February 22, 2023
•
Get inspired by our list of 30 socially-conscious brands, using Shopify as their platform of choice.
First up, it’s Chilly’s (doing Shopify, Headless). Since founding in 2010, the reusable bottle brand has been sparing the planet of plastic waste, keeping drinks cool and consciences clean.
Next, we’ve got PANGAIA, a DTC materials-science brand bringing breakthrough textile innovations into the world through everyday clothing. Their collections—made by smart tech and as many sustainable and recyclable elements as possible—include antibacterial peppermint, keeping them fresh for longer. PANGAIA are doing their bit for one of the most major polluting industries around: fashion.
Technical and sustainable surfwear brand, Finisterre, are another socially-conscious clothing brand making waves on the platform (since migrating from Magento to Shopify Plus). Finisterre’s commitment to the planet stretches beyond their product catalogue, with social impact campaigns on the go too. What’s more? They also hold the title of the first UK outdoor clothing company to become B Corp certified.
Bombas are a comfort-focused sock and apparel brand founded to address the fact that socks are the top requested item in homeless shelters. The brand keeps a ‘one purchased, one donated’ commitment through which they’ve racked up more than 30 million items, donated to more than 2500 community organizations.
‘Light on your feet, easy on the planet’ is the mantra of New Zealand-American, DTC footwear company, Allbirds. When the brand couldn’t find a yarn that met their standards, they invented their own, ‘Trinto’—combining renewable materials, Tree and Merino (get it?).
Deliciously natural nut butter and B-Corp brand, Pip & Nut, have a purpose to help people love food that loves them—as well as the planet. From developing new products with absolutely no palm oil or unnecessary ingredients, to running events and sourcing new suppliers, Pip & Nut are up there as a responsible business.
Another socially-conscious brand we’ve spotted using Shopify is UK-based, Teapigs. The first tea company to be certified Plastic-Free now boasts B Corp status whilst offering collections of both 100% natural and plastic-free teas.
Next, we have DAME. A London-based B Corp, crowdfunded by 5000 people across 53 countries with one, mutual goal. They’re on a mission to turn menstrual products around: from plastic waste, synthetic ingredients and negative language to products that are sustainable, accessible and acceptable.
Cafin (also known as Catching A Fish In Norway) are a London-based fashion brand who collaborate with young, up-and-coming designers to create premium quality, ethically-made and environmentally-friendly streetwear.
Well-loved for their sustainable dungarees, Lucy & Yak are an independent clothing company with a unique business structure. The brand partners with a solar-powered factory in India to create clothes from recycled and organic textiles, giving them full transparency over their supply chain.
Now, let’s look at the medical apparel retailer that gives back. LA-based FIGS, runs an initiative called ‘Threads for Threads’, donating a pair of scrubs to healthcare professionals in need, for every pair bought on their Shopify store. So far, this helped them donate over 500,000 scrubs across 35 different countries! Not bad.
Ilk + Ernie’s an independent fashion label who purchase, recycle and reuse disposed fabrics cast aside by larger fashion corporations. Waste not, want not. As well as enabling women to shop ethically and affordably, Ilk + Ernie encourage women to dress fearlessly, with vibrant patterns and bold prints throughout their collections.
Meet the UK’s first B Corp jewellery brand and 2019 Sustainable Lifestyle Awards’ "Jewellery Brand of the Year" winner. YALA create ethical jewellery that’s made to last (with collaborators who are paid fairly and materials that are eco-friendly). The brand have small-batch collections made exclusively for them, creating as little environmental impact as possible.
It’s the clothing brand that adds a different kind of personal touch. KNOWN SUPPLY are a Californian B Corp, humanizing the apparel industry through a unique approach. Each and every one of their products is hand-signed by its maker, inviting customers to learn more about the people behind the pieces they wear.
Freshly-made, cruelty-free, and natural are key phrases embodied by skincare and beauty brand, TROPIC. This certified CarbonNeutral® company’s products are freshly made in the UK, mixed with some of the most innovative and effective ingredients nature offers.
