Living in a capitalist society, consumerism is often hard to avoid. From nostalgic commercials to shiny packaging, we as consumers always fall victim to buying more and more. In recent years, with the concern of climate change on the rise, conscious shopping is the new trend when it comes to consumerism. With a new target market searching for eco-friendly products, this has caused many brands to turn to “greenwashing,” which is when a company markets itself as environmentally friendly, when in reality little is being done to reduce their environmental impact. As buyers, our job is to determine if a brand’s values align with our own. If you’re on the hunt for brands with a mission to reduce their impact on the earth, I’ve compiled a list of sustainable brands to support.
Parks Project: Shop apparel, tote bags, hammocks, candles and more. This brand’s mission is to protect and preserve parklands by contributing a portion of its sales to fund vital projects in parks. They also physically contribute by hosting volunteer days and restoration projects.
Cadence: Small, hexagonal capsules, perfect for storing makeup or jewelry. Cadence created magnetic capsules to hold the products you already have, with sustainability as the core value of this brand. Their transparent production process highlights their reusable product in hopes to eliminate single-use products.
Bathing Culture: All natural and organic soap displayed in a colorful glass bottle. This brand emphasizes its organic ingredients that make them certified organic, carbon-neutral, vegan, cruelty-free and biodegradable. Refill their reusable containers with one of their retail partners or buy their soap by the gallon.
Public Goods: Described as a “one stop shop for healthy, sustainable, everyday essentials you can trust.” This brand carries it all: personal care, household, grocery and pet products. With sleek, minimal packaging and wholesome ingredients, their promise is to make products that are good for people and the planet at an affordable price.
Coconut Bowls: By taking real coconut shells and transforming them into reusable products, this brand is committed to sustainable social and economic practices. Around 99% of coconut shells go to waste, so Coconut Bowls are reclaiming the waste and small pieces of wooden offcuts to turn into bowls and cutlery. They aim to create over 100 jobs for artisans in Vietnam and donate over $500,000 through 1% for the Planet by 2025.
Grove Collaborative: Shop laundry, hand soap, dish soap, shampoo, candles and cleaning products. Grove Collective creates all-natural household and personal products. All of the brand’s products take the guesswork out of choosing good products, as they have to meet their four-point standard. By 2025, Grove aims to be 100% plastic free.
Buffy: This brand is known for its cloud-like bedding but also for its earth-friendly materials. From recycled plastic, eucalyptus and hemp, Buffy is working towards a closed-loop system where everything we take from the earth is reused and replenished. Their mission is to make products that last a lifetime and that are biodegradable or fully recyclable.