When you’re shopping, it’s hard to know which companies are looking out for you and are truly trying to give back to the environment, and which are only hoping to pad their pockets some more. With big megacorporations buying up companies that were aiming to be sustainable and green, it’s hard to even know the true face behind the company anymore.
This is one of the reasons it’s so important to shop small, and local whenever possible. These companies do their part to give back to the environment by supporting organizations and planting trees. When they can, many of the companies also work to give back to people and their local communities.
Check out this list of 31 companies below that give back to the environment. They’re a mix of clothing, household needs, plants, and more, to cover most of your shopping necessities (and guilty pleasures).
1. Dr. Bronner’s
Dr. Bronner’s is a company that produces soaps of all kinds.
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This soap company has a multi-faceted approach to giving back. The company promotes fair trade and organic practices and give back to the farmers and makers in the group to give back to the environment. It also has an in-depth community program.
2. Tentree
Support the environment and have cute clothes with Tentree.
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Tentree promotes slow fashion, instead of the classic and wasteful fast fashion. It also plants ten trees with every purchase.
3. One Happy Leaf
One Happy Leaf makes beautiful jewelry while supporting the environment.
©FotoHelin/Shutterstock.com
Instead of using metals that harm the environment when mined, One Happy Leaf uses much more sustainable bamboo for every piece of jewelry. In addition, the company also plants a tree for every order placed.
4. Thrive Market
This online food company helps you save money and give back to the environment and communities in need.
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Thrive Market gives back to the community and the environment. For every box purchased, Thrive Market gives a box to someone in need. Thrive Market keeps everything sustainable, healthy, and organic and it repurposes items whenever possible.
5. Patagonia
Patagonia focuses on sustainable fabrics.
©Olga Bocharnikova/Shutterstock.com
With every purchase, Patagonia makes sure to give back to the environment. Patagonia even started the program 1% for the Planet.
6. Soapbox
Soapbox makes soaps, body washes, and sanitizers.
©iStock.com/Алексей Филатов
Each purchase from Soapbox assists the community or the environment in some way. The best part is that you can scan the unique Hope Code and see where your purchase went.
7. Ethique
If you need personal hygiene or household cleaning products the most, Ethique has your back.
©Helin Loik-Tomson/iStock via Getty Images
Ethique works with multiple partners to support the environment. With every purchase, it donates two percent of the sale to one of these charities.
8. GreenEcoDream
GreenEcoDream creates sustainable products for your bath and beauty.
©Tatyana Soares/Shutterstock.com
This company gives back to the 1% for the Planet group that Patagonia started. The company specifically make an effort to clean up Miami Beach.
9. Conscious Step
Pick your socks from Conscious Step based on what you want to support, or just want looks the cutest.
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Not only does Conscious Step support the environment and the ocean, it also protects LGBTQ+ rights, supports education, and push to end global food shortages.
10. Toms
The company known as Toms provides all sorts of shoes to fit everyone’s needs.
©adriaticfoto/Shutterstock.com
Toms is most well-known for its one-for-one model, where for every pair of shoes purchased, another is donated to someone in need. Toms also helps with various other community and environmental problems.
11. Ena Pelly
Ena Pelly offers fashionable and simple clothing.
©AMSStudioAMS/ via Getty Images
This company donates to 1% for the Planet, Textile Exchange, and other groups to make sure it does its part and give back to the environment. Ena Pelly also makes clothes more environmentally friendly, such as making faux fur from plastic bottles.
12. Connected Clothing Company
All of Connected Clothing Company’s
clothes
come from plant-based materials.
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At the Connected Clothing Company, 10% of the profits go back to various environmental organizations.
13. Article 22
You won’t find jewelry anywhere else that matches what Article 22 makes.
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Article 22’s goal is to create beauty from things of destruction. By using bombs and funding the demining process, every one of the bracelets helps to demine three square meters, or almost ten square feet of land.
14. The Tote Project
Beautiful totes that give back are what The Tote Project is known for.
©Leonard Mc Lane/DigitalVision via Getty Images
At The Tote Project, 20% of all profits are given to Two Wings. It also helps to support people who are victims of modern-day slavery. Though it doesn’t help the environment directly, helping these communities and selling reusable tote bags does support the larger goal.
15. Guru Sandals
The company Guru Sandals makes a unique line of shoes meant to be similar to those worn by Gandhi.
©Noppakit 77/Shutterstock.com
For every pair of shoes bought, Guru Sandals plants a tree. It also harvests all rubber by hand from local and family-owned farms to reduce the amount of synthetic rubber and harmful farming practices used throughout the world.
16. Ten Thousand Villages
No matter what kind of decoration you want, Ten Thousand Villages is sure to have something.
©Kokhan O/Shutterstock.com
Ten Thousand Villages is a little unique. Instead of giving back, it works to promote opportunities for people to make art and support the environment.
17. Sugar Cane Straw
Straws are often seen as bad, but many people need them for mobility assistance.
©Zenith Pictures/Shutterstock.com
Want to do your part to help the environment, without giving up straws? Sugarcane Straws don’t necessarily directly give back to the environment. However, the company provides straws that are sturdier than paper or pasta, and still good for the environment. Plus, Sugarcane Straws use materials that would otherwise be wasted.
18. Nisolo
Have old shoes? Donate them to Nisolo for credit and to help others.
©Ralf Geithe/Shutterstock.com
Nisolo has an ongoing partnership known as Soles4Soles. This organization helps to provide shoes and clothes to people in need throughout the world. It also serves a dual purpose of helping keep clothes out of landfills.
19. Prosperity Candle
Poorly made candles can destroy habitats and cause oil spills.
