WORLD EARTH DAY 2023: BRILLIANT SUSTAINABLE BRANDS TO TRY THIS YEAR
For Clothing: b.kinda
St Luke’s Hospice was formed in 1982 and it has since offered dignity, care and kindness to tens of thousands of people at the end of their life. The charity’s journey into pre-loved fashion began in June 2022 from a network of much-loved volunteer-run charity shops. In just under 12 months, a pioneering nationwide online retail store has been create - b.kinda, laying the foundation for better living with 100% of the money going to end-of-life care.
For only £15, b.kinda customers answer a few style and sizing questions before members of the team choose the most suitable pieces for them; a mystery box of 4 items of handpicked pre-loved clothing. This gives anyone wishing to wear women’s clothes, no matter what their budget, a fashion fix that is both ethical and environmentally friendly. In the 12 months since launch, b.kinda has sold 5,316 boxes!
For Children’s Clothing: thelittleloop
thelittleloop is the UK’s first circular kids' wear subscription service saving parents time, and money and eliminating clothing waste. Catering to children aged 12 months to 10 years, the business is redefining retail making dressing children environmentally friendly and hassle-free for parents. Their unique offering consists of 18 brand and retailer partnerships that share their ethos such as Frugi, John Lewis, Little Green Radicals and Rachel Riley and most recently Wheat.
The subscription plans range from £18 to £36 a month and the site allows parents access to over 12,000 items of kids' wear. Clothes circulated through thelittleloopget on average five times more wear, reducing their environmental impact by around 83% and their cost by 70% compared to purchasing new. thelittloop offers a range of flexible services including the newly launched personalised edits. Since its launch, thelittleloop has won two Junior Design Awards and Made For Mums Gold Award. Most recently, thelittleloop as won Editor’s Choice in the 2023 MadeForMums Awards.
thelittleloop.com
For Skincare: SACRED
Natalie Hughes created SACRED with a desire to make the naturally effective products she was struggling to find, in a way that is kind to skin and good for the planet. The brand’s plant-based formulations are rooted in the earth, creating a cycle of regeneration from formulation through to packaging. Carefully chosen natural actives are expertly blended with ingredients rich in antioxidants, vitamins and omegas, supporting the skin’s natural processes and strengthening the skin barrier. SACRED wants to change the buying trends in affordable sustainable skincare, opting for considered over impulse buyers. SACRED proves that slow mindful beauty should be and can be for everyone.
For Underwear: WUKA
Founded in 2017 by Ruby Raut, WUKA (Wake Up Kick Ass) was the first in the UK to produce fully leak-proof reusable period underwear that completely replaces the need for single-use pads and tampons. The brand now offers a wide range of award-winning underwear and sportswear to suit different flows, holding up to six tampons worth of period blood; the highest absorbency versus any other period products. The inclusive range offers sizing from XXS, right up to 6XL.
As an environmental scientist, Ruby is 100% committed to ensuring everything about the business and the products is sustainable. From the Better Cotton Initiative, Organic Certified, to Vegan, PETA approved and certified Carbon Neutral+, WUKA underwear is all accredited and designed to be kind to body and planet - just one pair of fully leak-proof period pants can save 200 single-use plastic-riddled disposables from going to landfill or polluting our oceans.
For Bedding: Ethical Bedding
James Higgins founded Ethical Bedding, certified BCorp in 2020 when he gave up his 10-year career in financial technology after realising that it was taking a toll on his health, and importantly, his sleep. Having worked on several ‘side hustles’ over the years, his wealth of experience in e-commerce brands allowed him to create a business that would not only enrich peoples’ lives but fundamentally make the world a better place.
Ethical Bedding is a luxury bedding brand with sustainability at its core. Its high-quality, premium range of products includes organic eucalyptus duvets, sheets, pillows, fragrances and its recently launched NatureCore Luxe Mattress which provides maximum comfort whilst ensuring a minimal impact on the environment. The company pledges 1% of its annual income to global sustainability initiatives and plants one tree for every purchase made – with the aim of planting a total of 100,000 new trees by 2025.
For Kitchens: Rotpunkt
Established in 1930, Rotpunkt is a pioneer in the design and manufacture of climate-friendly kitchen furniture, all made at its main factory in Preußisch. With one mission to zero emission, Rotpunkt has been working hard in the last 5 years to eliminate, reduce and compensate its carbon footprint by offsetting all unavoidable emissions it produces. Creating 100% climate-friendly kitchens, the Rotpunkt ‘Together to Zero’ climate strategy in partnership with myclimate.org is supported by Greenline BioBoard Gen2: a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chipboards, made with up to 90% recycled wood.
