In a world increasingly conscious of its environmental footprint, the quest for sustainable living has never been more urgent. This urgency has given rise to a new wave of brands that are not just committed to sustainability but are embedding it into the very fabric of their business models. From fashion to food, from personal care to pet products, these brands are redefining what it means to be environmentally responsible.

In this blog post, we will explore some of the best sustainable brands that are leading the charge in creating a greener, more ethical world. Each of these brands, in their unique way, is contributing to a more sustainable future, whether it’s through innovative use of materials, ethical sourcing practices, carbon-neutral operations, or supporting environmental causes.

Best Sustainable Brands To Start Shopping With

From selecting renewable materials to working with ethical factories, these sustainable brands are fighting climate change one business decision at a time. Here are our favorite sustainable brands this year.

1. August

August, a brand that sells 100% organic cotton menstrual products, is on a mission to make women’s periods better for them and the environment. Their cotton is sourced ethically from farms in Mesin, Turkey, and they have built in a 10% profit-sharing program where they fund organizations in the period-advocacy and carbon offsetting spaces. The brand is on a mission to create an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable period-positive community.

2. Paka

Paka Apparel, a sustainable fashion brand, is changing the organic material apparel game with their alpaca fleece clothing items. The material Paka uses to create their clothing is 100% plastic free, so they don’t contribute to the microplastic endemic that’s plaguing the oceans. Alpaca farming is also much more planet-friendly than sheep and goat since they’re raised in smaller herds and emit less harmful gasses into the atmosphere. On top of this, Paka Apparel uses manufacturing practices that contribute to less carbon emissions and offers the ability for shoppers to offset any remaining emissions associated with their order.

3. Zegna

Zegna is a luxury brand that was founded on sustainable principles. The brand is so intertwined with sustainability that they own and fund a nature preserve in Italy called Oasi Zegna. The preservation of this reserve helps offset the carbon footprint of Zegna while also protecting the ecosystem of various species. They also try to minimize the waste created by their manufacturing processes as much as possible and have begun selling faux leather products made of more sustainable materials.

4. Mananalu

Mananalu is a bottled water company, started by actor Jason Mamoa, that’s on a mission to eliminate plastic bottle waste from the planet. The brand’s bottles are made from 100% aluminum, which are 100% recyclable. They also source their water from places like Montana and Nebraska in order to keep traveling distances short and ecological disturbance at a minimum. To top it off, the brand offsets the carbon emissions associated with the production and shipping of their goods to ensure their operation is completely carbon neutral.

5. JuneShine

JuneShine is a hard kombucha brand that says they started the company because of sustainability in the first place. Some of their sustainable initiatives include donating 1% of all sales to 1% For The Planet, powering their brewery with 100% carbon-free solar energy, and treating their wastewater before feeding it back into the system. They also source their raw materials from certified organic, local producers and try to minimize their waste in every aspect of their business.

Read the JuneShine case study to see how EcoCart help JuneShine become a a truly sustainable brand.

6. SnackTBH

TBH likes to refer to themselves as the sustainable alternative to Nutella. Their hazelnut spread is palm oil free, unlike Nutella, which is a huge relief to the environment as anyone who knows anything about palm farms is aware. They also use recycled plastic for their jars, ship their products through a company that replaces the fibers used in their boxes 20x by planting trees, and have implemented manufacturing and warehousing practices that lessen their overall carbon footprint.

7. Craftspring

Craftspring is a craft brand that is dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs and preserving artisanal traditions. They carefully source their sustainable materials to ensure they’re fair trade and eco-friendly, and they ship all items in recycled packaging. The brand also uses clean renewable energy in their store and office and offsets any remaining carbon emissions created by their team. All of this on top of offering carbon neutral orders.

8. Tentree

Tentree is a clothing brand that has built their entire brand around sustainability. Not only do they manufacture and ship their clothing with as sustainable practices as possible, but they also offer a variety of other services that enable sustainable shopping behaviors. These services include a green loyalty program where they award points for taking sustainable actions, an app to track your individual impact, and offsetting subscription packages that enable them to fund offsetting initiatives on your behalf!

