At betternotstop, our mission is to bring people together so we can create a better future for people and the planet – which means we speak with a variety of people and work with different businesses every day who share our vision for a sustainable future for all.
Sometimes this is through enquiries to the website (which we always enjoy getting – contact us here!), via the Better Business Network or B-Corp Certification, not to mention the various other ways that we speak to other businesses, people, friends and family that alert us to fantastic companies that are working towards a better future for all.
And so we wanted to highlight some of these companies to show just how fantastic they are!
We’ll be publishing some in-depth interviews with some of the leaders of these brands soon to delve further into their stories, but for now – please enjoy the Better Business Roundup #1!
Fridge of Plenty is an urban farm shop in North London, offering the best local, seasonal and sustainable food. They have a bricks and mortar shop as well as offering home-delivery across North London and UK-wide shipping.
They like to source super-locally for three reasons: it means supporting local businesses in the hard-hit food sector and showcasing local artisan produce; supply chains are kept short for great quality and transparency; and food miles are kept low.
All of their veg is UK-grown and seasonal, as much as possible they sell organic, and they also have a triple bottom line, good staff benefits, and pay the London Living Wage.
Ivy&Bee-Interiors provide beautiful homeware with an eco-friendly approach with an aim to show that you don’t need to scrimp on style to be sustainable.
Where possible they source their products from local and British suppliers in order to reduce the carbon footprint that transport costs create. For those items which are from further afield Ivy&Bee donate funds each month through our collaboration with Ecologi by planting a tree for every order placed as an offset against this.
On top of this, the interior company also re-use as much packaging as possible from the items they stock in an attempt to limit the packaging required to be purchased separately. From the team; “We don’t claim to be perfect in our eco-friendly ethos but we do strive to make as much of an impact as possible with the factors which we can control and are always looking at ways we can improve on this.”
And we wholeheartedly support them in their steps forward in making this happen!
Bare Kind want their customers to feel good about the products they buy and the impact they have on the world. And we couldn’t agree more!
They sell bamboo socks where 10% of the profits are donated to help save the animal on the sock in question. Every single design is linked to an animal conservation or rescue charity, and founder Lucy’s vision is to have the largest range of animal socks in the world, all contributing to the conservation of each species on the sock.
From a logistics point of view, Bare Kind ensures that all of their packaging is plastic-free and easily recyclable, doing away with unnecessary packaging and deploying the tactic of ‘the simpler, the better’.
Lucy told us; “There are a few things I am doing with Bare Kind to improve my transparency on sustainability. Firstly, I have mapped out my supply chain and am working with some third parties to understand the impact and how I translate this to customers. I am also working on producing a robust ESG strategy at this early stage so I can improve it as I grow. I will also be offsetting my carbon emissions through recognised programmes and certifications.”
“I am doing my best to improve how I show up as a sustainable brand, and part of that is doing as much as I can to learn, we have to go into this with a growth mindset so we can all improve the world together. Steps have to be taken by all companies, but none of this is an easy fix, and tick box exercises are not good enough.”
The Feminist Shop print on demand to create zero wastage, so we only produce the things that people have bought and loved and they also drop ship to avoid unnecessary carbon footprint from extra deliveries. Apparel is one of the most dangerous industries for the environment so they use earth positive clothing, with apparel made from organic cotton and produced in a factory with renewable energy, with a reduction of 90% of the carbon footprint. On top of that, The Feminist Shop deliver everything plastic free and the printing company is committed with the offsetting of their Carbon Footprint by funding the planting of trees in the North West of England with Ecologi.
Alongside their sustainability credentials, the company are passionate about the social aspect of what they do as well; the brand they use is fair wear certified, regularly audited for social compliance as well as running active monitoring programmes. Their printing company is a family owned local company where staff are paid above the national living wage, regardless of age.
Finally, The Feminist Shop are also committed to share 50% of their net profits with their partner associations; at present, as most start ups, they are not profitable just yet so in the meantime they are sharing 10% of our sales. Making sure that EVERY PURCHASE has an impact supporting amazing feminist causes.
Satatland is a guilt-free, compromise-free, cruelty-free, and ownership-free circular fashion brand. They make beautiful sustainable outfits with a vision to see a positive change in our lifetime; taking a holistic approach on how our products are made, consumed and disposed.
The Satatland name translates to “Sustainable Land”. They are determined to bring the utopian vision of how fashion should be consumed one step closer. Wearing different outfits for every occasion means owning an endless overpacked wardrobe which comes at the cost of our environment, therefore, we envisioned an ownership-free future in Satatland.
Their designs can be rented & leased in the UK and bought globally with an option to return for responsible reuse/upcycle/recycle when it is no longer wearable or required in exchange for 10% discount and free shipping for the return.
