Photo: West Elm
With so much variety of products in the home market today, it’s tough to know which brands to shop when considering the health of our planet and future. The greenwashing trend is still in full effect, and sometimes a new home purchase can feel like a contribution toward global production waste. The solution? Shop cleaner and greener.
This Earth Day, consider supporting a brand that aims to give back, whether it’s donating proceeds to an environmentally focused nonprofit or a collection that celebrates the world’s wonders. If you’re redecorating this spring, check out one of these 20 retailers that give back to the planet and create sustainable home decor.
1. Uncommon Goods
Photo: uncommongoods.com
If you’re in search of new home decor and want to give back while shopping, head to Uncommon Goods. The retailer has been donating to nonprofits since 2001, claiming to have given over $2.8 million to date. With every purchase you make at Uncommon Goods, $1 is given to a Better to Give partner of your choice, which includes plenty of environmental nonprofits. Note: If you’re a Perks member, Uncommon Goods will give $2 per purchase.
2. West Elm
Photo: westelm.com
Major home retailer West Elm has introduced a sustainably sourced section to its site for those wanting to protect the world. Many of its items—like rugs, nightstands, and benches—are crafted from materials that have approval from the Forest Stewardship Council and the Better Cotton Initiative, as well as the Fair Trade Certified stamp of approval. Rest assured that that new media console you’ve been seeking was made with sustainably sourced wood and a water-based finish.
3. Our Place
Photo: fromourplace.com
The internet-famous Always Pan and Perfect Pot from Our Place aren’t just aesthetically pleasing—they’re also produced with a healthy planet in mind. Our Place kitchenware is manufactured through fair labor practices and a layer of storytelling that introduces the factory workers and artisan crafters of its pieces to the consumer. The cookware also avoids using nontoxic, nonstick ceramic coating without chemically toxic materials like PFOAs, PTFEs, lead, cadmium, toxic metals, and nanoparticles.
4. Parachute
Photo: parachutehome.com
Rugs, blankets, table linens, mattresses—everything at Parachute claims to be sustainably made. According to the brand, it will be completely carbon-neutral by Earth Day 2022. It also hopes to introduce a circular economy buyback program later this year, ensuring that its organic and recycled goods get another life at serving a home.
5. Coyuchi
Photo: coyuchi.com
Since 1991, Coyuchi has been making home goods with our planet at the forefront. Not only does it rely on organic and recycled materials to make its products, but Coyuchi also practices a circular economy, in which it buys back its own products, refreshes or recycles it, and uses those materials again. Many of its bedding products are Made Safe certified, without the use of harmful toxins or chemicals, helping you keep the planet healthy while you sleep. Plus, right now in honor of Earth Day, you can take 20% off select products site-wide.
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6. Joybird
Photo: joybird.com
Joybird offers several items for the home that are sustainably sourced and produced, and it’s even partnered with One Tree Planted to help reforestation for our planet. With every order placed at Joybird, the company donates money to a nonprofit that helps restore biodiversity across the globe, planting new trees at forests that have suffered from degraded land and wildfires. The retailer also claims its products are made with responsibly sourced wood, while some of its items use organic and recycled materials.
7. Bearaby
Photo: bearaby.com
For a functional, hefty weighted blanket made for nap time, Bearaby has you—and the planet—covered. The company’s knitted blankets come in multiple weights and are made of sustainable fabrics, like velvet, organic cotton, and Tencel. Best of all, Bearaby is certified by third-party organizations that help the company maintain green business practices, like The Forest Stewardship Council, which ensures the company is utilizing efforts that helps protect forests and animals, and the Global Recycled Standard, which minimizes environmental impact and ensures Bearaby maintains responsible social, environmental, and chemical practices.
8. Stasher Bags
Photo:stasherbag.com
Stasher Bags makes our favorite reusable storage bags and gives back to the planet at the same time. Each year, the company pledges 1 percent of all sales to nonprofits dedicated to protecting the environment. It’s also previously partnered with organizations like the Surfrider Foundation and Coral Reef Alliance Plus to help preserve and keep plastic out of our world’s oceans. Plus, by buying a Stasher bag, you’ll be doing your part in eliminating the need for single-use plastic bags.
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9. Made Trade
Photo: madetrade.com
From eucalyptus-made duvets to loungers made from sustainably harvested teak wood, all of Made Trade’s home goods and furniture are elegant, thoughtful, and most important, ethically produced. The brand works with artisans from around the world with considerations to labor conditions, fair wages, materials used, and much more. Not only does Made Trade carry upcycled, recycled, and organic goods, it also uses carbon-neutral shipping to eliminate packaging waste, and as of 2021, it’s officially Climate Neutral Certified, meaning it’s removing as much CO2 from the atmosphere as it is producing.
