With the growing concern for our planet, more people in the UK are looking to make eco-friendly choices. Shopping sustainably is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and support ethical practises. This guide will introduce you to some of the top eco-friendly shops in the UK, making it easier for you to find products that align with your values.
Key Takeaways
- Ethical Superstore offers a wide range of eco-friendly products, from food to beauty items, and allows you to philtre by specific values like fair trade and vegan.
- &Keep provides sustainable household items and personal care products, focusing on reducing plastic waste.
- Friendly Turtle donates 5% of its profits to charitable causes and offers a variety of eco-friendly products.
- Forrist is the UK’s first online plastic-free supermarket, offering organic and plant-based items in reusable or compostable packaging.
- Big Green Smile is a major online retailer for natural, organic, and cruelty-free products, ideal for bulk purchases.
Ethical Superstore
Ethical Superstore is one of the original ethical and eco-friendly shopping stalwarts in the UK. They offer a vast range of eco-friendly products. From food and drink to cleaning supplies, clothes, toys, and health and beauty items, they have it all. To make shopping easier, Ethical Superstore allows you to philtre products by various ethical values. Whether you’re looking for fair trade, organic, plastic-free, palm oil-free, vegan, or UK-made products, you can easily find what suits your needs.
One of the standout features of Ethical Superstore is their commitment to sustainability. Your package arrives quickly and is packaged in recycled and repurposed materials. This ensures that your shopping experience is as eco-friendly as the products you buy.
&Keep
&Keep, based in Dorset, offers a wide range of eco-friendly, reusable, and sustainable products. Most of their items are plastic-free, and if plastic is used, it’s BPA-free and kept to a minimum. Their commitment to the environment extends to their business practises, using completely plastic-free packaging and recycled materials whenever possible.
All products from &Keep are cruelty-free and not tested on animals. Additionally, they regularly donate to environmental causes and charitable organisations. For a discount, you can sign up for their newsletter to receive 10% off your first order or use the code ‘andkeep5’ for 5% off at checkout.
Friendly Turtle
Friendly Turtle is an online zero-waste shop offering over 1700 sustainable, eco-friendly products to help you live a greener life. From plastic-free beauty products to eco-friendly cleaning supplies and reusable items for life on the go, Friendly Turtle makes it easy to make sustainable swaps.
To avoid greenwashing, all of Friendly Turtle’s products adhere to the following values:
- Handmade
- Plastic-Free
- Natural Ingredients
- Made In The UK
- Recycled Materials
- Vegan
- Makes A Social Contribution
- Animal Cruelty-Free
- Organic
Your purchases also give back. Friendly Turtle donates 5% of its profits to charities or social enterprises.
Forrist
Forrist is the UK’s first online plastic-free and ethical supermarket. Everything they offer is organic and plant-based. They combine the ease of a supermarket with the zero-waste idea, making it simple to shop ethically.
On Forrist’s virtual shelves, you can find pantry essentials like plastic-free teas, spices, pasta, and grains. They also offer plastic-free cleaning products, zero-waste health and beauty items, and eco-friendly gifts. All these products are delivered to your door in reusable or compostable packaging.
I recently tried Forrist and loved the experience. Everything arrived beautifully packaged, making buying household essentials feel like a treat!
Use the exclusive discount code FORXWENDY20 at checkout to get 25% off your purchase.
Big Green Smile
For eco-friendly household products and toiletries, another great online shop to try is Big Green Smile. From make-up and beauty products to natural cleaners and baby care, it is one of the biggest online retailers of natural, organic, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly products in the UK. I stop by Big Green Smile particularly when I’m looking to buy bulk products, such as washing up liquid or soap. I find the prices really reasonable and there are often some great promotions running.
Bookshop.org
When it comes to buying books online, Bookshop.org is the place to go. This online bookstore’s mission is to financially support local, independent bookshops. On Bookshop.org, you can shop at your local bookshop or from a specific bookshop – such as Lighthouse, a queer-owned and women-led independent community bookshop based in Edinburgh. Your chosen bookshop will then receive the full profit from your order.
If you don’t have a specific store in mind that you’d like to support, then your order will contribute to an earnings pool that will be evenly distributed among independent bookshops. In fact, Bookshop.org gives away over 75% of its profit margin to stores, publications, and authors.
