15 Sustainable Women-Led Brands To Support
EcoChit
5 years ago, co-founders Lauren Cousins and Meagan Siddall launched EcoChit, a brand of eco-friendly receipt paper designed to help save our planet!
Standard receipt paper contains chemicals such as BPA/BPS in the thermal coating and are non-recyclable. These chemicals are harmful to our health and can contaminate recycling streams if recycled. Most are made with a single-use plastic core which can contribute to the growing ocean-plastic problem. EcoChit gives businesses the option of a safer and more eco-friendly alternative. EcoChit is;
- 100% BPA & BPS free
- Fully Recyclable
- Plastic-Free
- A member of 1% for the planet
This truly is a product with a purpose– EcoChit is designed to help create awareness about natural climate solutions while giving businesses a simple way to support them. This is done through a unique custom print which is featured on the back of every receipt a customer receives. Each case of EcoChit sold contributes to the regeneration of critical ecosystems. Customers that use EcoChit have the option of supporting Reforestation or SEAforestation (the planting and restoration of underwater kelp forests).
They are offering 10% OFF to New Customers with Code WOMENSDAY23 at their website below!
Switching to EcoChit is a simple step a business can take to showcase their support towards a sustainable future, directly to their customers. Staff will be proud to hand out EcoChit receipts and customers will appreciate learning how your business is prioritizing people and the planet.
HuHa
Meet Alexa, the founder of HuHa.
Alexa knew something needed to be changed in creating underwear that was better for both the wearer and the planet. Too much underwear on the market is ill-designed with irritating fabrics, trims and unbreathable synthetic materials.
How HuHa is Good For The Planet:
TENCEL™ and smartcel™ sensitive are the cornerstone materials that make up every pair of Huha’s.
These tree-derived materials, the latter spun with soothing mineral zinc oxide, are award-winning fibers derived from sustainably managed forests and/or made from FSC-certified wood. In addition to the low environmental impact of the harvest and production process, the fibers are biodegradable and compostable at the end of their lifetime.
They are offering 10% OFF with the code HUHARAOG10. at their website below! [Expires March 15th]
Good For Our Bodies:
Compared to polyester, synthetics, and even cotton, there is less available moisture formed on the surface of TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers for bacteria to grow. This helps inhibit bacterial growth which can help prevent recurring infections. HuHa innovates their collections backed by the science related to intimate health. Their collections are inclusive for every body, are extensively tested across their 2XS-3XL sizes.
Stream2Sea
Stream2Sea is the ONLY eco-conscious, biodegradable, performance-based mineral sunscreen and body care product line proven safe for freshwater fish, saltwater fish and coral larvae.
They are a woman-owned, Florida-based manufacturer that provides everything from mineral-based sunscreens, shark-free squalane to plant-based, chemical-free sanitizers. Stream2Sea products do not contain any ingredients known or suspected to harm our blue planet.
Their founder and formulator, Autumn Blum, is a renowned ocean-advocate. Leading the global movement to ban toxic sunscreens, Autumn testified before the USVI government and presented to the National Science Academies. She has testified numerous times and influenced notable bans of toxic ingredients in Hawaii, the Florida Keys, the Virgin Islands and other tourist destinations that have been negatively impacted by chemical-based personal care products.
Along with being proven safe for aquatic environments, all their products are safe for our bodies as well. All of their formulas are enriched with their own potent antioxidant-rich blend of: wakame seaweed, tulsi (holy basil), green tea and olive leaf that protect and nourish from head to toe. Inline with their mission, they actively avoid known endocrine disruptors and chemical ingredients that can not only impact water ecosystems but also cause bodily harm to users.
All of their products are biodegradable and available in either recyclable sugar cane resin packaging or PCR plastic (from recycled milk jugs).
The Green Jar
Twin sisters, Tannis and Mara Bundi have been living a low-waste, eco-friendly lifestyle since childhood. Their mission is to eliminate single-use plastics and household waste by offering package-free, plant-based, Canadian-made products at their business The Green Jar!
Located in Toronto, Ontario, customers can bring their own container to the refillery to fill up on a curated collection of of personal care and household products to make package-free purchasing easy. With every order, they support tree planting through their partnership with Our Forest.
Their store contributes further to supporting waste reduction and the circular economy by acting as a community hub for collecting materials for recycling.
