‘Tis the season of shopping. People from all over the world are coveting the best deals that money can buy on clothes, underwear, food recipes, skincare & cosmetics, home goods, and more.
As we’re trying to become more responsible for our purchases year in and year out, we often have to choose between buying sustainable and ethical products and watching our budget. As the era of conscious consumption is largely driven by millennials and Gen Z, according to the Nielsen Global Corporate Sustainability Report, companies are being pushed to become more socially impelled and environment-friendly.
When it comes to our spending budget, many of us correlate between ‘sustainable’ and ‘expensive’ because when we buy “green” products, oftentimes, the price tag is higher than with conventional products for several reasons:
- Sustainable products support the human impact on the environment.
- Materials and fabric choices enable shoppers to reuse their items over and over again.
- Some Sustainable brands don’t offer discounts as earnings are donated for good causes and so prices are often higher than usual.
And yet some brands manage to combine both sustainability and budget and we are happy to introduce them here to our eco-readers.
Without further ado…
1. Thought
Thought is a UK-based eco-friendly brand that cultivates a growing collection of sustainable clothing, socks, and accessories available for both men and women. Their affordable pieces are made from natural, organic, and recycled fabrics such as wool, cotton, hemp, Tencel, modal, and bamboo and you can have your perfect items picked for work, a night out, or just a casual out-and-about from a broad sustainable ensemble of garments.
Price range: $$ – $$$
2. Bambeco
With a strong commitment to achieving a net-zero carbon footprint by 2020, Bambeco offers an array of innovative home-goods designs crafted with care from reclaimed, recycled, natural, renewable, and organic materials, from ceramics, glassware, handcrafted habitats, quilts, and more. Bambeco makes it very easy for you to perfectly decorate your sustainable home with efficiency and style and the color range is absolutely whimsical and warm. The shipping is free and for every item purchased Bambeco plants a tree in an American forest.
Price range: $$
3. Amala
Amala is a brand of many meanings that specializes in synergizing beauty with love and respect for the world. In Sanskrit, “the purest.” In Tibetan, “revered mother.” In Spanish and Italian, “love her.”
Amala’s plant-powered and rejuvenating skin care products are certifiably organic and formulated with ingredients such as cocoa beans, Narcissus, and Jasmine that benefit extraordinary results for skin protection and maintenance – wrinkle treatments, hydration masks, purifying oils, soothing creams, and the chemical-free list goes on and on.
Price range: $$ – $$$
4. Everlane
Everlane knows how to intertwine quality and price in an all-star collection of ethical clothes crafted with the finest materials designed to last. Their ethical factories produce a colorful assortment of tees, tops, denim, gifts, and accessories ranging from basics with a twist to posh outerwear fit for both men and women to embellish. Everlane is a firm advocate of transparency between manufacturers and consumers and believes all customers have the right to know how much their clothes cost to make. The brand’s ‘Choose what you pay’ option is contemporary, to say the least – click your desired product and pick your price.
Price range: $$ – $$$
5. Blooming Secrets
Owned and groomed by siblings John and Susan, Blooming Secrets provides people with gardening knowledge as well as offers them personalized and organic gardening products tailored to their capabilities and their local landscaping conditions. So if you do not necessarily have those green fingers but want to learn pruning, planting, grooming, hard landscaping, and garden design, these self-taught experts can show you how. In addition to selling their environment-friendly customized products, Blooming Secrets delivers extensive content on diversified gardening categories, including, landscaping ideas, indoor gardening, weekly tips, and more.
Price range: $ – $$
6. Ten Thousand Villages
Ten Thousand Villages is exactly that, a market-to-market movement connecting makers in ten thousand villages around the world and encouraging intentional shopping for ethically sourced, handmade, and fairly traded wares. When you make a purchase, you’re not only caring for the earth but also ensuring these makers earn a fair living. Shop for jewelry, accessories, home decor, gift ideas, games & hobbies, and even outdoor gear offered for modest prices. 75% off is currently offered on selected gifts and the shipping is free if you purchase over $75. Join the movement.
Price range: $ – $$$
7. The Natural Baby Company
The Natural Baby Company is a family business that specializes in creating chemical-free baby clothes and products. To enrich the environment for our newborns and toddlers, this company strongly stands behind healthy living starting from the food babies eat, the toys they play with, and the clothes they wear. All Nature Baby products are carefully selected for quality, purity, and design and are produced in a way that cares for the earth and its workers. Parents can make educated choices more easily while simultaneously helping nourish and preserve the world their children grow in.
Price range: $$ – $$$
8. Dancing Deer
A company of people who are passionate about food, nature, and aesthetics, Dancing Deer specializes in scratch-baking gourmet goodness. All products are completely kosher and preservative-free as the company strongly believes in the principles of purity and freshness in food. Their professionally designed gift packages are crafted from the highest quality ingredients and maintain a tasty yet whimsical tone on the outside as well as the inside. You can choose your savory gift by occasion, product type, or price and enjoy 30% off all products.
Price range: $ – $$$
9. Boreal Folk
Owned by couple Raphaëlle and Mark, Boreal Folk is an inspiringly ecological small brand located in the Canadian wilderness and operates its entire business on solar. Their face, bath, and body care products are made in a wilderness lab surrounded by thriving plants and Botanics selectively grown to create the purest mixtures for the skin, including the finest oils, plant-based butter, clay, and steam-distilled essential oils. By embracing the healing power of nature, Raphaëlle and Mark can produce highly effective products minimally packaged with recyclable, compostable, and reusable materials.
Price range: $$
10. Gaiam
Roughly meaning “I am earth”, Gaiam is a wellness-focused distribution that offers eco-conscious goods that help balance our lifestyle, fitness, and healthy living. Their yoga, fitness, and wellness products are completely chemical-free and created with pure consideration for the world we live in. Gaiam’s green merchandise is well adapted for every proficiency level from beginners to experts, from their famous cork Yoga mats, durable fitness apparel & accessories to meditation kits and body-recovering care. Just ask Jessica Biel who’s a true advocate of the company.
Price range: $-$$$
We’ll end this environment-friendly list on a thoughtful and supporting note. In our search for our favorite sustainable brands, we came across DoneGood, a passionate company with a powerful mission to make the world a better place by supporting socially and environmentally responsible brands to grow.
As shoppers, we’re spending trillions of dollars buying everyday items. Why not redirect some of this spending to brands that help reduce poverty, save animals, fight climate change, and try to improve the world? That is exactly what DoneGood is all about!
When you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gifts for your friends and loved ones, pay DoneGood a visit and choose great holiday gifts ranging from accessories and apparel, gifts under $50, home & kitchen products, and presents for kids offered by fair-traded and human empowering brands.
You can stay within the boundaries of your budget while making the world a better place.
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