8 Of The Worlds Best Ethical Brands

This world friendly candle company knows that nature has a lot to give and that it sometimes needs a little help in return. By planting 10 trees every candle sold, Barenaturals is getting right down to the bare bones of what nature needs from us. Trees are beautiful. Trees are habitats. Trees clean our air and neutralise pollution. And trees give us everything from food to shelter to the many responsibly sourced plant-based ingredients in Barenaturals products. To say thank you and to do their bit for the planet, Barenaturals aim to plant 10 million trees around the world, rescuing ecosystems damaged or destroyed by deforestation and teaching people to respect their forest and their planet.

Krochet Kids began with three US school friends making bespoke hats and headwear for their friends and classmates. But, after they left school, they realised how their small venture could grow to help and empower impoverished women around the world. Now the company shows these women how to crochet the same type of high-quality headwear, as well as toys and other things. It then sells them, working on a fair and constructive basis by negotiating and communicating with the workforce. This is fair trade taken to the next level.

Importantly, the maker signs each product, enabling customers to write to the offering feedback and encouragement. This connection between producer and customer has been hailed as an important leap forward in socially responsible commerce, and it feels good too.

Stella and Dot is just one of many well-known brands who have given their customers the chance to show their choice of charity by wearing it. Their Illuminate Cuff is a fashion statement and a declaration of support for Every Mother Counts, which helps to support safe pregnancy and childbirth worldwide. All of the profits from every cuff sold go to the charity. Did we mention that it’s very stylish? Have a look.

The fight against cancer is one of the biggest medical challenges of our time. Fashion giant Ralph Lauren launched their Pink Pony range in recognition of this. It includes a wide range of clothes and accessories and lifestyle products from across the eminent brand’s selection, all with 25 percent of their sales value going to support cancer screenings, early diagnosis, research and treatments. And yes, you can get the famous polo shirts in Pink Pony.

Rainbow Light is a company dedicated to keeping everyone healthy. It keeps its customers healthy by providing natural supplements, it keeps the planet healthy by using nothing but recycled and recyclable packaging, and it keeps women and babies across the world healthy through its non-profit project, Vitamin Angels. This innovative charity helps to support poor or at-risk mothers and babies by providing vitamins and supplements when they need it most.

Why does TOMS make twice as many shoes as it sells? Because for every pair of shoes sold, the business gives one pair to someone who is poor and in need. The company calls this “one for one” giving and everybody else calls it incredibly generous. In fact, TOMS beyond simply giving shoes and invests in health and education across the world as well as creating fair and rewarding jobs in some of the most underprivileged communities.

Richard Branson’s huge enterprise has long been a cause celebre in the ethically responsible business world. Now he’s turning his celebrity and his business’s power to recruiting for voluntary causes around the world through the non-profit Virgin Unite foundation. The foundation attracts people to support positive, charitable causes through volunteering. It then provides volunteers with the material and support to do far more than they could alone.

All of these brands and all of their charitable projects are great in their own way, and we hope you feel better for knowing about them. If you do, you will no doubt love Buycott, an app that helps you buy brands with values and principles that match yours. Buycott works by scanning barcodes and showing you how well the product and company in question perform in ethical areas that are important to you. If you like to know that the companies receiving your money are giving back to the world and its people, then this is a must have for your phone.

We salute the rise of ethical brands. They deserve to be encouraged and supported because business that is a force for good is a force for the future.