The oft-forgotten R’s of living green?  Repair. Repurpose. Reinvent.

But if you can’t repair, repurpose or reinvent (and if you simply must buy!), consider supporting brands dedicated to sustainability.

These 10 companies walk the walk by selling quality products AND upholding eco-friendly practices.

Take a stand! With every purchase and with your dollars, support sustainability.

GREEN CLEANING

_____

1. Seventh Generation

Shop at a specialty supermarket? Chances are you’ve spied countless Seventh Generation products in the Household Aisle. That’s because the company is vocal about its efforts to keep chemicals out of the water supply and therefore boasts dozens of biodegradable, plant-based cleaning products. Their laundry detergent is free of dyes and additives; their surface cleaners are toxic-free.

Seventh Generation also sells chlorine-free personal items and natural lotion baby wipes, so you may have seen their cutesy logo in the Beauty Aisle, too.

FUN FACT: Ever wonder where the company got its name? Its mission is to, “nurture the health of the next seven generations.”

_____

2. Norwex

Norwex has countless dedicated customers, and for good reason: cleaning with just a microfiber cloth and water sounds too good to be true. But this Norwegian company has revolutionized “cleaning without chemicals” by making it reality.

Norwex offers a host of products not limited to microfiber cleaners: I’m a fan of their cloth napkins made from recycled materials (but don’t feel like it).

_____

3. The Unpaper Towel

There’s a dedicated drawer in our kitchen for my rag collection (rags eliminate the need for paper towels, of course!).

If you don’t have a spare drawer – and don’t want to display your (unappealing) rags atop the counter – The Unpaper Towel may be the sustainable solution you’ve been searching for.

Choose from a variety of cute fabrics then the company will custom make 12 reusable cloth towels snapped together. Weave this around your existing paper towel holder, and voila! They’re exactly like paper towels without that inconvenient disposable quality.

Because they’re terry cloth, The Unpaper Towel is extremely absorbent. Best of all, it’s completely washable and reusable.

BATH & BEAUTY

_____

4. Lush

Ever wonder why this shopping mall staple boasts such a loyal, vocal following? Easy: Lush is committed to minimally packaged, cruelty-free products.

While Lush sells everything from shampoos to fragrances to massage bars to bath bombs, my favorite product is the shampoo bar (Think: shampoo in the shape of soap) because it works well and eliminates the need for pesky plastic packaging.

Lush offers free products to customers who bring back empty product packaging, too.

FOR PETS

_____

5. West Paw Design

3 stars for creativity go to West Paw Design for creating ultra-durable pet beds with stuffing made from recycled plastic bottles.

Their dog toys, too, are made from recycled plastic. Other toys and bed covers use organic cotton, hemp and catnip.

West Paw’s products are packaged entirely in recycled paper with soy-based ink.

CLOTHING

_____

6. Patagonia

Patagonia doesn’t just make high-end outdoor clothing and equipment from recycled and organic materials. They also make sustainability cool and have paved the way for other brands to follow suit.

Patagonia is committed to the longevity of their products: they’ve built repair centers for their clothing and equipment around the world.

Their corporate philosophy is “100% For the Planet” and gives 1% of profits to environmental preservation groups.

_____

7. Green Babies

Green Babies believes children deserve pesticide-free apparel. As such, they’ve been selling 100% organic clothing for 25 years.

The company upholds strict standards for the materials used in their products which include clothing for newborns, babies and toddlers in addition to organic bedding.

EDIBLES & DRINKABLES

_____

8. Numi Tea

From tracking carbon emissions during production to 100% eco-friendly packaging, Numi Tea is dedicated to sustainability at every stage of the sourcing, making and selling process.

Even better, their teas are 100% organic, which means they’re pesticide and herbicide-free.

Numi uses biodegradable filter paper (instead of traditional nylon used by competitors). They’re also paving the way for whole-package composting by working to launch the first non-GMO packaging and overwrap material.

_____

9. Clif Bar & Company

According to their website, Clif Bar & Co. aspires to, “make food with organic ingredients, baked with renewable energy, packed in eco-friendly packaging and delivered by transportation that doesn’t pollute.”

All their facilities are operated on green power and they recently opted for 100% recycled paper board in packaging.

While the company still has ways to go in terms of sustainability, they’ve made this list because they have a cohesive and transparent plan to get there.

_____

10. Keurig Green Mountain

Thanks to those single-use pods and their collective detrimental impact, Keurig founder John Sylvan has publicly regretted having invented the machine.

Still, Keurig Green Mountain follows a comprehensive sustainability plan. 3 out of the 4 pod types are currently recyclable, and the company is working toward zero waste to landfill status to reduce their carbon footprint.

Join the Community! Sign up for our monthly newsletter.

[contact-form to=”mamaminimalistboston@gmail.com” subject=”eco-friendly brands we love “][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][/contact-form]