The company is run by Karishma Gupta, who founded Satatland with the dream to create a zero compromise circular fashion brand; beautiful, sustainable & ownership-free. Karishma spoke to us about what prompted her to set up Satatland; “I am a former production and quality manager of high quantity clothing manufacturers in India, Bangladesh, and middle east for fast fashion brands. My previous jobs have given me the first-hand experience of seeing the negative impact of Fashion on our planet.”
“I have seen how rivers have turned toxic with dyes, the land is being devastated with pesticides for growing cotton in the east for the clothes that are not even worn for more than twice in the west. Because of what I have experienced and seen in my life I decided to put an end to this madness and start my brand Satatland in London focused on positive sustainable fashion.”
Verity Clarke Hair / The Art House, Colchester
Verity Clarke Hair provides top quality hair services from The Art House, Colchester. Covering all aspects of hairdressing for all genders, with a special talent for colour.
The Art House is a space where you can be you, and are encouraged to do so. There’s no boundaries, no judgement, no discrimination or negativity. It’s a place of creativity, positivity and a celebration of all things wonderfully weird and magical. Most importantly, it’s a place of happiness (if that hasn’t sold you then I don’t know what will!).
Verity Clarke Hair are also collaborators with the Green Salon Collective. Founded by environmental experts, hairdressers & eco campaigners, the Green Salon Collective is the original authority on salon sustainability throughout the UK and Ireland. They facilitate salon sustainability by recycling the unrecyclable – with profits raised from the sale of all commodities then being redistributed and recycled too by supporting charities & local communities, as well as aiding all salons on their own journey towards a greener future.
We spoke to Verity, who is super excited about this new partnership; “Do you know how much waste comes out of a salon? From plastic caps to tint tubes, hair colour (chemicals) to hair. Most of which has to go in ‘general waste’ because it can’t be recycled. Well, not any more.”
“The Green Salon Collective specialises in recycling such things and it’s amazing. We have next to no waste coming out of The Art House, which I’m super proud of. And, your off cuts of hair can go to help clean up oil spills in the oceans. How cool is that?! I absolutely love nature, especially water, so having a business that helps support our planet too is super important.”
Bethnal & Bec are an award winning, family run business in Cottered that offer luxury adult only, dog friendly, self catering accommodation.
Designed and created by Vicky & Chris Saynor, Bethnal&Bec Luxury Staycations is a true home-grown family business. City chic meets countryside cool, in a stylish yet cosy home-from-home setting.
As part of their sustainability journey, they have introduced:
- Hot Composting
- Vermicomposting
- Terracycle bin for all plastic currently not recycled
- Harvesting rainwater from all downpipes
- Moving to utilising grey water for our 3rd retreat
- Replacing hot tubs with less energy hungry outdoor jacuzzis / baths
- Removing all plastics for guest use where possible
- Buying in large bulk quantities to reduce constantly buying plastic bottles. reusing plastic bottles to refill
- Educating guests on all our initiatives in the hope they may take some ideas home and start to implement themselves
- Installing an EV charger for guests with electric cars, and offering a discount to them for staying
- Installing water reducing shower heads
All of which sounds fantastic! Not to mention that their luxury accommodations look fab too!
Neve’s Bees are Oxfordshire Beekeepers making 100% natural skincare… with a little help from their bees.
Their products are all formulated using only pure and natural plant oils and butters blended with their beeswax; no fillers, no water (so no need for the preservatives and emulsifiers that are increasingly being linked with skin problems), plus no ‘parfum’ or other synthetics – just pure plant skin nourishment.
What’s more, all of their packaging is recyclable – metal tins, glass jars, recycled board boxes, linen and organic cotton gift bags, even eco-non-pvc-labels which are all endorsed by The Soil Association.
Neve’s Bees believe business should be a force for good and, with the help of their customers, are on a mission to bring back the wildflower meadows which are so vital for bees and other pollinators.
Did you know that, since 1970 over 97% of the UK’s Wildflower Meadows have been destroyed? Without such forage, the bees, butterflies, moths and all the creatures higher up the food chain, cannot survive.
For each product sold, Neve’s Bees donate 10% of the profit to The Wildlife Trust and their local Nature Recovery Network to help restore the countryside. They giveaway free packs of Bee Friendly Wildflower Seeds with all orders over £12 on their website, creating hundreds of mini-meadows all over the UK. On top of all that, they post daily facts on their social media channels about bees and wildflowers and what everyone can do to bring back wildflowers and save our pollinators.
We’ll be back soon with more Better Business Roundups as well as some in-depth conversations with the sustainable superheroes running the companies working towards a better future for people and the planet.
To learn more about betternotstop, the Better Business Network, and how we help businesses work towards a more sustainable future, please visit our About Page.
What a huge privilege to have been featured in this round up, specially with the awesome businesses in this list too! Thanks, Virginia (The Feminist Shop)