In my last gift-giving post, I mainly focused on DIYs or things that require no material items. But, I realize that material gifts are still wanted and sometimes often needed. I realized this when someone reached out to me on Instagram with help looking for reusable grocery and produce bags. And that inspired me to write this post.
Why is it important to shop sustainably and ethically?
The main reason is because it helps the earth and it helps everyone in the production chain to make a living wage and get treated with respect. When you avoid fast fashion and other "fast" consumerism, you are not supporting the exploitation of humans. When you avoid cheap, plastic material, you are not supporting plastic pollution.
Chose a brand that will last much longer and even during and after it's use, will not be contributing to the destruction of the earth.
Before we get started...
A huge thank you to Despina from learntoloveourearth.com for collaborating with me again this holiday season. Click here to read her full blog post!
I will cover a few topics of items:
- Clothing and Shoes (1-11)
- Accessories (12-19)
- Water bottles, coffee cups, and more (20-24)
- Grocery bags, produce bags, and more (25-29)
- Kitchen Items (30-34)
- Bathroom Items (35-42)
- Miscellaneous (43-49)
- Shops that have it all (50-60)
Clothing:
1. Green Spirits:
An up-and-coming clothing brand that use natural (vegan) and recycled fabrics in their products. They have several certifications and use low waste shipping. Green Spirits features a wide array of tees and hoodies, but features other products as well (see sections below). Click here to shop! And use code "EMMA10" for 10% off all purchases!
2. Organic Basics:
They are a lovely brand focusing on sustainably created undergarments. Though, don't let that turn you away; they also feature tees, socks, leggings, and other products (see sections below). They even claim that they design everything to last. So, these items are made sustainably and with great care to ensure the best product. Click here to shop!
3. The Green Labels:
The Green Labels is your one stop shop for all things sustainable clothing. With everything from dresses to swimwear and jeans to coats, they truly have it all, including other items (see sections below). They are vegan, made local, reduce waste as much as possible, and keep the production sustainable as well. Click here to shop!
4. Treen:
"A killer wardrobe without killing the planet." You know that this must be the dream place for all eco-friendly fashionistas. Treen also has a wide variety of clothing items including shoes and even featuring other brands. Treen is a proud vegan company that is doing great things. Click here to shop!
5. Woron:
Like Organic Basics, Woron is a company focusing on sustainable undergarments, but also specializing in hoodies, sleepwear, and more. Another vegan company, Woron also using sustainbly sourced materials. Click here to shop!
Here are some big-name brands you probably didn't think were sustainable:
6. Levi's Jeans: focusing on reducing water consumption when creating jeans.
7. Patagonia: sustainably made and made to last!
8. Columbia: beginning production of jackets made from recycled plastic.
Other ways to acquire sustainable clothing:
9. ThredUP: online second-hand shop.
10. Depop: online second-hand shop.
11. Bunz: a trading site.
Accessories:
12. Eco Tools:
This is the link to their brush kit. Perfect for every make-up lover looking for new brushes. This kit is cruelty free, tree-paper free, and made from bamboo, the most sustainable source of wood. Click here to shop!
13. Green Spirits:
I don't need to talk to Green Spirits any more other than just to say that they also have accessories! Precisely, tote bags. This is one of the first sustainably made tote bags I have seen and I absolutely adore mine. It's perfect for groceries, picking up litter, or just every day use. Click here to shop! And use code "EMMA10" for 10% off all purchases!
14. Organic Basics:
Again, this brand was mentioned above so there is no need for me to re-explain why this brand is one you should chose. But, for accessories, Organic Basics offers beanies, scarves, gloves, washing bags, and more. Not to mention, they have men's and women's products. Click here to shop!
15. Stockholm Rose:
They focus on sustainbly made earrings and rings. Each product is handmade in (you guess it) Stockholm and made with recycled silver and gold and sustainbly sourced gems. They aim to made jewelry that lasts. You can even check out their own gift guide here. Click here to shop the rest!
16. Matt & Nat:
While they also boast a wide selection of clothing, I thought they were more fitting in this category. Matt & Nat have almost anything you could want: belts, totes, sunglasses, wallets, and even diaper bags. They are dedicated to being vegan as well as finding new ways to make their products sustainability and eco-friendly. Click here to shop!
17. Loft & Daughter:
They specialize in accessories for yourself and for your home as well. Their store includes things like pillows, rugs, baskets, earrings, bracelets, and more. Loft & Daughter is focused on empowering women in poverty as well as using sustainbly sourced, recycled, and planet-friendly materials. Click here to shop!
