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25 Incredibly Successful Eco-Friendly Shopify Businesses For A Greener Tomorrow
There's no denying it: the Internet has become our major motivator for purchasing. Online sales are booming, which is excellent for entrepreneurs, but it also means more packaging, which means more waste.
For businesses, becoming green can be a challenge. Numerous considerations should be made before a product is shipped, such as packing materials, contents, and shipping methods, to name a few. These seemingly inconsequential choices can have a significant impact on both the bottom line of the business and the health of the environment. As business owners, we can make improvements by switching to eco-friendlier materials and helping minimize waste.
Here are 30 socially aware businesses using Shopify as their preferred platform to demonstrate how sustainability can be a major contributor to success.
Shopify’s most successful stores have one thing in common: they’re always doing something new, and they always have something special on offer. From the very beginning, Bombas took the time to do things right when it comes to building the brand. They focused on creating value for the customer and used this value to build loyalty among customers and advocates alike.
The brand keeps a ‘one purchased, one donated’ commitment through which they’ve racked up more than 30 million items, donated to more than 2500 community organizations.
The combination of high-quality products and a great cause is a huge part of their success. The company has had an annual growth rate of over 5,000%, and its eCommerce sales are now above $100 million.
Many people have switched to reusable water bottles in recent years and it has never been easier to find a bottle that suits your tastes. Chilly’s was founded by James Butterfield and Tim Bouscarle with the aim of making reusable bottles a part of daily life. James previously worked in corporate real estate before setting up an organic food business and Tim has worked in sustainable design for major brands including Louis Vuitton and Chanel.
In 2018, 1 million bottles were sold worldwide and in 2019, 2 million bottles were sold worldwide. The brand has been placed in over 1,000 stockists worldwide from Selfridges and Harrods in London to Colette in Paris and Bloomingdales and Nordstrom in New York.
Another constant on the ‘best Shopify stores’ list is shoe brand Allbirds. There’s a lot to love about Allbirds. The DTC footwear company has created a shoe that showcases the best of both worlds: comfort and sustainability. Their cost-efficient price point has made them a cult favorite among consumers, and as an added bonus - their shoes aren’t all that bad to look at either! What’s not to love?
In 2014, Tim Brown, a New Zealand soccer player, met Joey Zwillinger, a San Francisco chemical engineer. The two started gathering data on how to develop the most eco-friendly sneaker for years. Their initial invention, The Wool Runner, was born from Tim's soccer cleat expertise and Joey's renewable energy knowledge. This shoe was made of merino wool, which is one of the best materials for reducing your environmental impact.
The brand has expanded tremendously since then, offering a wide range of men’s and women’s shoes, including but not limited to: sandals, sneakers, loafers, and work boots.
DTC brands are on the rise – but they're not all born equal. To stand out in an increasingly crowded space, you need to bring more to the table than just a new way of buying products; you need a story that will capture people's imagination.
PANGAIA's story is one of collaboration with scientists, artists, and makers to make clothes that feel like the future; clothes that don't just look great, but that work with your body in ways you might never have imagined before. It's no surprise that they've attracted collaborators like Pharrell Williams as well as customers from around the globe.
PANGAIA is improving one of the most polluting industries: fashion. The company is a pioneer in the use of sustainably derived hemp, seaweed, linen, and organic cotton in its designs. Among their recent designs are shirts made with antimicrobial peppermint that stays fresh longer.
In 2018, Americans purchased 5.8 billion tampons, and over the course of a lifetime, a single menstruator will use between 5 and 15 thousand pads and tampons, the great majority of which will end up in landfills as plastic trash.
So why do we need to keep buying and discarding disposable plastic tampons? Because no one has ever built an alternative. So DAME chose to lead. They spent two years creating groundbreaking new products that are healthier for the body, the earth, and everyone who menstruates.
DAME's award-winning reusable tampon applicator is composed of BPA and phthalate-free medical-grade plastic. Simply unscrew it, remove the tampon, wash and dry it, then replace it. The tampons are organic cotton and chlorine-free, better for people, and the environment.