9. Atoms

Atoms shoes are built to be more comfortable and sustainable than your average shoe. First off, they use vegan yarn instead of wool to minimize their environmental impact. Secondly, their shoes are 99% recyclable and they refrain from using any water in their dying process. They are also working on creating a trade-in program in order to facilitate a circular supply chain. Of course, they also offer carbon neutral orders on behalf of their customers.

10. Goodbuy Gear

Goodbuy Gear is on a mission to sell baby products as sustainably as possible. The sustainable brand leans into the circular economy by enabling parents to sell and buy second-hand things for their children. In addition to encouraging new parents to minimize the carbon footprint of buying gear for their children, Goodbye Gear also offsets the carbon emissions of orders by partnering with the Global Forestry Project through EcoCart.

11. UNITY Wellness

UNITY’s process of extracting their CBD from hemp is the most sustainable option available. They use a chemical-free CO2 extraction methodology, which is the gold standard in the industry. They also ship their materials in recycled boxes that use recycled inserts, and their products are plastic-free. 

“Glass bottles offer a more premium feel to our products but are also recyclable,” Phene Wardlaw, CMO & Co-founder of UNITY. “Some of our customers use them when they make fresh juice at home, as a reusable water bottle, and some even use them for candles and flower vases.”

12. Monday Swim

Monday Swimwear is a high-quality women’s swimwear brand that creates original, timeless styles. Their commitment to sustainability is highlighted by their recycled materials collection. This collection of swimwear is made from newly developed environmentally friendly fibers mostly made using recycled PET bottles. It is considered one of the most eco-friendly fabrics available because it reduces our carbon footprint by decreasing CO2 emissions.

13. Molly Mutt

Sustainable pet brand Molly Mutt was founded with the goal of building sustainable dog beds that hold up to a lifetime of washing, wagging, and wear. Their products are inherently sustainable due to their longevity, they will last for years, reducing the frequency of purchasing. They offer repair patches to extend the life of their products as long as possible. Molly Mutt dog beds come with a fillable mesh bag that forms an upcycled mattress for the beds—just stuff the bed with old pillows, blankets, and clothes. This prevents more textiles from ending up in landfills while providing a comfy bed for your pets. Molly Mutt beds are made with 100% cotton canvas material for easy cleaning. Simply remove the stuffing and wash everything—the recycled textiles and the cover—and you’re good to go. 

Read the Molly Mutt case study to learn how EcoCart helped this brand become more sustainable.

14. See Kai Run

Children’s footwear brand See Kai Run makes fun and fashionable shoes that are made with the finest in materials and craftsmanship. See Kai Run is dedicated to sustainability and reducing their environmental impact. Their 422 collection uses a majority of recycled, eco-friendly materials that maintain our high standards for fit, feel, and performance. Their factories are also certified as Higg Compliant for Responsible Sourcing. Developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the Higg Index enables brands, retailers, and facilities to accurately measure and score a company or product’s sustainability performance.

15. Christy Dawn

The fashion industry is responsible for about 10 percent of global carbon emissions, thanks to fast fashion brands taking over the ecommerce industry. Luckily, more and more fashion brands are seeking sustainable solutions for their products and supply chain. One of the most sustainable fashion brands leading the way is Christy Dawn.

Sustainable women’s clothing brand Christy Dawn uses a variety of organic and deadstock fabrics to produce quality pieces. Christy Dawn has an impact page that highlights their commitment to reducing carbon by way of offsetting. With EcoCart added, Christ Dawn is “carbon positive” meaning when a customer selects EcoCart at checkout, they are essentially doubling the amount of carbon being offset. In addition to offsets, Christy Dawn has a land stewardship program where customers can invest to cover the cost of farming cotton regeneratively by using beneficial farming practices that increase biodiversity, sequester carbon, and regenerate the ecosystem at large.