18. Votch:
Votch specializes in watches. They are focused on making vegan leather watches, but are also proud to produce watches made with recyclable and renewable resources as well as not including heavy metals. Click here to shop their wide variety of watches for both men and women!
19. Plant Faced:
I chose plant faced originally because they had beanies, ball caps, pins, gym bags, and more, but was intrigued when I saw that they had vegan guides for Osaka and Tokyo. I was blow away when I saw Okinawa on there, that is just so cool to see a brand so close to home! Not to mention, they are proudly vegan and made with organic cotton and recycled materials and have both men's and women's products. Click here to shop!
Water bottles, coffee cups, and more
20. Ello:
Committed to reducing single use plastic, Ella has a wide variety of cups made from wood, bamboo, cork, and silicone. They have everything from water bottles and travel mugs to food storage containers and straws. Click here to shop!
21. Klean Kanteen:
I'm sure if you've been in the zero waste movement for a while, you have heard of this brand. And that is because they are the first stainless steel, BPA-free water bottle. Yup, no plastic involved. They have a range of sizes including cups for kids and even have different selections for their caps and lids. Click here to shop!
22: Stojo:
Made from FDA approved silicone, Stojo is know for their collapsible to-go coffee cups. The cups range from 8-24 oz and in a wide variety of colors and they even sell additional lids and straws in case you need new ones. Click here to shop!
23. Net Zero:
While they also have a large variety of items in their shop, what stood out most to me was the beautiful glass coffee cups. Net Zero also has a selection of collapsible coffee cups and stainless steel water bottles as well as a plethora of other kitchen/travel essentials. Net Zero provides waste free shipping and even plants trees for every order. Click here to shop!
24. Green Spirits:
Back at it again! Green Spirits has a few designs for their stainless steel water bottles. Perfect for reducing waste and spreading the message with their creative designs. Click here to shop! And use code "EMMA10" for 10% off all purchases!
Grocery bags, produce bags, and more
25. Chico Bag:
Though they make other items now, Chico is known for their ingenious design of having a collapsible bag with a loop. This way you can compact your bags for easy travel, can be thrown into your purse, or even hooked onto your keys. They strive to make all of their processes zero waste and can help you in your process as well. Click here to shop!
26. The Better Farm Co:
They proudly make several types and sizes of totes, market bags, and produce bags, perfect for every grocery haul. They strive to make small changes in their lives and encourage you to as well by using their organic cotton bags. Click here to shop!
27. The Market Bag:
Designed to reduce waste, The Market Bag itself is made from waste. The bags are made out of upcycled cotton and the rest are made from organic cotton. This brand is also great for those who want to stray away from white. The Market Bags come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Click here to shop!
28. Your Green Kitchen:
Now that we have bags out of the way, how do you preserve the food you bought? With the Your Green Kitchen bowl/container covers. Coming in a large variety of sizes for all your containers (including casserole dishes!), the covers are handmade. Click here to shop!
29. Stasher Bag:
If you've been into the Zero Waste Movement for a while, surely you have heard of Stasher Bag. They are one of the leaders of multi-use zip top bags. They range in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors for all your needs. Click here to shop!
Kitchen Items
30. The Wild Minimalist:
Here, you can find almost anything your heart desires for your kitchen. Including some crazy items like stainless steel ice packs and stainless steel ice trays, you can also find all your normal items here like stainless steel containers, aprons, utensils, and more. Click here to shop!
31. Sinplastico:
This website really struck me as unique because they offer three languages. They also have some unique items like stainless steel ice cubes and sustainably made pocket knives, but of course they have the average items like plates, straws, beeswax wraps, and so much more. Click here to shop!
Though they certainly have so much more to offer, their kitchen selection is quite fantastic. Including things like linen oven mitts, silicon ice cube molds, wooden bowls, and more, this general store probably has what you are searching for. Click here to shop!
33. Utopian Kitchen:
Instead of pots and pans, Utopian Kitchen offers a new item: nut butters. Including traditional flavors, Utopian Kitchen also includes exotic flavors like chocolate toffee and cinnamon raisin. Click here to shop!
34. Thrive Market:
Your one stop shop for all things kitchen ingredients, supplies, and even cleaners. Here, you can filter by category (to include vegan!) and shop whatever products you might be needing. The only downside is that they are US only. Click here to shop!
Bathroom Items
35. Mantra Kind:
Happy world, happy mind, that's the motto here. Though Mantra Kind has other products, I thought their toothbrushes with little inspirational messages were so cute. ALl of their products are made out of bamboo and they strive to help you reduce waste. Click here to shop!
