Ethical Brands We Buy and Love
We spent a lot of time trying to work out how to title this post and which companies to include as whilst many companies label themselves as ethical or sustainable, the reality is these can have varying meanings and we don’t want to look like we are greenwashing; we struggle enough with companies doing that and we don’t want to add to the confusion.
That said, here is a compilation of companies that we have found over the last few years on our journey to living a more sustainable and ethical lifestyle; these are companies that we love and that work for us. Some of them are high-quality sustainable options that may not have the best working conditions, best methods, or best materials – they may not meet your level of acceptable or be within your price range, they are simply companies, businesses and prices that we have found suit us currently. We are always looking to improve but as we repeatedly say, this is our journey and we are far from perfect.
We hope you find this useful and that it shows you a new business or two that you haven’t heard of before, and we hope this helps you realise that sustainable and ethical shopping is about more than just fashion. As always, do your own research to ensure that who you are buying from meet your standards; it’s not always as straightforward as you may think.
Honu Jewellery
I have wanted some Honu jewellery from the moment I found them and realised that they were an ethical company. I have absolutely adored turtles for many years now (Summer got to go snorkelling with them in Mexico which makes me very jealous) and their cute little turtle necklaces stole my heart.
Honu is the Hawaiian name for the beautiful green sea turtle and their collection, inspired by the sea, goes towards saving this magnificent creature. They have partnered with The Sea Turtle Conservancy and 10% of their profits go to supporting this gentle giant. They never use plastic in their materials and everything I have received as packaging has been 100% recyclable.
Paul thoughtfully got me the turtle necklace and earrings from himself and the children for Christmas. It’s made from solid sterling recycled silver, it had never even occurred to me before I looked at this brand to look at recycled or upcycled silver jewellery before. This is such a bonus to a great little company.
I really do recommend their jewellery, it’s beautiful quality, great delivery and I have received lots of compliments on the pieces I wear. To find out more about them and look at what they have to offer click here.
Seasalt
I first found Seasalt on the Isle of White and I got two of their beautiful dresses not even realising they were sustainable. When I started researching them and found out that they were, I was over the moon. I now have four of their dresses, a jumper, a raincoat (which Summer often steals as she doesn’t own her own!), a tunic top, and two headbands and I definitely plan on getting more when I can.
A lot of their clothes are loose fitted which doesn’t suit my shape so I need to be careful with what I chose but the quality and look of their products are the highest I have found. I have worn the dresses once a week for three years now and they are still super soft and hold their shape. I wear their headbands almost every day and they are the only headbands I have ever found comfortable. I have also managed to get some bits secondhand, which is an added bonus; one of the dresses and the tunic top I got from Facebook Marketplace making those items an extra bargain in sustainable fashion.
Dip and Doze
When we needed new bedding we decided to go for an option that was ethically sourced and made. I will warn you, it comes at a cost, and if I’m honest, it shocked me at just how much it was. We had to save to get two sets of this bedding but I can honestly say it’s the best dang thing we bought for our home last year! It’s so soft and comfortable and in the spring and summer, it’s so cooling during those hot nights.
After a bit of research, we went with Dip and Doze as they use sustainable, organic, and fair trade cotton and their factories meet the global organic textile standards. I sent them a few emails with other questions I had and they were really helpful with their answers, and the sheets themselves are made in India by workers who are paid a fair living wage (in factories with no child labour). If you need new sheets and would like to view these, their website is here.
We don’t have these sheets for our children yet as they are still in toddler beds with toddler-sized bedding. Their bedding is a mix of new and second hand, but once they are old enough to understand why we are buying the special bedding, and know the importance of looking after it, I look forward to buying them their own sets.
Elk and Friends
I found Elk and Friends while on the hunt for smoothie pots. Both of our children are smoothie addicts and have one if not two or three smoothies a day, the issue I was having was giving it to them in a way that they could drink it. They had just turned one and two at the time and it was the middle of summer so they were constantly running in and out of the house. The normal plastic sippy cups didn’t have wide enough straws and the smoothie got stuck, plus it was a nightmare to clean them, and a few rounds of using a plastic cup and cleaning smoothie off the floor had me looking for a better alternative.