Pip & Nut is a food brand founded by Pippa Murray who, after being diagnosed with a nut allergy, decided to make her own nut butter at home. Overall, Pip & Nut is a natural health food brand focused on making delicious tasting nut butter made from 100% nuts, without any palm oil or unnecessary ingredients.
In April 2019, Pip & Nut received B Corp certification, joining a community of more than 2,700 businesses around the world that share a common goal of redefining success in business. As a B Corp, they meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance and are committed to using business as a force for good.
The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world, but Known Supply is fighting to change that.
The Californian brand employs artisans in Peru to make their clothing and makes a point of keeping their supply chain as transparent as possible. They go so far as to hand-sign each garment they produce, inviting customers to learn more about the people who made it.
Known Supply isn't just connecting its customers with those who make clothes, they're also helping them learn new skills and earn a living wage. As the company grows, they're creating more opportunities for the people working on its products. It's a simple but impactful way to add humanity to a commodity product like clothing, especially when so many consumer goods are now made out of sight in factories halfway around the world.
If you thought toilet paper was just a boring necessity, think again. Number Two is a DTC toilet paper brand dedicated to keeping the environment and people clean, one roll at a time. In addition to being more environmentally friendly, this eco-friendly toilet option also features some very unique packaging designs. Number Two's mission is to provide 100% Bamboo Toilet Paper with a superior wipe that is better for you and Mother Nature.
Every day, 27,000 trees are cut down for toilet paper products throughout the world. Yes, on a daily basis! Bamboo can be harvested on an annual basis, whereas trees can only be picked every 20 to 50 years (or more!). Bamboo toilet paper is not only better for the environment, but it is also lovely and sturdy, providing an excellent wiping sensation.
The first tea company to be certified Plastic-Free now boasts B Corp status whilst offering collections of both 100% natural and plastic-free teas.
Not only do they offer a great selection of high-quality teas, they’re also a socially-conscious business on a mission. Teapigs are committed to helping their growers get a better deal by paying fair prices for tea that is sourced and produced ethically.
If you love tea (and cute packaging) as much as we do, then you’ll definitely want to browse the Teapigs website.
The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, just behind oil and we're done with the disposable fast-fashion mentality. Customers now want garments that make them feel wonderful inside and out. A brand that does exactly that is Girlfriend Collective. The Girlfriend Collective is a small company that creates high-quality and affordable activewear made out of recycled polyester, organic cotton, and recycled spandex.
Girlfriend Collective produces clothing ranging in size from XXS to 6XL using recycled fabrics. In keeping with the brand's philosophy of recycling and repurposing existing Girlfriend Collective items, they use old stocks to create new garments in the future.
This is the story of a clothing brand that’s taken the fight against fast fashion head-on. Finisterre is on a mission to create clothing that is built to last, and they’ve built their business around this mission.
Finisterre started out as a small surf shop in the coastal town of St Agnes, England, repurposing old neoprene wetsuits into accessories like hats and bags. They quickly discovered that there was a demand for more technical and sustainable surfwear, so they began producing their own line of well-designed wetsuits and apparel for serious surfers.
The brand flourished, with a dedicated community of customers who were loyal to the brand.
Lucy & Yak is a clothing brand that makes bright, bold dungarees and sells them directly to consumers via its website. In just three years, it has become a cult hit on the British high street, with its distinctive orange-and-white stores popping up in trendy areas of London and beyond.
The company's success can be attributed to more than just its colorful prints and its reasonably priced, comfortable wares. The brand has garnered a large and loyal fan base for two main reasons: It is committed to sustainability, and it is run by a husband-and-wife team who are as outspoken as they are down to earth.
The brand has since become a global success, with stockists across Europe, Australia, and America.
FIGS are a clothing company that helps healthcare professionals live their best life. They create technically advanced apparel and products that feature an unmatched combination of comfort, durability, function, and style, all at an affordable price. It's scrubs but better.
Not only do they create high-quality medical apparel, they give back too. Threads for Threads is a charity initiative launched by the Los Angeles-based medical apparel manufacturer to address the worldwide healthcare uniform shortage by delivering scrubs to medical staff in need. FIGS will donate a pair of scrubs to a needy healthcare worker through its global giving network for every pair of scrubs sold on the brand's Shopify-powered website.