16. Nuzest

Nuzest is a nutrition company that provides clean, high-quality protein and supplements. Sustainability is inherent to Nuzests’s products. Their protein powders use a pea protein isolate sourced from Belgium. Pea protein is a more sustainable form of vegan protein than other protein-rich crops that can be damaging to soil or require an inordinate amount of water to grow successfully. Nuzest sells its goods in canisters made from HDPE, which is a type of plastic that is easiest to be recycled and most widely accepted in most places by recycling centers. 

17. Equator Coffees

Equator Coffees works to ensure that every step in their supply chain is equitable, sustainable, and beneficial for all involved. They source their distinctive coffees directly from producers committed to excellence, sustainability, and responsible farming. Equator pays fair prices for their coffee and offers robust benefits to all employees. As the first coffee roaster in California to be a Certified B Corporation, they’re committed to using their business as a force for good.

18. Ancient Nutrition

Ancient Nutrition brings the best of the past, and the future, to create nutritional products that are good for your body and the world. Ancient Nutrition uses ingredients that are good for your body, and sustainable. Their ingredients are chosen based on their bioavailability and grown in traditional and eco-friendly ways. They dedicate 1% of all revenue to the R.A.N.C.H Project (Regenerative Agriculture, Nutrition and Climate Health). All of the accessible waste material and by-product created when we produce our fermented collagen is composted and used to grow other crops. Ancient Nutrition works with local restaurants to compost food waste, diverting it from landfill and reinvesting it into the earth. Each initiative reduces greenhouse gasses by avoiding emissions, reducing waste, and sequestering carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere.

19. Jade Yoga

Jade Yoga is focused on creating sustainable yoga products. Their yoga mats are made from natural rubber, which is both the most eco-friendly and best-performing yoga mat you can get. They plant a tree with every mat sold, and since 2006 have planted over 1 million trees. Jade Yoga uses U.S.-based production, so they can be sure of what is going into their products–as well as how workers are treated. Made in the U.S. allows for assurance of compliance with U.S. environmental, consumer safety laws, worker safety, and wage laws. Jade Yoga also works to support various causes and organizations, for example, every Earth Day a portion of sales goes to an environmental group our community helps select, and on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, they give a portion of sales to help support abused children.

20. Detox Market

The Detox Market curates clean beauty products that are cruelty-free and formulated from exceptionally pure ingredients. The Detox Market developed the Earth CPR Initiative as a sustainability roadmap to achieve their goals of being carbon negative, planting at least 2.5 million trees, and inspiring others to follow suit—all by 2025. So far they have planted 474,083 trees since 2020. In addition to working to make their stores, offices, and shipping warehouses carbon neutral, they also have partnered with EcoCart to offer carbon neutral shipping, and their products are plastic neutral as well. 

21. Thousand Fell

Thousand Fell, a sustainable fashion brand, creates closed-loop footwear. Thousand Fell makes vegan shoes from coconut husk, sugar cane, and recycled bottles, these can be sent back when they’ve reached end-of-life and turned into a brand new pair. They’re committed to sustainable design by sourcing materials with lower energy, water and carbon footprints. They source materials as close as possible to their factory to limit transportation. Thousand Fell incorporates previously recycled materials and naturally regenerative materials into new products. They work to reduce waste and pollution across the entire manufacturing process.  

22. Pangaia

Pangaia is an apparel brand that is at the forefront of innovation in sustainable fashion. The sustainable clothing brand has implemented practices such as upcycling carbon emissions into textile printing ink and harvesting natural wildflowers as an alternative to animal down for insulation in their winter coats. They also use their own proprietary materials, which source cellulose from plants that are less harmful to the planet than mass-farmed cotton, to manufacture their clothing. The sustainable clothing brand’s 2022 impact report details exactly what the brand has done to become more sustainable throughout the year, from working with ethical factories to sourcing responsible materials.