What’s more, Bookshop.org is a certified B-Corp. This means that Bookshop.org meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
Content Beauty
Content Beauty offers a carefully selected range of natural and organic beauty brands. These brands avoid many controversial skincare ingredients. If you’re curious about what they skip, there’s a detailed list available on their website.
One of the best things about Content Beauty is that none of the brands they stock test on animals. They also don’t use third-party animal testing. This means you can shop with confidence, knowing that the products are cruelty-free.
Content Beauty isn’t just about skincare. They also sell ethical clothing, vintage clothing, recycled and handcrafted jewellery, fairtrade and vegan shoes, books, and zero-waste living products. It’s a one-stop shop for all things eco-friendly.
If you sign up for their weekly newsletter, you can get 15% off your first order when you spend over £40.
Bower Collective
Bower Collective is a one-stop eco-friendly shop offering a wide range of sustainable household and personal care items. They specialise in refillable products for laundry, cleaning, and health and beauty, along with stylish refill dispensers. This approach helps you live a low-impact life.
To reduce waste, every Bower order includes a pre-paid envelope so you can return empty refill pouches for guaranteed reuse and recycling. Besides refillable products, Bower Collective also offers various eco-friendly items, from health and wellness products to sustainable pet supplies.
Bower Collective has established the Bower Standard, ensuring all products are sustainable, effective, and reduce waste. Additionally, every purchase supports the Marine Conservation Society in protecting 1m² of endangered seagrass.
💷 Use the exclusive discount code MF20 at checkout to get 20% off full-price items.
Oxfam Online
Oxfam Online is a fantastic place to shop for second-hand items. You can find clothes for everyone in the family, books, music, and even collectables. Shopping second-hand is one of the most budget-friendly and eco-friendly options available.
Besides second-hand items, Oxfam Online also offers the "Sourced by Oxfam" range. This collection includes eco-friendly cleaning products, fairtrade food items, and ethical gifts. These products help you live more sustainably.
What’s great is that all profits from your purchases support Oxfam’s mission to alleviate global poverty. By shopping here, you are making a positive impact on the world.
Social Supermarket
Social Supermarket is a UK-based social enterprise marketplace that brings together businesses making a positive impact under one virtual roof. These purpose-led brands address both human and environmental issues, allowing you to make a real difference with every purchase. The range of products includes food and drink, clothing, cleaning products, health and beauty items, and more.
To help you understand the impact of each product, Social Supermarket uses a series of impact icons. These icons highlight the positive ripple effect of each purchase across the globe. For instance, the eco-conscious icon signifies brands that prioritise doing right by nature, from zero-waste products to those that plant a tree for every product sold. Meanwhile, the economic empowerment icon represents brands that support socially disadvantaged people, offering valuable employment and training opportunities.
Shopping at Social Supermarket means you are supporting brands that are a force for good, making it easier to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Conclusion
In conclusion, making eco-friendly choices in our daily lives is more important than ever. The UK offers a wide range of sustainable products that cater to various needs, from fashion and beauty to home and garden. By choosing these eco-friendly options, we not only reduce our environmental footprint but also support ethical practises and fair trade. Remember, every small step counts. Whether it’s switching to reusable bags, buying second-hand clothes, or opting for natural cleaning products, your choices can make a big difference. Let’s continue to make mindful decisions and contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does eco-friendly mean?
Eco-friendly refers to products or practises that do not harm the environment. This can include using sustainable materials, reducing waste, and conserving energy.
Why should I buy eco-friendly products?
Buying eco-friendly products helps reduce your environmental impact. It supports sustainable practises, reduces waste, and often conserves energy and resources.
Are eco-friendly products more expensive?
Sometimes eco-friendly products can be more expensive, but they often last longer and are of higher quality. Plus, you’re investing in a healthier planet.
Where can I find eco-friendly products in the UK?
There are many places to find eco-friendly products in the UK, including Ethical Superstore, &Keep, Friendly Turtle, Forrist, and Big Green Smile.
What makes a product sustainable?
A sustainable product is made in a way that protects the environment, conserves resources, and supports fair labour practises. This can include using recycled materials or reducing carbon emissions.
How can I tell if a product is truly eco-friendly?
Look for certifications like Fairtrade, organic, or cruelty-free. Also, research the brand’s practises and materials to ensure they are genuinely committed to sustainability.