- Textile Recycling: They hosted 3 day event with Clotho Inc. to collect textiles for recycling and they collected a whopping 2,756lbs of textiles!
- Single- Use Plastic Take-Out Containers: They have collected over 20,000 #5 black plastic containers through a program with CASE Reuse which helps keep these items in use or are diverted from the landfill for recycle.
- Earthhub: They are a hub for collecting items like pill bottles, pull tabs from creamers, lids from milk and soda bottles, as well as coffee bags for reuse.
DivaCup
CEO of Diva International Inc., makers of the DivaCup, Carinne Chambers-Saini knew from an early age that she wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps, both as an entrepreneur and an advocate for women’s health. In 2003, she joined forces with her mother to develop the DivaCup.
The pair began Diva on a shoe-string budget, working from their kitchen table and facing an uphill battle to establish themselves in a male-dominated industry. Their product often rejected by industry experts as an unwanted threat to the
disposables. But they pushed on.
Twenty years later, DivaCup has completely innovated the industry, taking the concept of menstrual cups from niche to mainstream.
Diva International Inc. is a Certified B-Corp prioritizing people and the planet over profit. In partnership with Terracycle, they have launched North America’s first menstrual cup recycling program. Their head office is Bullfrog Power-ed. This means that Bullfrog Power’s generators put green electricity and green natural gas onto the grid and pipeline to match the amount of conventional electricity and green natural gas used by their head office.
Zazubean
Zazubean originated on a pedal-powered adventure of a group of women to an island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. They noticed that everyone in the group packed their fave chocolate to help keep their energies and spirits high for the demanding journey.
A conversation sparked surrounding quality chocolate, including a prevalent question: Could a chocolate out there swear by ethical standards, and be both healthy and crazy yummy?
After returning home from the cycling expedition, Tiz — Zazubean co-founder — inspired by the quest, began formulating an amazing high-quality chocolate with super powered ingredients. As a physiologist, Tiz was interested in pushing the boundaries of traditional chocolate to develop nutritionally dense recipes that support an active balanced lifestyle.
Tara, fellow co-founder & serious chocophile, joined forces with her passion for social justice and expertise in sustainable business development to bring Zazubean to life! This powerhouse team had the perfect balance to create their uncompromisingly delicious, fairly traded, organic chocolate bars that are good for the planet, good for the growers and good for you!
Zazubean’s chocolate is:
Organic
Fair Trade Certified
Vegan
Gluten-free
Soy-free
Kosher
and DELICIOUS!
The Grocery Outlet
Food waste is BIG problem – but The Grocery Outlet has been providing a solution since 1998, helping the planet and saving you money for over 20 years!
The company was founded in Whitby in 1998 by two Sisters, Carolyne Boiani and Pamela McGibney.
They identified a source of food waste in food distribution from products such as:
- Products deemed “IMPERFECT” due to cosmetic imperfections
- Excess of supply
- Packaging changes or promotional material that is no longer current
- Discontinued products
The Grocery Outlet recognized the food waste problem with retailers, and decided to combat that issue by carrying these such products, and by doing so are able to keep costs low, saving the consumer money.
Doo Doo's Bakery
Watch the video below where Diane talks about the surprising origin of her famous butter tarts, and how they help reduce food waste!
EcoEnclose
EcoEnclose is the world’s leading provider of sustainable e-commerce packaging.
Their primary purpose is to develop and continuously improve packaging that helps people ship as sustainably as possible. This includes materials circularity and regenerative materials production.
EcoEnclose does not compromise on sustainability and they do the work of keeping up-to-date with and spearheading innovations in sustainable packaging options.
We offer many packaging options you can’t find anywhere else, including Algae Ink, Zero Waste Shipping Labels and Stickers, and 100% Recycled Poly Mailers.
Watch the video below to get to know Saloni Doshi, CEO of EcoEnclose.
Simply Natural Canada
Meet Sherrie from Simply Natural Canada (SNC), pictured here in November of 2022 celebrating their 5,000th order in 5 years of business. SNC began as an artisan soap company and has expanded to include a wide range of low-impact, non-toxic consumables to help you transition to a more earth-friendly lifestyle.
(SNC) is all about sustainability with a focus on Canadian brands and Canadian-made products (where possible). They offer plastic-free Canada-wide shipping as well as convenient local pick-up.
