Image: Ettitude
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Ethical & Sustainable Women-Owned Brands
As consumers, we can have a significant and lasting influence on the planet simply through the brands we choose to support. For instance, opting to buy from sustainable brands that divert waste from landfills, donate to local communities, and minimize their carbon impact helps bolster these earth-friendly practices while keeping profits away from corporations that cause harm to people and the planet.
Similarly, supporting sustainable brands that are also women-owned can have a major impact on women’s abilities to close the gender pay gap, foster equality and diversity, and create a more balanced future for all. If you’re looking to support more women-owned businesses this year that also have a sustainable mission, these 10 brands are a great place to start.
10 Sustainable Women-Owned Brands:
1. Ettitude
Ettitude is an innovative home goods brand that makes clean, hypoallergenic, breathable bedding designed to foster healthy sleep while helping the planet. Their patented fabric is a lyocell made from organic bamboo—a regenerative product that grows faster than it gets harvested and sequesters more carbon than trees. Ettitude also has a 100% traceable supply chain and is Oeko-Tex certified and climate neutral in addition to being a certified B-corporation.
Their line of bamboo bedding includes linen and signature sateen fabrics, and their bath products include waffle towels and bathrobes that are luxuriously soft and free from chemicals. Their waffle weave towel fabric absorbs water faster than cotton and is designed to get softer over time, so you know they are a good investment. All Ettitude products are meant to last, so they will continue to help your family live more sustainably while reducing toxin exposure and helping the planet.
2. Clevr Blends
Clevr Blends describes itself as “a mission-driven, women-led wellness brand” intended to bring the magic of plants to everyday people. They create adaptogenic superlatte mixes that are filled with ethically-sourced ingredients like organic ashwagandha, lion’s mane, and reishi, along with probiotics and organic oat milk and coconut milk. In addition to being transparent about all of their ingredients, Clevr donates 1% of their revenue towards their Food Action Fund, which helps fight food justice and create change in the local food system in Santa Barbara where their blends are made.
Their lineup is designed to simply mix into water or milk, and it includes chai, coffee, London fog, and mocha superlattes that are perfect for bringing both calm and ease to busy mornings. In addition to their wakeup drinks, Clevr Blends also makes sips for nighttime routines, such as their sleeptime superlatte, which contains chicory root, L-theanine, passionflower, and hops, among other ingredients.
3. Everist
This hair and body care brand aims to create low-waste beauty essentials that are healthy for people and the planet. Their products are plastic free and come in aluminum tubes or tins, which can be recycled or reused. They make it easy to track the impact of every product, where you can assess the carbon emissions and waste impact, as well as instructions on how to recycle.
Everist’s hair care products themselves are innovative because they don't contain water; instead, their products are highly concentrated and designed to be mixed in your wet palm while in the shower. These tubes boast 50+ washes, so they’ll last longer and use significantly less water than the average shampoo bottle. All Everist products are free from unnecessary ingredients, including parabens, sulfates, and silicones, and they are cruelty-free, vegan, and carbon neutral.
4. Poplinen
Poplinen is a sustainable clothing brand made by and for women. They intentionally create body-inclusive designs that help make all women feel their best when wearing their clothes.
Poplinen’s founder, Desiree Gaitan-Buchanan, is on a mission to create eco-friendly, comfortable essentials that foster greater representation in sustainability among minority women.
They aim to reduce the amount of textiles in landfills by encouraging low-waste cutting techniques and directing customers to their resale platform, where over 1,000 pounds have already been diverted from the waste stream.
All of their products are made in the USA and the company has made and set fair labor standards that align with international standards. Their cotton and tencel sweatpants, linen pajama sets, and jumpsuits are known for being lightweight, breathable, and true to size.
5. Subset
Subset is a women-owned brand that creates sustainable undergarments via a transparent supply chain.
Founders Cayla O'Connell Davis and Lauren Sagadore brought their experiences in sustainability and product development to Subset with a mission to reimagine comfortable organic cotton essentials that elevate daily life.
Their annual impact report provides a comprehensive look at all of their effects over the years.