These cups are expensive but absolutely worth it. They get used every day, help my children have a really healthy drink, don’t leak and can go in the dishwasher. The straw is designed so they can’t pull it out and is nice and wide so it’s easy to drink from and clean. They also come with two lid options, one for the straw and one just a plain lid so we can use them as snack storage too.
We got the stainless steel pots in yellow, pink, blue, and green and they are so much better than a plastic alternative. They come everywhere with us, from car journeys to picnics to Wildwood adventures and even on holiday.
It’s worth noting that while they are sustainable because they can be reused, and are made from natural materials with no toxins that leach out of them when washed or heated, there is currently nothing on their website about who makes the product. I chose the product because they were the best sustainable fit for our family’s needs, and that’s the best any of us can manage. If you would like to view their products you can find them here.
French Soaps
This is a lovely little UK-based company, set in Harrogate, Yorkshire that was started by two friends that loved the love that goes into French soaps and the beautiful scents they use. As a complete Francophile, I also love French soap. Mama always had nice soap in her bathroom when we were children and this little company’s products are the bees’ knees. When I opened the box of soaps for Mothers Day both Summer and I were reminded of our childhood.
The bars I get are big and full of beautiful french scents. I currently have lavender and verbena and a few citrus ones too. They make your skin feel soft and smooth and leave you smelling wonderful. It feels like a luxury using them, and as a Mama with two small children if I get to wash alone and use them it’s like a spa trip!
They came wrapped in paper and were posted in a cardboard box so apart from a bit of sellotape everything was recyclable. To view their products and find out a bit more about this great small business and how they source their ingredients and make the products you can visit their website here.
Sasstainable
Sasstainable is a small, UK based business offering a variety of sustainable products; their collections now include oral care, silicone bakeware, bamboo cutlery and straws, silicone pouches and collapsible cups. They also give the option to plant a tree with your order, costing an additional £1. You can check their products out here.
Summer has the collapsible cup in pink. It is 100% silicone with a leak-resistant lid and arrived packaged in recycled cardboard boxes with a recipe card for one of brand owner Steph Elswood’s cookie recipes. Whilst their website doesn’t go into a great deal of information about how exactly their products are sustainable, Steph frequently answers questions and such on her Instagram and in a post on the brand’s Instagram page she explains that her vision is about using non-toxic, chemical-free materials that are reliably sourced, with donations from each order going to the plantation which provides them with the bamboo used in their products.
Who Gives a Crap & Oceans
These are the two brands we use for toilet roll, we spoke about them in our recent post Sustainable Swaps for your Bathroom so I won’t go into it again but if you want to know more you can see that post here.
Illustrate
Illustrate are another UK based company that Summer adores. Not only are they FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) approved but their Kid’s Sweatshirts are ECOCERT approved and they now donate on a 1 for 1 basis within their kid’s range, meaning that every time you buy an item for your little ones they will donate a piece to less fortunate children. On top of that, they work with Fair Wear Foundation and the Frank Water charity and have so far planted over 1200 trees with their partnered organisation One Tree Planted.
As for what they sell, their ranges include clothing, artwork, phone cases and lifestyle items, all of which you can find here.
Being completely honest, writing this post has made us both realise how difficult it is to determine if a brand is ethical and sustainable; quite often they state that they are without actually explaining the details of it. So your cotton is “sustainably sourced”, well that’s great, but who is making your items? Are they being treated fairly? And do the means justify the costs? Because a lot of sustainable brands are expensive, and without knowing the ins and outs of what they’re doing to achieve high quality, ethical and sustainable products it makes it harder to invest your money into them and their products – for us anyway.
That said, are there any sustainable and/or ethical brands that you love that you can share with us? Please leave a comment below or over at @foxandlockes as we are always on the look out for more!
Livvy and Summer