FIGS worked with some of the world's most well-known charity organizations, including Care+Wear, MedShare, and Operation Smile. Each group works directly with local hospitals and clinics across the world when uniforms are few or unavailable.
Ilk + Ernie is an indie fashion label that purchases, recycles and repurpose discarded textiles put away by major fashion companies. In addition to helping women to purchase responsibly and economically, Ilk + Ernie encourages women to wear colorful patterns and bold designs fearlessly.
Ilk + Ernie's founders are firm believers in the recycling of waste. They are repurposing these materials by upcycling them into new outfits rather than dumping them in landfills.
YALA is a small, independent jewelry brand based in the UK. They create ethical jewelry that’s made to last (with collaborators who are paid fairly and materials that are eco-friendly). YALA have small-batch collections made exclusively for them, creating as little environmental impact as possible.
YALA works with two incredible organizations to provide education to girls in developing countries. For every piece of jewelry sold, YALA funds one year of formal education for a girl in Africa. Plus, they’re certified B Corps!
They were awarded “Jewelry Brand of the Year” at the 2019 Sustainable Lifestyle Awards, shortlisted in the “Emerging Talent” category at the 2019 Jewelry Awards, and selected by Grazia as a “Changemaker”.
KLORIS was born out of frustration with the CBD industry. It was a surprise to the company's founders Jim and Ben when they went in search of CBD products and couldn't discover anything that suited their high requirements.
What were those standards? For starters, they sought an ethical and sustainable product. They also wanted a product that utilized effective ingredients and offered a lot of information about it. They discovered as they researched CBD that many products on the market failed to meet these criteria.
A year in the making, KLORIS is the result of months of study into the best ingredients and how to ethically source them. The brand's philosophy is reflected in everything it does, from ingredient sourcing to product packaging. Everything is organic and devoid of pesticides, herbicides, synthetic cannabinoids (including THC), preservatives, and additives. Aside from that, KLORIS utilizes only organic CBD.
Here's a deodorant brand that's changing the game. Nuud is a vegan anti-odorant (that's right, no more aluminum) that works for 3-7 days. Essentially, it eliminates all of the nonsense and chemicals present in conventional, non-natural deodorants. There are no metals, chemicals, artificial scents, salts, parabens, or alcohol in Nuud.
Nuud produces an environment on your skin in which germs cannot thrive, leaving you smelling pleasant – but not like a perfume factory exploded on you. They have also designed their products to be suitable for a wide range of skin types. Dry skin? No problem! Sensitive skin? Yep! Problematic skin? Got your back!
Nuud is the ideal solution for those looking to elevate their deodorant game or who are searching for a healthy, innovative alternative. This is a company to keep an eye on.
People want to save money on their energy bills. But they also want to be comfortable. That's why we invented the smart thermostat.
Ecobee smart thermostats are sleek and intuitive, with beautiful touch screens that make it easy for you to control your home's temperature. And because they're Wi-Fi enabled, you can adjust your settings remotely from your computer or smartphone. But it's not just about style and convenience. Our thermostats help you save money too. They analyze your home's environment and learn your heating and cooling preferences so they can keep you comfortable while saving energy when you're away.
With an Ecobee smart thermostat, users are in control with voice, touch, or via the app. They’ll be able to check their energy history and make adjustments accordingly—all while helping scientists get the data they need to design more efficiently and sustainably.
If you want to keep your home clean, you don’t need to head to the store and stock up on cleaning supplies. If you are looking for a sustainable way to keep your house spotless, E-Cloth is a great place to start. Cleaning with E-Cloth means you don’t need additional cleaners or sprays, just water.
E-Cloth offers premium, microfiber cleaning products that unlock the cleaning power of water, no product needed. The story of E-Cloth's reusable microfiber cloths started more than twenty years ago with a guy named Steve Pearson. Intrigued by the idea of cleaning with just water, Steve set out to manufacture the world’s best cleaning system. Made with 80% polyester and 20% polyamide, each fiber is 100 times thinner than human hair. These tiny fibers are woven together to create a cloth that gently and effectively cleans your home without any product at all.
