As ecommerce businesses continue to grow and expand, it's essential to consider the impact our brands have on the environment. Building a more mindful, sustainable, and eco-friendly ecommerce brand can help to reduce our impact on the planet while also providing numerous other benefits for our business.
Some of the benefits of creating a more mindful ecommerce brand include:
1. Reducing our collective impact on the environment
2. Connecting with like-minded consumers
3. Enhancing our brand image and reputation
4. Boosting our bottom line
5. And so much more!
Taking steps to build a more mindful and eco-friendly ecommerce brand can help us protect the environment while benefiting our business in various ways.
If you're looking for some inspiration for building a more sustainable and mindful ecommerce brand, look no further!
We've compiled a list to showcase some of the best sustainable and mindful ecommerce brands doing amazing things in the industry.
Each of these brands is leading the charge regarding sustainability and mindful practices. Some focus on using sustainable materials, while others focus on ensuring fair working conditions for their employees. And some are working to create a circular economy by ensuring their products can be reused or recycled.
No matter what your focus is within sustainable ecommerce, there's sure to be a brand in this list that can teach you a thing or two about building a more sustainable retail brand and mindful business. So what are you waiting for? Let’s start exploring!
1. By humankind
What they sell:
· dental care products
· hair care
· shower routine products
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
By humankind is playing a significant role in cutting down on single-use plastic, and they are making products necessary for our daily health care routine. But the most remarkable aspect of their business is that they do not put the environment in danger while they source and produce.
By humankind is helping us reduce our need for single-use plastic which is one of the primary contributors to the deterioration of our planet. They are making essential goods that benefit people and the environment we live in.
What you can learn from this brand: reduce plastic use
Try removing or substituting at least one single-use plastic item from your product inventory and packaging to help save our planet.
2. Kimono My House
What they sell:
· Kimonos
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Kimono My House uses organic cotton to produce kimonos that can be used for work around your home, garden, and studio!
Not only that, but they partner with freight companies with sustainable credentials to make all their shipments carbon neutral. They are committed to their Japanese heritage in addition to saving the planet.
What you can learn from this brand: ship sustainability
Mindful customers are willing to pay a little extra for carbon-neutral shipping. Try partnering with a shipping company that trades carbon credits or uses electric vehicles.
3. Christy Dawn
What they sell:
· accessories
· apparel
· footwear
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Christy Dawn is committed to perpetuating practices that show regard for Mother Earth and everyone who resides here. Customers are made to feel like they are part of a family when they interact with this business. This female clothing brand also produces products that harmonise with our environment.
What you can learn from this brand: stick to your values, reduce fast fashion consumption
Always put your brand values into practice and produce your goods in a way that respects Mother Nature. People are willing to pay a premium for brands whose values align with theirs.
4. Reverie The Boutique
What they sell:
· luxury gifts
· vegan products
· clothing
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Reverie proves that luxury can be sustainable. This mindful retailer curates organic, vegan skincare, cruelty-free beauty, homeware, and jewellery from small global brands.
Not only that, but Reverie The Boutique has created gowns that are created by hand in a tiny, female-owned, family-run studio in Unchahar. When you shop from Reverie The Boutique, they plant a tree on your behalf to offset their carbon and restore natural habitats worldwide.
What you can learn from this brand: curate sustainable products
While you might not be able to make all your products, you can still give people access to sustainable and mindful goods through product curation. This is an excellent alternative to starting a dropshipping store of “winning” products that are not made to last.
5. Kaight
What they sell:
· women's clothing
· shoes
· accessories
· fragrance
· body care
· décor
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
This store is a one-stop destination for your sustainable fashion needs, whether it is clothing, skincare, home goods, or accessories.
Kaight has strong business ethics. The products Kaight offers for sale is made following either one or more of their core values, which include:
· products in the immediate vicinity (local)
· high-quality goods
· elimination of waste
· employment of organic textiles and recycled materials
The team deals with their customers with dignity and considers them part of the Kaight family.
What you can learn from this brand: value shopping local
This is a model for other brands to move away from importing cheap and often poorly made items from overseas. The lesson here is to support local businesses and treat vendors and customers like the neighbours they are.
6. Pela
What they sell:
· mobile accessories
· sunglasses
· Other accessories
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
This company has come up with a unique idea. They make compostable accessories and mobile phone covers. They aim to reduce the number of carbon emissions, do more to save water, and produce as little waste as possible.