©Natic/Shutterstock.com
When you choose Prosperity Candle’s candles, you are supporting the environment with more friendly wax products. You’re also supporting refugees and people in poor living situations in the US.
20. By Humankind
Many beauty products come in single-use plastic containers.
©Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com
By Humankind is a company that works to help the environment by using zero-waste care products. The containers are refilled, instead of bought. It also does as much as it can to offset shipping issues to give back to the environment.
21. Out of Print
If you love reading and accessories related to that hobby, you need to check out Out of Print.
©Oxfordexchange / Wikimedia Commons – License
Out of print focuses on making cute accessories and products for book lovers. It then takes the profits and use them to help donate books and education tools to local communities. This saves books that would otherwise be tossed and helps to educate children so they can make better decisions about the environment.
22. Lemlem
Supermodel Liya Kebede fell in love with the weaving traditions in India and made efforts to support those designs.
©Hyotographics/Shutterstock.com
By funding women in Ethiopia to follow traditional weaving practices, Lemlem supports economic growth in the area. With a more stable economic situation, people can focus on better environmental practices.
23. Proud Pour
You don’t have to give up your favorite
wine
with Proud Pour.
©MargJohnsonVA/Shutterstock.com
Proud Pour helps the local environment. The company has helped restore over 11 million oysters and 68 acres of bee habitat, amongst other impressive achievements.
24. Love Goodly
Get your beauty products and a few snacks with Love Goodly.
©Sofia Zhuravetc/Shutterstock.com
Love goodly works with various charities. The charity changes up every month, so sometimes you’re supporting the environment, and sometimes you’re supporting communities.
25. Flora Animalia
Flora Animalia offers some of the cutest and most environmentally-friendly garden and loungewear available.
©Anne Katherine Jones/Shutterstock.com
All the clothes that Flora Animalia makes are made to be stylish and comfortable. The company also proudly supports Mercy for Animals and Sea Shepherd, both of which aim to help wildlife and habitats and give back to the environment.
26. Stripe & Stare
©Hitoshi Nishimura/The Image Bank via Getty Images
The underwear from Stripe & Stare is not only comfortable and cute, but 95 percent biodegradable. This underwear company also work with Ecologi to plant a tree every order to give back to the environment. In addition to Ecologi, it works with Tencel, PEFC, and GOTS amongst other groups to stay sustainable.
27. Pura Vida Bracelets
The bracelets the Pura Vida company provides are simple but have a lot of importance.
©Aleksey Konstantinovich/Shutterstock.com
With Pura Vida’s help, more than 800 artisans in various countries have a great working environment and steady income. The company also donates to various charities.
28. Who Gives a Crap
Don’t just buy any toilet paper, buy from Who Gives a Crap.
©Annette Shaff/Shutterstock.com
Who Gives a Crap donates towards improving sewage systems and building toilets. This helps people but also prevents contaminants from entering the environment.
29. Wolven Threads
Want clothes to wear to the beach that also helps the environment? Then you need to check out Wolven Threads.
©iStock.com/Aleksandr Zotov
Wolven Threads makes all of its clothes with recycled plastics. The company uses climate-neutral practices during the production and shipping process. Wolven Threads is part of 1% for the Planet and donate one percent of its annual sales back to the environment.
30. Mental Houseplants
Want some cute houseplants? Mental Houseplants does its part for the community and people with every purchase.
©Firn/Shutterstock.com
A lot of Mental Houseplant’s focus is on mental health and spreading awareness, but it supports the environment as well with more sustainable packaging. The company also hopes that down the line, happier and healthier people will do more for the environment.
31. Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is a company known for its outdoor gear.
©Sarah Feaster – License
With a tagline “Gear for good,” is there any surprise that Cotopaxi gives back? Cotopaxi helps to fund education, support communities going through crisis, and make gear that doesn’t have to be tossed into the landfill shortly down the line.
Summary Table of Companies That Give Back
| List Number | Company | What They Sell |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Bronner’s | Soap |
| 2 | TenTree | Slow fashion clothing |
| 3 | One Happy Leaf | Jewelry from bamboo |
| 4 | Thrive Market | Food |
| 5 | Patagonia | Outdoor clothing |
| 6 | Soapbox | Soaps and hand sanitizers |
| 7 | Ethique | Cleaners |
| 8 | GreenEcoDream | Bath and beauty products |
| 9 | Conscious Step | Socks |
| 10 | Toms | Shoes |
| 11 | Ena Pelly | Simple clothing |
| 12 | Connected Clothing Company | Clothes |
| 13 | Article 22 | Jewelry from old landmines |
| 14 | The Tote Project | Totes |
| 15 | Guru Sandals | Sandals |
| 16 | Ten Thousand Villages | Various clothing and artwork |
| 17 | Sugar Cane Straws | More environmentally-friendly straws |
| 18 | Nisolo | Shoes |
| 19 | Prosperity Candle | Candles |
| 20 | By Humankind | Beauty products |
| 21 | Out of Print | Book-based accessories |
| 22 | LemLem | Ethiopian-woven clothing |
| 23 | Proud Pour | Wine |
| 24 | Love Goodly | Beauty and facial care |
| 25 | Flora Animalia | Garden and classic clothing |
| 26 | Stripe & Stare | Underwear and pajamas |
| 27 | Pura Vida Bracelets | Bracelets |
| 28 | Who Gives a Crap | Toilet paper |
| 29 | Wolven Threads | Activewear and beachwear |
| 30 | Mental Houseplants | Plants |
| 31 | Cotopaxi | Outdoor Gear |
The photo featured at the top of this post is © Teamjackson/iStock via Getty Images