Living sustainably is a many-faceted practice that extends to everything, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear and how we live our lives from day to day. That being said, our shopping choices have a massive impact on the planet. Being conscious of how those choices can help—rather than harm—is critical.
Today, we have plenty of eco-friendly online shopping options for goods of all kinds, making it easy to commit to a low-waste or zero-waste lifestyle without compromising convenience and quality.
We’ve compiled a list of nine of our favorite sustainably-minded online stores with a mind to offer something for everyone.
1. Everything But Groceries: Earth Hero
Earth Hero sells just about everything other than food. From clothing to personal care items, home and garden, pet supplies, outdoor living, audio systems, baby stuff, kid’s clothing, and zero-waste products and supplies, they’re all about responsible consumerism and making it easy for people to make more sustainable choices. They are Climate Neutral Certified, a 1% For The Planet member, and a certified B Corp, which means they are recognized as a company whose policies, practices, and performance meets the highest standards of sustainability, accountability, and transparency in every aspect of their business.
2. Organic Groceries: Thrive Market
Thrive Market is an online grocery store specializing in reasonably priced organic, sustainable, and eco-friendly products. They offer a wide range of products, including food, personal care items, and household goods. You get free delivery on grocery orders over $49, delivery is carbon-neutral, and pricing averages about 30% less than you’ll pay for the same items at conventional stores. Thrive is also a certified B Corp. For every yearly membership purchased, they donate one to a family in need. So, you’re not only doing yourself a favor but also helping others. Awesome!
3. Household Supplies: Package Free Shop
If you’re looking for ways to say goodbye to plastic, Package Free Shop is an excellent place to start. Everything they sell is approved by a team of sustainability experts and shipped in recyclable or compostable packaging. They also ensure their vendors and suppliers are aligned to a zero-waste commitment, and even their office furniture and equipment are recycled, upcycled, second-hand, or refurbished. Spray bottles are made from recyclable aluminum and come with reusable spray nozzles to be refilled and reused. Shop Package Free for household items, office supplies, pet stuff, clothing, accessories, personal care items, and more.
4. Lawn and Garden: Eartheasy
Eartheasy is where you go for sustainable lawn and garden supplies, like organic fertilizer, sprays, raised beds, planters, chicken coops and bird habitats made from recycled plastic, camping supplies, and compost bins—basically, everything you need to complete your sustainable household or live your best life off-the-grid. All packaging is reused when possible. They plant a tree for every online order received and promote water conservation in partnership with EPA WaterSense. Packaging is reused when possible and always recyclable or reusable.
5. Bath and Beauty: EcoRoots
Shop EcoRoots for sustainable, plastic-free, minimally-packaged bath, beauty, kitchen, and home products. You’ll find everything from reusable straws to natural skin and hygiene products, cleaning products, and plastic-free, zero-waste, reusable cleaning supplies. Shipping is plastic-free, too, and all packaging is recyclable or compostable. A portion of their sales is donated to Ocean Conservancy or other organizations actively giving back to the planet.
6. Zero Plastic Everyday Living: Life Without Plastic
More than just an online store, Life Without Plastic is committed to helping people ease the transition away from fossil-fuel-derived plastic in every aspect of their lives. You’ll find an alternative here for every plastic product you use at home. They’re also big on educating people about living plastic and waste-free through their blogs and a book. Highlights include beeswax food wraps, plastic-free toothbrushes, food storage containers, and cool zero-waste starter kits to get you going.
7. Organic Cotton Clothing: Pact Apparel
Pact Apparel is a Sustainability Certified clothing retailer partnered with Fair Trade USA, SimpliZero, and the Global Organic Textile Standard. All of their clothes are made from organic cotton, which means they are free from harmful chemicals and pesticides, and use 95% less water in the production cycle. Stylish, sustainable, and innovative, Pact Apparel offers apparel for men, women, children, and babies and includes a line of maternity clothing, underwear, and athleisure.
8. Personal Care and Household: Public Goods
Public Goods specializes in sustainable and eco-friendly skincare, personal care, household products, pet supplies, biodegradable single-use items, and pantry staples like coffee, spices, and myriad food and beverage products, including organic wine. Bottles are made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic, and all orders are minimally packaged and beautifully designed. Their incredibly reasonable pricing makes it easy to make better, healthier choices for our planet and ourselves.
9. Furniture, Clothing, Jewelry: Etsy
Etsy is known as a platform for one-of-a-kind handmade goods, but it’s also a great place to find sustainable and eco-friendly products, including upcycled clothing and furniture. Shop everything from organic skincare and homemade soap to recycled jewelry and vintage or used designer clothing. Even better, you’re supporting small businesses, artists, and entrepreneurs and purchasing unique products you won’t see anywhere else.
Final Thoughts
If you feel like you could be doing more to save the planet, why not reimagine your online shopping habits? Amazon isn’t the only online retailer—and they certainly aren’t leading the pack when it comes to low-waste packaging and carbon-neutral delivery. The retailers we mentioned today are 100% committed to a sustainable future for our planet.
You have many choices to make when it comes to where to spend your money. Choosing sustainably doesn’t have to be hard, but a little inspiration never hurts!
Purchasing from these online retailers means you are not only doing your part in reducing your carbon footprint but also supporting businesses that are positively impacting the planet.
Greenprint Products specializes in compostable single-use disposables for the food services industry, like straws, cutlery, and food containers. Shop our selection today.