To help him create the best cleaning cloth possible, Steve teamed up with an engineer and scientists. The results of that collaboration were E-Cloth’s General Purpose Cloth and Glass and Polishing Cloth.
Oakywood is a Polish company that makes products from solid wood. They believe that the future of interior design resides in eco-friendly items, as well as timeless and strong design. They provide hardwood iPhone and Samsung phone cases, as well as AirPods cases, Macbook covers, and other cool accessories.
Their products are created from solid wood - oak, walnut, maple, beech - employing traditional carpentry techniques such as milling, turning and hand finishing with natural oils.
The company's objective is to establish a brand with a primary emphasis on the environment. Every time an item is purchased via Oakywood's One Tree Planted initiative, a tree is planted. So far, they have planted more than 5100 trees.
Founded in 2012 by two surfers, Dick Moby is a Dutch company that creates sustainable sunglasses and eyeglasses made from Italian handmade plant-based and recycled acetate and metal. Its products are designed in the Netherlands and manufactured using renewable energy. Dick Moby helps customers look good and be good for the planet.
The brand takes a practical approach to sustainability, ensuring that its products are durable enough to last for years or decades without having to be replaced.
Their sunglasses are made of bio-acetate and stainless steel, which is both sustainable and durable. The bio-acetate is made from wood pulp from non-endangered trees, grown on government-protected land. It takes up less energy than plastic and is completely biodegradable. The steel used for the frames is hypoallergenic and does not contain nickel or lead, making it kinder on your skin too.
Nice Laundry is your destination for premium, sustainable socks. With a wide variety of both traditional and unique designs, you’ll never have to scour the internet for the best socks ever again.
Nice Laundry's mission is to help you look good and do good. The company partners with 2ReWear Inc., a textile recycling company, to repurpose old socks. The used socks will undergo a grading process: top-tier items get sanitized and go to areas of need, while the others are repurposed as textile or shredded into new fibers to create home insulation.
So far, the company has recycled over 400 thousand items, saving over 60 million gallons of water and 370 thousand lbs of CO2.
Five12 isn't just another activewear collection. The activewear company is focused on building the best gear from post-consumer recycled materials with designs that are current but last for several years and bringing awareness to the ever-growing problem in our environment.
Five12 makes its activewear from ECONYL®, a 100 percent regenerated nylon fiber made from pre and post-consumer waste—such as fishnets and other industrial plastic waste.
The company also wants to make sure consumers know where their products come from and how they are made. For that reason, Five12 has partnered with factories in Los Angeles where they have an open-door policy, allowing customers to visit anytime they like. In addition to using recycled materials, Five12 is also using vegan leather, organic cotton, and other eco-friendly options for its accessories line.
Discovered by a mom and daughter duo in search of a comfortable, versatile shoe to wear on their daily commute, Rothy’s was established as the first brand to create knit footwear from recycled plastic bottles.
They’ve come a long way since then. Their collection includes women’s flats, sneakers, and pointe shoes, as well as bags and accessories like phone cases, mask chains, and more. But they’ve never lost their original mission: to create shoes that are as sustainable as they are stylish—and make them in a way that minimizes waste along the way.
Rothy’s products are made with three materials: yarn made from recycled plastic water bottles; premium canvas; and ultralight cushioning foam. Each material is 100% recyclable and sustainably sourced.
100% Pure is a vegan skincare company that claims that its commitment is to produce the healthiest and purest beauty products. They source garments from tea, vegetables, cocoa, and fruits to avoid using chemicals.
The company offers a variety of products ranging from body lotions, hair care products, cleansers, serums, anti-aging creams, and many more that they claim are made of natural ingredients.
Their packaging is made from post-consumer recycled materials and printed with soy ink to maintain sustainability.
CONCLUSION
Eco-friendly businesses have numerous advantages. They can attract a niche clientele and gain more exposure by contributing to the green cause. And while having an eco-friendly business may be challenging, there is no question that sustainable practices pay dividends both for the business and the environment.
The businesses featured above are all trying to do something positive in the world, and they're looking to Shopify as a trusted platform for achieving that goal.
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