36. Davids:
Your go-to brand for natural and low waste toothpaste. Free from artificial flavors, preservatives, colors, and sweeteners (and are also vegan), Davids comes in a recyclable metal tube instead of traditional plastic. This is a great option for those of us (yup, me too) that don't like homemade toothpaste or toothpaste tabs. Click here to shop!
37. Wowe:
They also have additional items, but Wowe has a wide variety of bathroom essentials. This includes bamboo toothbrushes, sustainable floss, safety razors, and tongue cleaners. They even have a handy section on how to properly dispose of all of the items. Click here to shop!
38. J. R. Liggett's:
Sure, there are a lot of places to find natural shampoos and other soaps, but you can trust J. R. He has been making soaps since he was five and before the time of petroleum based soaps. So, he stuck to his natural roots and has since created an abundance of products even including shaving foam, travel items, and of course, shampoo bars. Click here to shop!
39. Plaine Products:
Want to help the environment, but not about that shampoo bar life? Well, look no further than Plaine Products. This creative brand ships you shampoo and conditioner in metal containers that you then ship back to them to refill for their next use. They even supply the shipping label! Click here to shop!
40. Raw Elements:
Not quite something you use directly in the bathroom, but this product is still a fantastic toiletry item at home and when traveling. Raw Elements specializes in making environmentally friendly sun screen. This includes tinted, non-tinted, lip, and even special sun screen for babies. Click here to shop!
41. Yay For Earth:
A lovely little brand I discovered on Instagram. Yay For Earth specializes in naturally made lotion that comes in sustainable packaging. It is great for you and for the earth. Click here to shop!
42. Sustainyoself:
A woman owned and operated brand based in the US, Sustainyoself creates natural beauty products in sustainable packaging. Items range from lip balm to body butter and deodorant to face masks. This is your one stop shop for all things sustainable beauty. Click here to shop!
Miscellaneous
These are honorable mentions that didn't quite fit into their own category.
43. Patch:
Patch is exactly that; a bandage "patch" but that is made to be eco-friendly. Made from bamboo and packaged in paper, patch comes in many shapes and sizes. The creator was inspired to create a natural bandage that is good for the earth and for our bodies by omitting chemicals found in most commercial bandages. Click here to shop!
44. Nimble:
Creating portable battery packs made out of plant-based materials. Nimble makes a wide variety of battery packs and even wireless pads, iPhone accessories, and phone cases made from plant-based materials or recycled plastic. Protect your phone, and the earth. Click here to shop!
45. Pela Case:
If you'd like to read my entire Pela Case review, click here. But, Pela is a company I love and support. They are the world's first compostable phone case made entirely out of wood pulp. They have expanded since then to create eco-friendly screen protectors, other accessories, and even sunglasses. Click here to shop!
46. Eco Nuts:
You probably think I'm nuts, but I use nuts (rather, berries) to wash my clothes. These nuts are natural and are compostable at the end of their life. But, Eco Nuts also boasts a wide variety of other products to include dryer balls, liquid detergent, and other natural cleaners. Click here to shop!
47. Buncha Farmers:
A lovely farm store-esque brand with homemade, natural laundry products, lip balms, skin creams, bar soaps, and even (this one stood out to me) stain remover. It comes in a bar to reduce water usage, is all natural, and comes in paper packaging. Click here to shop!
48. Sprout:
A lovely pencil company with big ideas, Sprout is a company at the forefront of the sustainability movement and strive to help more people care about the natural world. These pencils are designed to be planted at the end of their life versus thrown away. Click here to shop!
49. Decomposition:
You've probably heard of composition notebooks. How many of them did you use growing up that were probably made from virgin trees and you probably didn't even use all the pages? Yup, guilty. But, forget the guilt with Decomposition notebooks. These notebooks are made with 100% post consumer waste and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, styles, and designs. Click here to shop!
Shops that have it all
These are brands that literally have almost anything you could look for. From every day items like utensils, cups, water bottles and such to more unique items like ice cube trays, kitchen gadgets, rags, and more. I will not be explaining each brand, but rather just listing them. Enjoy!
52. Zero Waste Store
53. Earth Hero
55. Eco Roots
56. Earth Easy
58. Preserve
59. Bambu
60. Green Toys
There ya have it! 60 brands that offer a wide variety of items. I hope this guide helps you shop for your loved ones this holiday season, throughout the rest of the year, and maybe even help you dive deeper into the sustainability movement.
If you have any questions or brands you recommend, please leave them below!
Until next time, remember that the small changes you make have a big impact in the long run.
- Emma
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