, people right across the globe are seeking out environmentally-friendly alternatives for everyday purchases.
A 2019 survey led by Hotwire found that 47% of internet users worldwide had ditched products and services from a business that violated their personal values. That’s where brands can make a difference. But looking for sustainable places to shop can be tricky amongst all the jargon, red herrings and fake promises. Here are 5 environmentally-friendly brands who can help you reach peak eco.
Bio-D
Cleaning products. We all use them. While some products are explicitly branded as being 'eco', we know that this isn't always that convincing and it can be hard to find out what it actually means. Realistically, if you had the choice, you’d go green. That’s where Bio-D comes in. It’s a UK-owned outfit making all sorts of cleaning products from ethically sourced ingredients with 100% recyclable packaging.
Patagonia
Chances are you might’ve heard of this lot, but you might not know how bleedin’ good they are when it comes to the planet. Patagonia creates high-quality, long-lasting products, and offers a repair and reuse program. It even goes so far as to discourage customers from purchasing too many of its products.
Patagonia belongs to both the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and 1% For The Planet. It’s also leading the way when it comes to labour policies – it received the second highest rating in the 2019 Ethical Fashion Report, which looks at the payment of a living wage, transparency, and worker empowerment.
Beyond Meat
Plant-based meat. Enough said. This lot are shaking the food industry right up with their fake animal pieces. A recent study found that Beyond Burger generates 90% less greenhouse gas emissions and requires 46% less energy, 99% less water and 93% less land compared to a quarter pound of U.S. beef. Apparently it tastes almost identical, too. So if you fancy going eco with your big mac, but don’t want to compromise on the taste, this is your best bet.
Numi Tea
Sustainable packaging. Donating to environmental non-profits. Tracking carbon emissions during the production process. Numi Tea make sure every step in sourcing, making and selling their tea is environmentally sound, not too mention they’re the brainpower behind OSC2 (One Step Closer to an Organic Sustainable Community), a group of CEOs and business leaders from the sustainably-focused, natural products industry that are dedicated to improving sustainability across all industries.
reboxed
Wouldn’t really be much of a list without a shameless plug. With 50m tons of e-waste sprawled all over the planet in 2019 alone, we thought we’d step in to make a change. Our mission is simple: rehome 100 million new mobile phones by 2030. The key? A circular tech economy. One built on buying refurbished and selling your old, bedroom-draw-ridden phones.
As our planet enters a crucial period in the fight against climate change, we’re determined to create a new normal, a loop whereby you and many others like you can buy and sell phones within a community for a fair price. A space where e-waste is drastically reduced… and we all sleep a little bit better knowing we’ve saved a little bit of cash on a new blower.
Once you buy from reboxed, you’ll join our circle. It’s our way of pushing the circular economy, and it’s based on the three r’s: rehome, rebox, repeat. So whenever you want to sell or trade up, we’ll buy the phone we sold you back at the market’s best price. Guaranteed. Every time. Without doubt.