Most phone accessories are made of plastic. This brand is spreading the awareness that these accessories can be made without plastic.
What you can learn from this brand: innovate and promote new materials
If you currently sell or promote products historically made with plastic, consider adding a non-plastic version to your site!
7. Toad&Co
What they sell:
· men's and women's clothing
· accessories
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Toad&Co is a name that aims for incredibly positive goals for the Earth. There are many things included in their future plans, but a few of them are:
· switching to synthetic materials that are entirely recyclable
· saving 100,000 litres of water per year
· recycling old clothing
· eliminating plastic packaging forever
In the meantime, cotton, hemp, and recycled fibres are some eco-friendly materials this sustainable retail company uses in clothing production, which caters to both men and women.
What you can learn from this brand: use sustainable materials, upcycle
Consider accepting old, worn-out clothes or other items and breathe new life into them, making them usable again. Upcycled clothing is a growing market you can profit from while being part of the circular economy!
8. Beebee+Bongo
What they sell:
· educational toys
· knitted toys
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Beebee+Bongo is a sustainable Cambodian brand that produces eco-friendly toys. The majority of people who make toys for Beebee+Bongo are women! These women have the flexibility of earning money while staying at home, which is increasingly important for employees these days.
What you can learn from this brand: become a social enterprise
Being a mindful brand means caring about the people who make your products. To become a more social enterprise, you can create more equitable work opportunities for disadvantaged groups. Work with ethical suppliers or donate some of your proceeds to social causes. Pick what is important to you and create a roadmap to get there!
9. Babaà
What they sell:
· natural fibre clothing
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
This sustainable brand specialises in the spinning and dying of sweaters and other items made from wool. The best part of this brand is that they collaborate with local shepherds to obtain their wool.
Babaà upholds the value of protecting the environment and preserving natural resources using organic wool and other natural materials. This family-owned brand has maintained this method for the past nine years and is still successfully creating high-quality goods without synthetic wool.
What you can learn from this brand: reduce the use of synthetics
When you have the option of purchasing a synthetic version for your product or a natural one, always choose the natural version.
10. Sharebee
What they sell/swap:
· household items
· children’s clothing
· tools
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Sharebee is an online platform that encourages individuals to borrow rather than make wasteful purchases. This brand has taken the sharing economy to the next level! They help people share the things they don’t need daily and reduce the need to consume new goods. Everyone wins - including the environment!
What you can learn from this brand: discourage excessive consumption
Consider how you and your staff can participate in the sharing economy next quarter. Consider monthly clothing or furniture swaps or even introduce carpooling (if you are going back to the office).
11. Seventh Generation
What they sell:
· laundry
· disinfectants
· cleaners
· dishwashers
· trash bags
· paper products
· period care
· Baby care
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Seventh Generation is an innovative company that specialises in producing cleaning supplies. Their products are bio-based and good for the planet and for your family.
At every step, they formulate products using plant-based and renewable ingredients tested to be safe for the whole family.
What you can learn from this brand: eliminate hazardous materials
Start switching your packaging and containers to be either biodegradable or recyclable.
12. Little difference
What they sell:
· greeting cards
· perpetual calendars
· notebooks
· art prints
· custom designs
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Little difference is a highly impactful organisation owned by a young couple. They deal with paper products like greeting cards and calendars, customised designs, and more.
This organisation's foundation revolves around preserving the planet's forests and plants while exploring its natural beauty.
What you can learn from this brand: implement a “buy one, plant one” model
Promote reforestation by planting one tree for every item you sell. Partner with an organisation already doing this, so you don’t have to start your program. Just be careful that the trees you plant are helping the planet rather than damaging it!
13. SABINNA
What they sell:
· dresses
· jewellery
· bags
· accessories
· coats
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Sabinna is a sustainable retail brand that believes that sustainability should be the primary emphasis of every business and that this focus should extend beyond the product itself. They treat their employees with dignity and respect their efforts.
This sustainable retail leader strives to educate customers and host webinars and seminars to bridge the knowledge gap. They are also very mindful with their manufacturing, trying to keep waste to a minimum and offering compostable products.
What you can learn from this brand: employ minimum wastage, appreciate staff
Aim to produce goods with minimal waste while also caring for the well-being of your human resources.
14. Presca
What they sell:
· men's and women's athletic apparel
· accessories
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Presca has committed to the circular economy. Every item is made of recycled materials, and customers can send back their products to be repurposed. Customers can feel good about preserving the planet without sacrificing quality.