The new Memory RI range carries the mark of responsible forestry, which protects our natural resources to provide environmental, social and economic benefits. Cabinets and fronts of the new Memory RI oak veneered doors are the gold standard of eco-friendly kitchen design, offering UK homeowners a greener alternative for both home and planet with 95% of all Rotpunkt kitchens already FSC-certified.
For Taps: Abode
Pronteau HotKey® Profile 3-part 4 IN 1 Antique Brass, £1349 (PT1053)
Abode offer a range of filtered water taps and Pronteau steaming hot water taps that are time saving, water saving and friendly for the planet - there is no need for single use plastic bottles. The Abode Filter Recycle Scheme is 100% unique to Abode, ensuring redundant filters are recycled at the end of the product’s life. Used filters are sent to an approved recycle partner who will oversee the separation of each component part.
For ‘Meat’: Redefine Meat
Redefine Meat is a pioneer in sustainable food, creating delicious, plant-based meat that is good for the environment and kind to animals. Co-founders, Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, CEO, and Adam Lahav, CBO, formed Redefine Meat out of a passion for meat and a devotion to the planet. They searched for a way they could continue to enjoy great meat without harming animals, while helping the environment. Using their backgrounds in technology and printing, they developed new processes that replicate the texture, flavour, and experience of eating traditional meat, but without using animal ingredients.
For Takeaways: DabbaDrop
DabbaDrop is the city’s first plastic and emissions free takeaway, and they will be delivering across all postcodes in Zones 1-3 from 13th April. Founded in Hackney in 2018 by two neighbourhood friends, Anshu Ahuja and Renee Williams, DabbaDrop was born out of a passion for food and community. The stackable dabbas arrive filled with South-Asian inspired food, then swapped on delivery for old ones. All meals are vegan and set menus change weekly, combining quality seasonal ingredients with bold, bright flavours.
The business has a closed-loop model, committed to zero plastics and emissions. DabbaDrop’s expansion has been driven by demand in each area and all deliveries are made on push bikes, Ebikes and electric vans, saving almost 18,500kg of greenhouse gasses from polluting the city.
For Cider: Hawkes
Founded in 2013, and headed up by Elliot Allison, Bermondsey-based Hawkes turns unloved, ‘wonky’, or surplus apples into delicious real-apple cider. Hawkes’ annual drive for apple donations with The Orchard Project allows the cidery to turn ‘waste’ apples from urban orchards into planet-friendly cider. Hawkes’ 2022 apple drive saw them save over 13 tonnes – more than a double decker busload - of apples that would otherwise have gone to waste. Any leftover apple pomace is sent to a bio-digester in Kent to be turned into green energy!
For Whisky: Nc’nean
Annabel Thomas created Nc’nean distillery in 2017, where she began distilling using organic barley and 100% renewable energy. Nc’nean was the first whisky distillery in the UK to be verified as net zero carbon emissions from their own operations, is powered solely by renewable energy, and sources a 100% recycled clear glass bottle – a first for the premium spirits industry. In 2022 the business was certified as a B Corp and its extremely high score went onto secure inclusion as a 2022 Best for the World™ B Corp™ in recognition of exceptional positive impact for its environmental stewardship, ranking in the top 5% of all B Corps in their corresponding size group.
For e-bikes: VOLT
Hand-built in the UK, VOLT is the leading e-bike brand delivering sustainable transport solutions to UK consumers and businesses. VOLT’s extensive range of e-bikes ensures that there’s a bike for every rider with options including hybrid, commuter, off-road, and single-speed bikes. With top of the range features as standard, VOLT e-bikes combine the latest tech with market-leading parts to provide riders with a perfect ride at an affordable price.
Founded by brothers James and Lyle Metcalfe, 10-year old VOLT is on a mission to increase the mass adoption of green transport methods by ensuring that riders can make the move to electric transport with ease.
For Motorcycles: Maeving
Maeving’s RM1 is the first electric motorcycle built in the UK, designed for easy, lightweight urban travel. It marries the quality, desirability, and finish of a high-end British motorcycle with innovative removable battery technology, which makes the bikes as easy to charge as a mobile phone. This game-changing feature eliminates range anxiety and removes the need for a dedicated EV charger to be installed.
Co-founders, Will Stirrup and Seb Inglis-Jones, believe that electrification has enabled them to break down old urban mobility barriers and stereotypes, proving that two-wheelers are the quickest, most economic, and enjoyable way to get around a city. Made in Coventry and inspired by classic British motorcycling heritage, Maeving’s electric motorcycles are elegant and strong, created with the planet in mind.
