When making everyday purchases, it may be hard to make environmentally friendly decisions. We tend to pick well-known name brands rather than products that might be healthier for us and better for the environment. Instead of choosing the most popular brands, you may want to consider purchasing products from these eco-friendly companies.
Beauty Products
Lush- Lush is a store that sells fresh, handmade cosmetics. Lush is great because they fight animal testing, practice ethical buying, use 100% vegetarian products, everything they sell is fresh and handmade, and they avoid packaging as much as possible, using only recycled materials when they have to. Lush can be found in most malls or you can order their products online.
Burt’s Bees- Burt’s Bees is committed to natural materials — from their 99% natural formulas (about half of their line is 100% natural), their Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) packaging, and their commitment to preserving animal and human rights with free-trade and fair working conditions. Burt’s Bees biggest goal is to be “the greenest personal care company on earth,” which they’re hoping to achieve by 2020 with a variety of initiatives — including becoming a carbon-free company that operates on 100% renewable energy. They want no waste in landfills, and they want their manufacturing facilities to be LEED certified.
Clothing
H&M Conscious Collection- H&M recently released a new collection, aimed to be more eco-friendly. Their new line of clothing is supposed to be more environmentally conscious, made from local and sustainable fabrics while still remaining relatively cheap.
ReUse Jeans- The jeans made by ReUse are crafted from 80% recycled fabric, keeping unnecessary waste out of the landfill. With prices under $100, this collection of uber trendy jeans offers a range of styles from skinny to flared, colored to moto chic. All ReUse jeans are finished with fashion-forward, non-toxic wash treatments and accentuated by handcrafted detailing and signature touches.
One Mango Tree- One Mango Tree’s cute and casual collection of tops, tees, skirts, shorts, dresses and accessories range between $30 and $60 and are made from locally sourced and organic fabrics. One Mango Tree garments are made by artisans and underprivileged members of the community in Northern Uganda that are in need of employment. One Mango Tree works with these artisans to provide design assistance and training, alongside the ability to successfully sell their wares to a global market.
Food
Numi Organic Tea- Numi Organic Tea produces exotic, premium organic and fair trade teas to the United States. The company is rooted in the principle of creating a healthful product that nutres people and protects the planet. Their products are USDA certified organic, made with 100% herbs, fruits, flowers, and spices with no artificial flavorings or fragrances. Their production facility is powered by solar energy and they purchase renewable energy credits to offset emissions from supply chain. Their outer packaging made from 85% post-consumer waste and soy-based inks. The tea bags are made from biodegradable filter paper.
Newmen’s Own Organics- Newman’s Own was created by 1993 by Nell Newman in order to offer organic coffee and healthy snack foods. Their foods are free of refined oils and trans fats and contain no GMO’s. Their ingredients come from organic farms certified by Oregon Tilth. They support minimizing pollution and are against the depletion of nonrenewable resources and hazards to water and air quality. The Newman’s Own Foundation has given more than $200 million to thousands of charities worldwide since 1982.
Written by Alyssa Lemire, Class of 2017
Photo by _chrisUKBy: _chrisUK
Beijing Eco Wall Art (Graffiti-Art), painted close to the Forbidden City in central Beijing, China
Picture Source: www.flickr.com