Earth Day Spotlight: Our Favorite Sustainable Brands

To celebrate Earth Day on the blog this year, we decided to highlight some of our favorite brands who operate with an Earth-friendly philosophy and use sustainable materials and practices to create their products. Below, hear what some of our buyers have to say about these dedicated, talented makers and hear from some of the passionate brand owners themselves.

1. Aplat Reusable Cotton Flower Totes: “In the past year I have been more mindful of sustainability and have made small adjustments in my everyday life to reduce waste,” our buyer, Kelly Drakas, says. “These bouquet bags fold up easily so you can stash them in your tote, car, or bike basket. They’re great because they keep your flowers from getting the rest of your Farmer’s Market haul wet and keep the haul from damaging the delicate petals. A win-win! Plus, each bag is handmade in San Francisco using organic cotton in an origami-inspired design that eliminates negative space and achieves virtually no fabric remnants for a more sustainable manufacturing process.”

2. Nash and Jones: Founder Kim Rohwer started Nash and Jones “out of necessity,” after she and her newborn son fell ill with symptoms that basic allergy tests couldn’t pinpoint. “Our allergist suggested we eliminate MSG, a common ingredient with 12 disguising names and a common cause for sensitivities. That gave us our first taste of freedom and led to my family crafting as many products as we could to reduce the toxins that touched our bodies inside and out. We soon realized we couldn’t keep this to ourselves and started Nash and Jones. We do our best to keep sustainability in mind when we choose products that are harvested from the earth and the people that harvest them.”

3. Sydney Hale Candles: Established in Northern Virginia in 2008, Sydney Hale now calls the Manchester neighborhood of Richmond, VA home. Their objective has always been to formulate beautiful products of the highest quality here in the USA, to reduce the stress on landfills through our choice of packaging materials, and to support animal rescue by donating 10% of their profits to organizations working for the cause.

4. Reusable Produce Bags: “I currently own the reusable produce bags and love that they come in multiple sizes and are made with organic materials,” our buyer Kelly Drakas says. “I keep them in my canvas tote so they’re always ready when I head to the market. I also plan on eventually using them for travel and when I head to the beach. They also make a great eco-friendly gift!” 

5. Tropical Canvas Stems: “One of my favorite things about terrain is that we show the customer how to bring the outdoors in while still preserving a natural beauty. These canvas stems are such a unique spin on this, bringing new life to recycled canvas that was previously used for army tents.” Indeed, each of these canvas stems are handmade (and hand-painted) from vintage army tent canvas in India by a team of skilled artisans led by designers Rashi and Devesh Jindal. Ashley says “I love that they’re also made with flexible wire that allows for endless uses, giving them a long life."

6. Rosemarine Textiles: “Every bandana is made by hand in our studio in Detroit with a lot of consideration towards making it in the most sustainable way possible," Rosemarine Textiles founder Meghan Navoy says. This includes minimizing water use whenever possible, air drying all fabrics instead of using a dryer, banking with a small local bank, working with almost entirely woman owned suppliers, cutting each piece to minimize fabric waste, composting dye materials after use, and shipping in recycled paper envelopes. It’s really important to me to not approach sustainability from a place of judgment. Many of our customers are unfamiliar with natural dyes and the process of how textiles are typically made. I’m happy to share our process and why we’re different!”

Enjoyed this post? Check out our conversation with author Hilton Carter, our blooming branch guide, and our studio visit with Source and Tradition!