RILEY STUDIO is another ethical and sustainable brand sitting within the fashion category. They offer gender-neutral loungewear in eco-friendly fabrics that are made from everything from wood chip shavings to old fishing nets.
Frustrated by the lack of ethical, reliable, and science-backed products available within the CBD market, KLORIS decided to do something about it. They began blending organic ingredients with respectfully and sustainably-extracted CBD. They’re a brand about good science, ethical business, and respect for the environment.
Collina Strada don’t define themselves as a fashion brand, but as a ‘platform for social issues and awareness’. With sustainability at the heart of what they do, the New York brand has a list of eco-commitments, including using 75% deadstock fabrics, switching to biodegradable packaging and keeping manufacturing within the US.
Socially-conscious apparel brand, Girlfriend collective, are helping our planet from product to packaging. Take their Compressive leggings—each pair starts with 25 recycled post-consumer water bottles. These are then crafted into a comfy new garment and shipped away in 100% recycled and recyclable packaging. Ready to be loved—guilt-free.
No aluminium. No parabens. No petrochemicals. No other vague chemicals. No alcohol. No salts. No cheap perfume. No propellants or canisters either (just a bioplastic sugarcane tube, instead). In a biodegradable cardboard box. Still there? Then you’ll probably agree, Nuud are a brand that are changing the deodrant game.
Luxury, convenient and sustainable toilet paper. Bet you didn’t see that one coming? DTC toilet paper brand, Number Two, is helping keep the planet and the people clean, one loo roll at a time. A bathroom alternative that’s better for the environment and flaunts some seriously funky packaging designs, too. We’re all over it!
Next up, sex-care wellness ‘with a feminine side’. HANX was created by a gynecologist and an investment banker. Their commonground? Both tired of women being ashamed of buying sexual health products. Instead, their brand champions womens’ sexual wellness, creating products that are kind to both women and the planet.
New, Scottish sunglasses brand, Tens, is here to help customers look brighter, think biodegradable, and feel better about what’s around them. The brand uses both plant-based and 100% biodegradable acetate (from wood pulp and natural cotton fibres) in their eco-sunnies.
The Citizenry are a bedding and home goods brand with a heart to make a big social impact. Their collections blend modern style with the timeworn techniques of local artisans. And with a commitment to providing fair wages, happy working environments, and sustaining grants, those artisan partners are encouraged to go on and take their craft businesses to new places.
Intuitive to use and beautiful to look at, smart thermostat brand, Ecobee, helps customers maximise comfort and savings without compromising their lifestyles. What’s more, is Ecobee owners share anonymized insights with North America's energy scientists, getting them the data they need to design more efficiently and sustainably. Everyone benefits.
Keetsa’s a San Francisco-based homeware brand with a big social conscience. As well as being a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, Keetsa makes generous annual donations to Operation Smile, funding cleft lip and cleft palate surgery for many children who otherwise couldn’t afford it. The brand also has a ‘Giving Candle’ collection, with which they donate half the proceeds to Charity: water, a nonprofit providing safe drinking water to those in developing nations.
Know of any environmentally-friendly builders’ merchants? You do now. As well as supplying sustainable building materials, Enviro Build dedicates 10% of their profits to sustainable causes.
E Cloth offers premium, microfibre cleaning products that unlock the cleaning power of water (that’s right, no product needed). Benefiting your health, the well-being of your family, and the sustainability of our planet, E Cloth are nailing it.
Ethically-produced clothing brand, Howies, have been making high-quality, lower-impact clothing since they sprung up in 1995. They’ve a commitment to using well-considered fabrics and manufacturing techniques that are easier on the environment.
Now, we finish with Rothys—a brand who, behind their signature shoes and totes, keep shaping a sustainable future at core. The brand’s iconic women’s flats are knitted from a single continuous yarn derived from recycled plastic water bottles. Meanwhile, their bags are a blend of marine plastic and a signature thread, spun from single-use water bottles (45+ million and counting!).