10. MiiR
Photo: miir.com
If you’re shopping for reusable drinkware, consider MiiR. From camp cups and tumblers to cleaning brushes and coffee canisters, MiiR’s stainless steel products help give back to the community and environment through grants for nonprofits. The brand delivers annual impact reports for full transparency, donates to 1% For the Planet, and is both a Certified B Corporation and Climate Neutral Certified.
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11. Clare
Photo: clare.com
Paints sometimes contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are carbon-containing compounds that are emitted as gasses and pollute the air. These contribute to both ozone and indoor air pollution, and in the case of VOCs like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes can pose a serious threat to human health. If you’re looking for a less toxic solution to indoor paints, Clare offers zero VOC paint, which is defined as containing less than 5 g/L of VOC content. Its paints are also Greenguard Gold Certified, which is low emitting and contains fewer pollutants, contributing to healthier indoor air quality, helping you breathe easier.
12. Goodee
Photo: goodeeworld.com
Goodee is a seller of unique home decor, and it’s as eco-friendly as its goods are interesting. The Certified B Corporation is Climate Neutral Certified, donates 1 percent of all proceeds to 1% for the Planet on a yearly basis, and relies on natural and recycled materials whenever possible. Goodee also shows a list of causes you’d be supporting with any item you buy so you can feel good about that new item for your home.
13. Medley
Photo: medleyhome.com
Medley furniture is eco-friendly and made with clean, sustainable materials when possible. The wood is Forest Stewardship Council certified, while the foam is made from certified organic natural Dunlop latex and CertiPUR-US-certified foam, which is a clean synthetic foam made with low emissions. No worrying about toxic chemicals either—all pieces are polished with natural beeswax.
14. Minna
Photo: minna-goods.com
Home decor brand Minna, as it says, believes in “using business to do good.” At Minna, you’ll find ethically made and eye-catching modern products for your home, made with sustainable materials and sometimes made to order to help reduce waste. If you’re interested in seeing where exactly your new basket or desk came from, you can also follow that route of transparency via Minna’s website.
15. The Citizenry
Photo: the-citizenry.com
The Citizenry makes “home goods with a soul and story,” meaning it places the planet and its people at the forefront of its products. All of its pieces, from furniture to mirrors and kitchenware, are made 100 percent fair trade and through the use of natural and organic materials. You can shop for sustainable pieces that are made with low carbon emissions and zero waste and even find textiles free of harmful chemicals and toxins.
16. Verve Culture
Photo: verveculture.com
As the world continues to move toward mass production, Verve Culture’s mission is to not allow artisan crafts to die. Verve Culture asks artisans from around the world to supply significant cultural and traditional items found in the kitchen, like juicers and handcrafted knives, specifically for the retailer. Not only can you learn the stories from each artisan maker, but all of the retailer’s kitchenware is also handmade from sustainable materials, like recycled aluminum and bamboo.
17. Armadillo
Photo: usa.armadillo-co.com
Armadillo has been creating environmentally responsible rugs since 2009, using natural materials and energy-efficient processes to craft products with less waste. The brand prides itself on its slow design, which it says helps encourage conscious consumption and promote bringing mindful items into the home. Armadillo is also recognized as Australia’s first-ever rug brand to become a Certified B Corporation.
18. Accompany
Photo: accompanyus.com
From linen throws to alpaca blankets, Accompany sells handmade traditional goods from local artisans, which helps support small villages and Indigenous communities around the globe. All items are guaranteed fair trade, and Accompany claims it provides clean, healthy working conditions for its employees, as well as having a hand in creating a sustainable community.
19. Kazi
Photo: kazigoods.com
Ethically handcrafted and sourced from Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, and Tanzania, Kazi makes beautiful goods perfect for your kitchen, bathroom, and living space. Most of its items are handwoven by local weavers for a textured, natural look achieved through organic dyes and sustainably sourced fibers. Kazi is a solid place to find natural earthy accents for your home.
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20. Loomy
Photo: loomyhome.com
Loomy is a haven of eco-friendly rugs. The company relies on artisans with generations of experience to naturally dye raw materials and hand loom its thread. It also has plenty of vegan options that use a combination of plant-based materials and recycled water bottles to mimic the feeling of wool.