From personal care products to cleaners, Simply Natural Canada is here to help you simplify your life while taking care of the planet for future generations.
Sherrie at Simply Natural Canada has an especially close connection to the Random Acts of Green community. Sherrie provided mentorship to our founder Jessica Correa in the early days of formulating the social enterprise now known as Random Acts of Green. Learn more about the RAOG origin story here.
TWIG
TWIG is online eco-boutique that will assist you in reducing everyday waste like single-use plastics.
Co-founders Lindsay (pictured here) and Sandra “believe strongly that when many people collectively choose to make small changes, the impact is HUGE!”
The store offers green alternatives for waste-less living
Their products are:
Reusable
Eco-friendly
Locally sourced and made
When you shop at TWIG you are not only supporting this small female-led business but the many local makers, entrepreneurs and creatives who make the products they carry.
They are members of Ontario Made, Random Acts of Green and they are proud to be powered by Bullfrog Power which makes sure that the electricity that is being put on the grid on our behalf is from renewable resources.
The Wine Shoppe on Park
The Wine Shoppe is a second generation family owned and operated business. Sisters, Jennifer and Sarah carry on the operations started by their parents in 1997. They are a craft winemaking shoppe with the highest quality grape juices, expert winemaking services and top of the line equipment.
They have connected with a local Survivors Abreast chapter that helps collect corks for recycling through Jelinek Cork, a cork recycling facility in Oakville.
Jelinek turns them into cork boards, cork flooring and building supplies, buoys, dock floats and more!
Here are some other Green Acts The Wine Shoppe on Park has implemented:
Their customers reuse all wine bottles over & over again They’ve installed LED Lights Unlike most stores in the wine industry, they do NOT use a bottle washing machine that wastes thousands of gallons of water every month They are reducing their paper waste by offering to email customer receipts instead of printing on paper They reuse plastic bubble wrap, and all non recyclable shrink wrap, plastic kit wrap and other packaging fillers that they receive in their incoming orders to cushion their outgoing shipments
Nature Knows Inc
Meet Andrea Watson of Nature Knows Inc.
One crunch, at a time, they are helping people move to more fresh and sustainable food options. They provide an array of fruits and veggies that are:
Pre-Washed, All Natural
No Preservatives, Nut Free & Gluten free.
Nature Knows uses unique plant-based compact compostable packaging made in Ontario that:
Reduces waste,
Keeps food fresh up to 50% longer than prepared items commonly found packed in plastics.
A cost they feel is minimal compared to the cost of the plastic impact on our environment.
Eco Dog Care
Eco Dog Care creates products that are enriched with natural ingredients that contribute to your dog’s health and wellbeing while keeping the planet green.
Founded in 2011 by sisters Karen and Jane, this eco friendly line carries dog-care products that skip the RUFF chemicals and are free from:
Alcohol Parabens Phthalates Sulfates DEA’s Harsh detergents Synthetic colours Fragrance
These products are just as good for you and your dog as they are for the environment.
Eco Dog Care is:
- Green America Certified
- Environmental Working Group Skin Deep databse Cross-Checked
- Handcrafted with love in small batches in the US with 100% label transparency
- Deeply committed to supporting local dog rescues
The Green Hair Spa
Since 2009, Salon owner, Jessika Guy and the crew at The Green Hair Spa have been dedicated in offering exceptional eco-luxury services and a mindfully curated selection of green beauty products.
The Green Hair Spa is an award-winning environmentally conscious hair salon and green beauty shop located in downtown Stratford Ontario, Canada. They specialize in plant based, ammonia-free hair colour and organic beauty products.
They are members of Green Circle Salons: an organization committed to helping salons dispose of their waste in a safe and environmentally conscious way.
This eco-friendly salon even offer a ride-your-bike initiative! Inviting guests to ride their bike to their appointments, in exchange for $2 off their service.
Supplies Matter!
The Green Hair Spa’s colour mixing bowls are made locally by Freighthouse Pottery.
They use reusable & degradable foils by Paper Not Foil they are made from construction waste.
They have been Bullfrog Power-ed since 2010 which means that for every kWh of electricity The Green Hair Spa uses, a kWh from a pollution-free, renewable source is put on the grid on their behalf.
We hope you enjoyed reading about these women-led businesses leading in sustainability! Would your community enjoy this read? Easily share this blog to your platforms with the buttons below!
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