What you can learn from this brand: conserve natural resources, reduce the use of synthetic materials
Eliminate using one synthetic material for your goods: research other comparable, sustainable materials for your next product launch.
15. Green toys
What they sell:
· indoor and outdoor toys
· arts and crafts
· water
· bath play
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
This enterprise produces eco-friendly toys with recycled plastic milk jugs. When recycled milk jugs are used to make toys, energy is saved equivalent to the amount of power needed to run 3000 AAA batteries.
In addition, they are conserving one gallon of water by using a single milk container that has been recycled. They use soy ink for toy ink, a renewable natural resource.
What you can learn from this brand: reusing materials
Make plans to use natural materials to produce at least one of your goods.
16. Waterhaul
What they sell:
· sunglasses and eyewear frames
· litter pickers
· beach cleaning equipment
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Waterhaul transforms discarded waste like end-of-life fishing gear and discarded facemasks into valuable products like sunglasses! This brand proves there can be a solution to the current plastic waste problem! They’ve recently made litter pickers from disposable face masks and called it “retask-the-mask.”
Each year, millions of pounds of plastic waste are thrown into the ocean, and specifically, over 600,000 tonnes of end-of-life fishing gear (or ghost gear) are thrown into the sea. This waste kills marine life and damages the ecosystem long-term - Waterhaul is fighting that! Wauterhaul’s eyewear is designed to meet the demands of this environment and inspire marine conservation.
What you can learn from this brand: create useful products from waste
Take a second to consider how you can create products from materials we consider ‘waste’. Some ideas you can start with are creating floor mats from old tires or bringing new life into old skateboards and making them home decor!
17. Who gives a crap
What they sell:
· dream cloths
· tissue rolls
· digital cards
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
"Who gives a crap" is sustainable retail that has noted how much toilet paper humanity consumes, damaging the environment. So they began creating recyclable toilet paper.
Who gives a crap creates their products from the bamboo plant, and they do not use any dyes or scents on their products. In addition, they contribute to the construction of toilets for communities in need by dedicating half of their profits to help build toilets!
What you can learn from this brand: use sustainable materials
Who gives a crap is modelling how you can produce goods and earn profit even without damaging our planet.
18. Earth Changers
What they sell:
· sustainable travel
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
People love to travel, and that will never change. However, the impact of travel can, and many people are looking for green travel alternatives. Earth Changers makes it easy for people to travel more sustainably and leave a lasting impact.
This sustainable travel company has helped mindful travellers book sustainable tourism trips and connects them with sustainable companies and experiences in food, waste and water, construction, tours, staff pay, and more!
What you can learn from this brand: avoid greenwashing
When offering a service or partnering with another mindful brand, ensure you avoid greenwashing your message and avoiding those who do. Do your research and ensure that your service is sustainable on paper and in practice.
19. Lucy and Yak
What they sell:
· clothing
· dungarees
· bottoms
· accessories
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Lucy and Yak is a brand that started with an idea in New Zealand and now offers sustainable clothing internationally, with their HQ based in the U.K! They are most known for their colourful dungarees. They use organic cotton to produce their clothes and make their clothing from organic cotton. The cotton crop is carefully tended to and kept free of hazardous chemicals.
Their structures are powered by solar energy, and the soil viability is preserved. In packaging, they employ compostable materials. They have an excellent rapport with staff.
What you can learn from this brand: consider people, planet, and profit equally
Try considering a people, planet, profit model where you consider your business's role in improving life for your staff but also helping the planet.
20. Origin Africa
What they sell:
· men's and women's apparel
· accessories
· kid's clothing
· gift cards
What makes them a mindful and sustainable brand
Origin Africa is the only not-for-profit clothing brand and is part of the Slow Fashion movement (in stark opposition to Fast Fashion). They use the sale of their organic clothing to fund sustainable community projects in Africa.
This brand takes sustainability seriously, being mindful of packaging and materials and putting their profits towards the greater good! Not only do they care about environmental impact, but they also make sure that their profits achieve social change in Africa!
What you can learn from this brand: take a holistic approach
Think about how your brand can take a holistic approach to sustainability using the MindfulCommerce Guide (it’s free). One of the easiest things you can do when taking a holistic approach is to give back! Consider your brand’s values and start giving back to a social cause that aligns with those values.
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