Subset’s line of underwear, bras, and loungewear is made to be comfortable and flattering, with organic cotton that’s ethically grown and sourced.
They also have robes, socks, and matching sets for men and women, with gender-neutral options.
Subset partners with SuperCircle to invite customers to send in their undergarments of any kind, from any brand, where they can be recycled in exchange for a $15 credit.
6. C&Co Naturals
This organic, plant-based based company based in Asheville, North Carolina takes a clean, small-batch approach to skincare.
Their line includes facial products like cleansing milk, clay masks and facial polish, plus herb-infused moisturizers, cold cream, and rose serum. C&Co’s founder, Christi Apodaca, founded the company with a mission to create PH-balanced and lipid-based products that are affordable, yet made only with high-quality ingredients that nurture and protect the skin.
Their seed to skin initiative ensures a transparent production process where they also share a comprehensive list of all their ingredients and where they’re sourced from, such as Canadian aloe vera, Croatian chamomile, French green clay, and many more that are ethically sourced from sustainable farms, and never toxic or chemical-based.
This brand is also leaping bunny, cruelty-free, and living wage certified, in addition to being searchable on the Environmental Working Group’s website with a low toxicity rating.
7. Maisonovo
If you’re seeking a sustainable home goods brand that can streamline your space while reducing plastic waste, Maisonovo is an ethical business to support. This women-owned, Brooklyn-based company creates intentionally-designed cleaning products, including refillable soap dispensers with foaming soap tablets, which come in multiple different scents and last an average of six to eight weeks. They also have glass spray bottles and countertop soap dispensers with trays that look elegant, but help minimize the amount of plastic use in your home.
Maisonovo carries Swedish dishcloths, which are a highly-absorbent alternative to paper towels that can be reused many times.
These dishcloths come with peel and stick wall clings for easy hanging and access, and they are available in a variety of cute designs that are especially fun for inspiring kids to get sustainable while they help out around the house.
8. FarmboxRx
FarmboxRx Founder and CEO, Ashley Tyrner, has long been on a mission to advocate for underserved communities by bringing them fresh, healthy food that can help them thrive.
FarmboxRx is a brand that partners with community organizations to provide people in need with comprehensive wellness programs that include not only access to healthy food, but also increased access to essential health exams and post hospital discharge regimens designed to prevent readmission.
Their recently launched maternal health program is aimed at expecting and new mothers, helping them improve prenatal and postpartum health before and after their child’s birth, while also fostering education on how food can be used as medicine to advance their families’ health and foster justice.
9. Treadwell
Treadwell is a women-owned natural skincare and self care brand located in New York’s picturesque Hudson Valley. Founders and sisters Emily and Claire Loughran have a philosophy that simple, clean botanical ingredients can create a lavish and sensorial experience that helps us slow down and become more connected with ourselves and the world around us.
Their small but mighty product line includes a deeply-nourishing body oil with just six ingredients, including olive, kukui nut, grape seed, and rosehip oils, along with frankincense and patchouli scents. They also make fragrance roll-on scents which easily win against the toxin-filled name brand perfumes and instead rely on 100% pure essential oils and jojoba seed oils, some of which are organic. Their products are plant-based, non synthetic, and cruelty-free.
10. Bite
Bite is a sustainable oral care brand founded by former surfer Lindsay McCormick, who wanted a better alternative to plastic toothpaste tubes. To keep these tubes from polluting the ocean and filling up landfills, Bite created a line of products that were featured (and funded) on Shark Tank. They have since kept 250,000 pounds of plastic waste from the ocean.
Bite’s signature products are toothpaste bits trusted by dentists and free from chemicals. Bits come in a refillable glass jar that contains 248 servings, which lasts about four months. Another benefit of using bits is that they’re foaming without the use of sulfates and offer a perfect portion size every time. Bite publishes a full impact report across key categories that include their environmental impact and their labor practices, among other areas.
About the Author
Michelle Polizzi is an independent writer and storyteller with 7 years of experience creating content online. Her writing has appeared in leading publications like Bitch, WELL+GOOD, Insider, and Healthline, and she covers topics like sustainable living, mental health, and intersectional feminism. Currently, she's pursuing an MFA in creative writing.
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