Becoming ethical and sustainable is gradually moving to the top of many brands’ priority lists.

With landfills overflowing, plastic waste taking over our oceans, and regular reports from scientists regarding the disturbing state that our planet is in, it’s no surprise.

Whether it’s sustainable packaging, ethical production or waste-reducing concepts, the five brands below put the planet first. Read on to find out more about some popular brands making a difference.

Recommended reading: Jenny Leung Creates Sustainable Clothing Service for Pregnant Women

Patagonia

Patagonia is an outdoor clothing and gear retailer that has been environmentally-conscious right from their conception as a tiny climbing gear business, through to their expansion as a worldwide brand.

The team behind Patagonia is on a mission to save our planet by using their resources and voices as a successful business.

They remain committed to making their manufacturing process as environmentally ethical as possible, while also using long-lasting fabrics for their clothing products. Patagonia’s kit is supposed to be durable and repairable, meaning it can last a lifetime if looked after properly.

This awesome brand also donates time and money (at least 1% of their sales go towards helping hundreds of grassroots organizations all over the world) to fighting the causes of global warming.

Seventh Generation

You will have heard of Seventh Generation. This revolutionary brand sells eco-conscious cleaning products that definitely put the planet — and future generations — first. In fact, their brand name stems from their admirable mission: to nurture the health of the next seven generations.

As consumers, we’ve been told for years that the best way to keep our homes clean is to use products that are full of powerful chemicals. Of course, we now know that these chemicals can be toxic, and harmful to both human health and the health of our planet.

Seventh Generation has provided a viable alternative: a wide range of effective cleaning products that use plant-based ingredients, and are scented with essential oils and botanical ingredients (they avoid synthetic fragrances and dyes too).

The brand also uses recycled materials to develop their packaging, which is also designed to be recyclable once it has been used, too.

Lush

Lush is a British cosmetics retailer that sells gorgeous, guilt-free beauty products that look and smell amazing. Since the brand’s beginnings, they’ve been pushing boundaries with products which are vegetarian-only (80% of products are vegan too), and never tested on animals.

Not content with just making their own offerings guilt-free, Lush also campaigns against animal testing and supports ethical buying.

If you’ve ever visited a store (they have over 1000 stores in 49 countries worldwide), you’ll know that their packaging concept is simple: usually recyclable paper bags or cardboard gift boxes, and no excessive plastic packaging for their products.

If other beauty products retailers took a leaf out of Lush’s book, we’d be a step closer to a waste-free beauty industry — and one that is much kinder to the animals we share our planet with too.

Knix

Knix is a revolutionary underwear brand that specializes in period underwear.

Not only are they on a mission to make women feel confident and comfortable through their innovative design and fabric technology, but they are also putting our planet first with their environmentally-friendly key concept.

The huge amount of waste that is created as a result of periods products such as tampons and pads is rarely talked about. Much like menstruation itself, there’s still a stigma attached to the topic that makes people feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.

However, it is something we need to talk about: feminine hygiene products are not environmentally-friendly at all. In fact, they can take hundreds of years to biodegrade, especially if they’re wrapped in plastic packaging. And with the average woman using 11,000 tampons in a lifetime, that’s a lot of waste.

By simply switching over to washable, reusable, leakproof underwear (which absorbs your period much like a pad would), women can help to tackle our waste problem and have a guilt-free period.

Alternative Apparel

Alternative Apparel is a fashion brand with an impressive planet-saving ethos. They produce eco-friendly and ethical clothes (specializing in basics and loungewear) with a great message behind it.

They use sustainable and recycled materials wherever they can, such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, and even repurposed plastic bottles (which go towards creating alternative eco-fabrics). Garments are then finished off with low-impact, non-toxic dyes and washes with reclaimed water.

The brand isn’t satisfied with just making clothing ethically. Their packaging and distribution are equally eco-friendly, using oxo-biodegradable mailer bags and a vendor recycling program.

Annually, their packaging methods alone save 2100 trees, 400 cubic yards of landfill, 860k gallons of water and conserves 120 tons of CO2.

Support Brands That Care

It’s refreshing to see some pretty huge brands across a variety of different industries putting the planet first, while still offering some awesome products.

These are just five brands that are ensuring that their products, packaging, and manufacturing methods are environmentally-friendly and sustainable. By supporting these businesses — and the many more ethical and eco-conscious brands out there — we can start making a difference to the future of our planet.